SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Arike Ogunbowale scored 23 points and teammate Jessica Shepard had a double-double as No. 1 seed Notre Dame beat 16th-seed Bethune-Cookman 92-50 on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ogunbowale hit 8-of-15 shots while adding three steals for the Fighting Irish (31-3), who never trailed in the Chicago Regional game.
Shepard, who had her 15th double-double of the season by halftime, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, her 55th double-double in a career that started at Nebraska in 2015.
Angel Golden had 25 points for coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ Lady Wildcats (21-11), who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament and were playing in their first NCAA tournament ever.
No. 2 STANFORD 79, No. 15 UC DAVIS 54
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Alanna Smith scored the first nine Stanford points of the third quarter on the way to 21, and her Cardinal came out shooting from the get go to beat Northern California neighbor UC Davis.
Kiana Williams added 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting with three 3-pointers and dished out five assists while Smith went 9 of 14 from the floor with three 3s. Stanford (29-4) shot 49.2 percent against the overmatched Aggies (25-7), who were riding a 16-game winning streak into the program’s second NCAA berth.
Stanford advances to play again on its home court of Maples Pavilion on Monday against seventh-seeded BYU (26-6), a 73-64 winner in Saturday’s first game against No. 10 seed Auburn.
Smith joined Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Elena Delle Donne as the only players the past 20 years with 1,600 points, 200 blocked shots and 150 made 3-pointers.
Davis senior Morgan Bertsch, who at 23.5 points per game was the only player Aggies player averaging double figures, scored 25 points but shot 8 for 25.
No. 3 IOWA STATE 97, No. 14 NEW MEXICO STATE 61
AMES, Iowa (AP) - Bridget Carleton led four players in double figures with 23 points and Iowa State routed New Mexico State for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2013.
Alexa Middleton had 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Cyclones (26-8), who were one-and-done in their last three trips to the Big Dance. On Monday they’ll face 11th-seeded Missouri State - which stunned DePaul 89-78 earlier Saturday - in search of the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance in nine years.
Iowa State never trailed - and it never let the Aggies’ explosive offense breathe either.
Brooke Salas had 18 points and 12 rebounds for New Mexico State (26-6), which saw its winning streak snapped after 17 games.
No. 11 MISSOURI STATE 89, No. 6 DEPAUL 78
AMES, Iowa (AP) - Alexa Willard and Danielle Gitzen each scored 20 points and Missouri State stunned DePaul, snapping the Blue Demon’s five-game winning streak in opening-round NCAA Tournament games.
Freshman Elle Ruffridge had a career-high 15 points for the surprisingly stout Lady Bears (24-9).
Missouri State used its superior size in racing out to a 42-33 lead by halftime, and Gitzen’s 3 early in the third quarter pushed the Bears’ lead to 55-40.
The Blue Demons responded with a 15-7 run that kept the game from getting away from them. But Ruffridge - who set the state record for points at nearby Pocahontas Area High in Iowa - drilled a 3 just before third-quarter buzzer to put Missouri State back on top 69-56.
Chante Stonewall and Ashton Millender each had 17 points for DePaul (26-8), which had won its previous 11 games.
No. 7 BYU 73, No. 10 AUBURN 64
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Brenna Chase had 19 points, seven assists and three blocked shots, and BYU used an impressive third quarter to run away from Auburn.
Shaylee Gonzales scored 17 points and Caitlyn Alldredge added 14 as the West Coast Conference champion Cougars (26-6) overcame Auburn’s in-your-face, pressure-at-every-chance defense by playing its own stellar D - getting four blocks from 6-foot-7 Sara Hamson.
The Cougars hit 7 of their first 10 shots out of halftime and used an 11-0 run in the third to take control, while Auburn continued to struggle shooting and missed eight in a row during a costly stretch.
Janiah McKay had 19 points going 6 for 18 from the floor for cold-shooting Auburn (22-10) in her final college game.
No. 9 MICHIGAN STATE 88, No. 8 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 87
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Shay Colley’s driving layup with 7.6 seconds left lifted Michigan State to a victory over Central Michigan.
