Bueckers, UConn roll past Mercer
UConn 83, Mercer 38: Paige Bueckers started and scored 12 points as host UConn began its run toward a 12th NCAA Tournament title with a firstround rout of No. 15 seed Mercer on Saturday.
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 time.
UCF 69, Florida 52: Brittney Smith came off the bench to score a careerhigh 26 points and lead No. 7 seed UCF past in-state rival Florida in Storrs, Conn. 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).
North Carolina State 96, Longwood 68: Raina Perez scored 16 points to lead five North Carolina State players in double digits as the host Wolfpack pulled away from Longwood.
Perez made seven of her eight shots for N.C. State, which won a programrecord 30th game this season. Jakia Brown-Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Elissa Cunane tallied 13 points and seven boards. Diamond Johnson and Jada Boyd added 12 points apiece.
Kansas State 50, Washington State 40: Ayoka Lee had 20 points and 15 rebounds as Kansas State overcame a frustrating defensive scheme from Washington State in Raleigh, N.C.
Lee, a second-team AP All-America 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.
Villanova 61, BYU 57: Maddy Siegrist scored 25 points and 11th-seeded Villanova rallied to beat No. 6 seed BYU in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Kaitlyn Oriehl added 10 points and Lucy Olsen had nine for the Wildcats, who finished second in the Big East.
Michigan 74, American 39: Naz Hillmon had 24 points and 11 rebounds to help host Michigan win
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.
Indiana 81, Charlotte 51: Mackenzie Holmes scored 19 points to lead host Indiana to a win.
Serving as hosts for the first time in the women’s tournament, the thirdseeded Hoosiers (23-8) used a 22-2 run across a nearly six-minute first-half stretch to blow the game open. Aleksa Gulbe scored the final five in the spurt to make it 33-13 with 6:44 remaining in the
half.
Princeton 69, Kentucky 62: Abby Meyers set a career-high with 29 points to lead No. 11-seed Princeton to its second-ever women’s NCAA Tournament win, beating sixth-seeded Kentucky in 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.
Ohio State 63, Missouri State 56: Jacy Sheldon had 25 points and five steals, and No. 6 seed Ohio State overcame an early double-digit deficit to beat 11th seed Missouri State in Baton Rouge, La.
Sheldon also made 10 of 12 free throws for the Buckeyes (24-6), who didn’t take the lead for good until Taylor Mikesell made a 3-pointer form the left corner to make it 54-52 with 3:10 left.
Tennessee 80, Buffalo 67: Alexus
Dye scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as host Tennessee held off Buffalo to remain perfect in the NCAA Tournament on its 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.
LSU 83, Jackson State 77: Khayla Pointer capped a 26-point performance with a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute, and No. 3 seed LSU rallied from 10 points down in the final 4:42 to outlast Jackson State.
Jailin Cherry scored 24 for LSU (26-5), hitting several key baskets during a stirring comeback that halted Jackson State’s winning streak at 21 and prevented what was nearly the first victory by a No. 14 seed or a Southwestern Athletic Conference team in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Belmont 73, Oregon 70: Destinee Wells knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:02 left in double overtime, and the Belmont Bruins knocked off No. 5 seed Oregon for their second straight win as a 12 seed to open an NCAA Tournament.
Belmont (23-7) upset 14th-ranked Gonzaga in the Texas bubble last year in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Bruins won their 13th straight and 19th in their last 21 games overall.
North Carolina 79, Stephen F. Austin 66: Deja Kelly scored 28 points, Kennedy Todd-Williams added 15 and North Carolina pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Stephen F. Austin.
The Tar Heels (24-6), the No. 5 seed in the Greensboro Region, struggled with turnovers and defensive rebounding while falling into an early 10-point hole. But they dominated the fourth quarter, hitting 7 of 13 shots and using a 10-0 run to build an 11-point lead.
Notre Dame 89, Massachusetts 78: Olivia Miles had a triple-double help No. 5 seed Notre Dame over No. 12 seed Massachusetts.
Miles had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the 18th triple-double in an women’s tournament game and the 10th in school history.