Wolfpack, Jones heading to Sweet 16 by beating K-State
Kayla Jones scored 18 points to help top-seeded North Carolina State beat Kansas State 89-57 in Monday's second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16.
Raina Perez and Diamond Johnson each added 15 points for the Wolfpack (31-3), who won their 12th straight game behind a dominating second-quarter performance. N.C. State shot 55% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers, romping to a lopsided win in front of a loud Reynolds Coliseum crowd for the final time this season.
By the end, all 13 players who entered the game for N.C. State had scored. And that sent N.C. State to next week's regional semifinal against Notre Dame.
The matchup of Associated Press second-team All-Americans Elissa Cunane of the Wolfpack and Ayoka Lee of the Wildcats never truly materialized due to foul issues. But the Bridgeport Region's headliner instead showed off its deep roster by getting production off the bench and continuing to roll anyway.
The 6-foot-5 Cunane headed to the bench less than 3 1/2 minutes into the game with her second foul and didn't play again before the break, finishing with four points in points in 13 minutes.
The 6-6 Lee needed a little longer to get her second before also taking a seat early at the end of the period. She finished with 12 points, well below her season average of 22.3, despite playing 31 minutes.
Camille Hobby provided a tough performance off the bench in relief of Cunane, scoring eight firsthalf points while avoiding picking up cheap fouls defending Lee. And that helped the Wolfpack stay on course, leading to a 12-0 burst that began with Lee on the bench.
N.C. State ran out to a 3115 lead on Johnson's transition 3-pointer followed by Perez's jumper with 5:29 left before halftime, while Kansas State managed just one basket during a 10-minute stretch. That lead reached 20 before halftime and the ninthseeded Wildcats never got closer than 13 in the second half.
Freshman Serena Sundell scored 17 points to lead Kansas State, which was trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. NOTRE DAME 108, OKLAHOMA 64 >> Dara Mabrey scored a season-high 29 points, and No. 5 seed Notre Dame rolled past No. 4 Oklahoma to earn a spot in the women's Sweet 16.
Mabrey made 11 of 19 field goals, including seven 3-pointers. Sonia Citron scored 25 points and Maya Dodson added 20 for Notre Dame (24-8). According to Stats by STATS, Notre Dame became the first team, men's or women's, to beat a higher-seeded team by at least 40 points.
It's the first Sweet 16 berth for second-year Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey, The Fighting Irish will play No. 1 seed North Carolina State on Saturday in a Bridgeport Regional semifinal.
Taylor Robertson scored 19 points for Oklahoma (25-9). Skylar Vann had 11 points and nine rebounds and Liz Scott had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Sooners. Oklahoma committed 28 turnovers and shot just 32.3% from the floor. Notre Dame led 13-7 before Mabrey scored 12 straight to push the Fighting Irish lead to 18.
Mabrey finished with 17 points and made 5 of 6 3-pointers in the first quarter. She had 29 points for the game.
Wichita Region
MICHIGAN 64. VILLANOVA 49 >> Naz Hillmon had 27 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to help thirdseeded Michigan pull away and beat No. 11 Villanova.
The Wolverines (24-6) earned a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 and will face 10th-seeded South Dakota on Saturday in the Wichita Region.
Michigan took control with a 10-0 run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, turning what was a closely contested game into a lopsided victory. Leigha Brown, who has recovered from a leg injury, had 20 points for the Wolverines. TENNESSEE 70, BELMONT 67 >> Led by 20 points and 11 rebounds from forward Alexus Dye and 18 points from center Tamari Key, No. 4 Tennessee survived an in-state showdown against No. 12 Belmont.
Bridgeport Region INDIANA 56, PRINCETON 55 >>
Grace Berger scored the last of her 15 points on a spinning, tiebreaking layup with 28.2 seconds left and Nicole Cardano-Hillary added 12 points to help to help third-seeded Indiana beat 11th-seed Princeton.
Ali Patberg sealed the win in her home finale with a steal with 3.8 seconds left and Aleksa Gulbe closed it out with two free throws.
The Hoosiers (24-8) have won five of their last six and swept the first two NCAA Tournament games they've ever hosted — in front of a loud, large crowd. Indiana also has tied its single-season school record for wins.