The Chippewas had one final chance, but Micaela Kelly’s off-balance, hurried 15-footer at the buzzer was off the mark. Central Michigan had taken an 87-86 lead on Presley Hudson’s 3-pointer with 20.3 seconds remaining.
The miss sent the Spartans (21-11), coached by Central Michigan alum Suzy Merchant, into Monday’s second round against top-seed Notre Dame, a 92-50 winner over Bethune-Cookman earlier. Sue Guevara’s closed their season at 25-8.
Sidney Cooks scored 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting off the bench as the Spartans had five players score in double figures. Nia Clouden had 16 points, Colley 13, Taryn McCutcheon 12 and Jenna Allen 10.
That balance offset Central Michigan’s trio of Reyna Frost (34), Kelly (24) and Hudson (20
ALBANY REGION
No. 3 MARYLAND 73, No. 14 RADFORD 51
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Taylor Mikesell scored 16 points, Kaila Charles had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Maryland used a relentless defensive effort to overpower Radford.
Stephanie Jones added 12 points and Shakira Austin tallied 11 for the Terrapins (29-4), who advanced to the second round for the 15th time in 15 tries under coach Brenda Frese.
Mikesell, a freshman guard, made four 3-pointers to set the school single-season record of 94. Jones made all six of her shots in the first half and Charles helped Maryland finish with a 46-40 rebounding advantage.
Destinee Walker scored 15 points for Radford (26-7), the Big South champions.
No. 4 OREGON STATE 80, No. 13 BOISE STATE 75, OT
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Mikayla Pivec had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Oregon State withstood a major scare from Boise State for an overtime victory.
Aleah Goodman added 20 points for the Beavers (25-7), who advance to face fifth-seeded Gonzaga (29-4) on Monday. The Bulldogs defeated No. 12 Little Rock in the early game, 68-51.
Marta Hermida had 22 points for the Broncos (28-5), vying to become the first No. 13 seed to beat a No. 4 since Marist topped Georgia in 2012.
Destiny Slocum’s layup gave the Beavers a 72-68 advantage in overtime and put the home crowd at Gill Coliseum on its feet. Slocum added another layup before Rachel Bowers’ jumper for the Broncos cut the deficit to 74-70.
Bowers made free throws to get Boise State within two but then missed a pair with 33 seconds left. The ball went out of bounds under Boise State’s basket and possession went to Oregon after a lengthy review.
Pivec converted free throws on the other end but Riley Lupfer made a 3-pointer to cut the Beavers’ lead to 76-75. Goodman’s free throws kept Oregon State in front and Lupfer missed a 3 that would have tied it.
Taya Corosdale closed it out for the Beavers with free throws for the final margin. She finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
No. 5 GONZAGA 68, LITTLE ROCK 51
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Katie Campbell had 15 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Gonzaga downed Little Rock.
Zykera Rice added 18 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (29-4), who advance to play the winner of Saturday’s later game between No. 13 seed Boise State and host Oregon State, the fourth seed.
Tori Lasker led the Trojans (21-10) with 16 points. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Sun Belt tournament champions.
Gonzaga, ranked No. 16 in the AP’s final Top 25 of the season, led by as many as 21 points in the first half and cruised to the win.
No. 6 UCLA 89, No. 11 TENNESSEE 77
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - UCLA put a rapid end to Tennessee’s 38th consecutive appearance in the women’s NCAA Tournament, blunting a second-half comeback bid and using an impressive performance by Michaela Onyenwere to secure an opening-round victory.
After squeezing into the tournament with an at-large bid, the No. 11 seeded Lady Volunteers erased a 17-point deficit before losing in the first round for only the second time in school history. The only other time it happened was in 2009 against Ball State.
Tennessee is the lone program to compete in every NCAA Tournament since the event was first held for women in 1982. The Lady Vols finished 19-13, failing to reach 20 wins for the first time since 1975-76.
Onyenwere had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the No. 6 seed Bruins (21-12), who will next face host Maryland on Monday.
