San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Central Florida notches first win over Florida
STORRS, Conn. — Brittney Smith came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points and lead No. 7 seed Central Florida past instate rival Florida 69-52 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was UCF’s first-ever win over the Gators in program history after 26 consecutive losses. Diamond Battles added 18 points and Masseny Kaba had 14 for the Knights (26-3).
Nina Rickards had 17 points and Zippy Broughton added 12 point for an injury-riddled Florida (21-11).
UCF led just 18-13 after a quarter before getting the ball to Smith early in the second. The American Athletic Conference’s sixth woman of the year scored her team’s first four baskets of that frame and helped extend the lead to 30-15.
Florida cut the deficit to six points in the third, but UCF scored the final eight points of quarter to push the lead back to 51-39 then outscored the Gators 18-13 over the final 10 minutes to secure the win.
CONNECTICUT 83, MERCER 38
Paige Bueckers started and scored 12 points as the Huskies began their run toward a 12th NCAA Tournament title with a rout of the No. 15 Bears at Storrs, Conn.
Last season’s national player of the year played 25 minutes, the most in six games since coming back from a left knee injury that kept her out for more than two months. She also had five assists and four rebounds.
Christyn Williams had 13 points to lead the Huskies (26-5), who opened the tournament with a win for the 28th straight year. Dorka Juhasz added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Shannon Titus had 12 points to lead Mercer (23-7). The Southern
Conference champion Bears have never won an NCAA Tournament game.
PRINCETON 69, KENTUCKY 62
Abby Meyers set a career-high with 29 points to lead the No. 11seed Tigers to their second-ever women’s NCAA Tournament win with a victory over the sixth-seeded Wildcats at Bloomington, Ind.
The Tigers (25-4) have won 18 straight games and never trailed after the first quarter.
They led by as many as nine points three times in the fourth quarter. However, it was a grueling battle to knock off the Wildcats (19-12), who entered the tournament winners of 10 straight.
TENNESSEE 80, BUFFALO 67
Alexus Dye scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the
fourth-seeded Volunteers held off the No. 13 seed Bulls to remain perfect in the NCAA Tournament on their own floor.
Tennessee (24-8) improved to 24-0 in the first round at home, though the Lady Vols’ first game here since 2018 was much tighter than any of the orange-clad fans wanted.
Buffalo (25-9) snapped a ninegame winning streak overall and a two-game streak in the first round of this tournament.
Bulls junior guard Dyaiasha Fair, the nation’s fourth-leading scorer, topped her scoring average with 25 points.
NORTH CAROLINA ST. 96, LONGWOOD 68
Raina Perez scored 16 points to lead five players in double digits as the No. 1 Wolfpack pulled away
at Raleigh, N.C.
Perez made seven of her eight shots for N.C. State, which won a program-record 30th game this season.
Longwood (22-12) got 25 points from Akila Smith and 19 from Kyla McMakin.
KANSAS ST. 50, WASHINGTON ST. 40
Ayoka Lee had 20 points and 15 rebounds as the No. 9 Wildcats outlasted the Cougars at Raleigh, N.C.
Lee, a second-team AP AllAmerica selection, made just one shot from the floor in the first half but rallied in the second to lead the Wildcats (20-11) to their first tournament victory since 2017. Brylee Glenn added 14 points for Kansas State.
Washington State (19-11) was powered by Charlisse Leger-Walker’s 20 points on offense.
The Wildcats didn’t allow the Cougars to make a field goal in the final five minutes of the game.
INDIANA 85, CHARLOTTE 51
Mackenzie Holmes scored 19 points to lead the host Hoosiers to victory.
Serving as hosts for the first time in the women’s tournament, the third-seeded Hoosiers (23-8) used a 22-2 run across a nearly sixminute, first-half stretch to blow the game open.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward and second-team All-Big Ten selection made 9 of 15 shots to help IU shoot 54.7 percent. She also grabbed eight rebounds. Grace Berger added 18 points.
Octavia Jett-Wilson’s 19 points led the 49ers (22-9).
VILLANOVA 61, BYU 57
Maddy Siegrist scored 25 points as the 11th-seeded Wildcats rallied to defeat the No. 6 Cougars at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Kaitlyn Oriehl added 10 points and Lucy Olsen had nine for the Wildcats, who finished second in the Big East.
Paisley Harding points for BYU.
scored 21
MICHIGAN 74, AMERICAN 39
Naz Hillmon had 24 points and 11 rebounds to help the third-seeded Wolverines won at home.
Emily Kiser added 13 points and Leigha Brown had 11 for the Wolverines, who will face No. 11 seed Villanova on Monday in the second round.
OHIO ST. 63, MISSOURI ST. 56
Jacy Sheldon scored 25 points and had five steals, and the No. 6 seed Buckeyes overcame an early double-digit deficit for a victory over Missouri State at Baton Rouge, La.
Sheldon also made 10 of 12 free throws for the Buckeyes (24-6).