Rennia Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Vols.
GREENSBORO REGION
No. 1 BAYLOR 95, No. 16 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 38
WACO, Texas (AP) - Kalani Brown had 17 points and 11 rebounds while playing only 18 minutes and Baylor overwhelmed women’s NCAA Tournament first-timer Abilene Christian.
Brown, a 6-foot-7 senior center, had 10 of her points as Baylor (32-1) scored the game’s first 20 points.
The perennial Big 12 champion Lady Bears, the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team field, won their 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament game on their home court since 2011. This season, their 24-game winning streak is the nation’s longest and they have won 38 in a row at home.
No. 3 N.C. STATE 63, No. 14 MAINE 51
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Kiara Leslie scored 20 points and North Carolina State beat Maine.
Freshman Elissa Cunane added 16 points in her first tournament game and Kai Crutchfield had 14 points to help the third-seeded Wolfpack (27-5) advance to the second round of the Greensboro Regional. They will face sixth-seeded Kentucky (25-7) on Monday.
N.C. State shot 46 percent, raced out to a big halftime lead and spent the second half holding onto it while winning a rare regular-season rematch in the first round. The Wolfpack beat Maine 84-46 on Dec. 15.
Parise Rossignol scored 19 points with five 3-pointers and Dor Saar added 16 points and four 3s for the 14th-seeded Black Bears (25-8).
No. 6 KENTUCKY 82, No. 11 PRINCETON 77
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Taylor Murray scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half, and Kentucky beat Princeton.
Maci Morris added 19 points, freshman Rhyne Howard had 15 and Tatyana Wyatt finished with 12 to help the Wildcats (25-7) reach the second round of the Greensboro Region.
Kentucky, one of the nation’s leaders in turnover margin, turned Princeton’s 16 turnovers into 22 points and shot 50 percent but could never get comfortable against the 11th-seeded Tigers.
Ivy League player of the year Bella Alarie finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Princeton (22-10). Gabrielle Rush added 22 points with six 3-pointers, while Sydney Jordan scored a career-high 17 points.
No. 8 CALIFORNIA 92, No. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 72
WACO, Texas (AP) - Kristine Anigwe extended her season-long streak of double-doubles with 18 points and 22 rebounds as California rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half to beat North Carolina.
Anigwe scored all but two of her points after halftime for the Golden Bears (20-12). The 6-foot-4 senior center is the only player, men or women, with a double-double in every game this season, and she also broke the Pac-12 single-season rebounding record.
Jaelyn Brown banked a 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key to end the third quarter for Cal, following an inbound play with less than 4 seconds left after North Carolina had a turnover on an possible breakaway with 3.6 seconds left. The Bears then opened the fourth quarter with a 14-2 run and led 77-58 when Anigwe made two free throws with 5:43 left.
Paris Kea had 22 points to lead North Carolina (18-15
PORTLAND REGION
No. 3 SYRACUSE 70, No. 14 FORDHAM 49
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Syracuse guard Tiana Mangakahia just missed a triple-double with 21 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Orange past Fordham.
Gabrielle Cooper had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting for the Orange (25-8) and forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi had 10 points. Mangakahia also had five steals.
The Orange, who will face South Dakota State in a second-round game Monday, held Fordham (25-9) to 29 percent shooting. Syracuse hit at a 43 percent clip but at a blistering 64 percent from beyond the arc, going 9 of 14.
Kaitlyn Downey led Fordham (25-9) with 15 points.
No. 6 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 76, No. 11 QUINNIPIAC 65
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Macy Miller scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead South Dakota State over Quinnipiac.
The victory was the 17th straight for the Jackrabbits (27-6).
Myah Selland chipped in with 14 points and nine boards for South Dakota State and Madison Guebert added 11 points.
Jen Fay led Quinnipiac (26-7) with 25 points and nine rebounds. Paula Strautmane had 15 points. The loss snapped the Bobcats’ 21-game winning streak.
South Dakota State dominated on the boards, outrebounding Quinnipiac 49-34.
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