After a mix of close games and blowouts on the first day of March Madness, the second day of the women’s NCAA tournament gets underway on Saturday. Which teams will make it to the round of 32?
No. 1 seeds USC and Texas will open their tournaments against 16-seeds UNC Greensboro and William & Mary, respectively, while Paige Bueckers and No. 2 UConn look to begin a deep tournament run.
No. 6 Iowa 92, No. 11 Murray State 57
No. 2 UConn 103, No. 15 Arkansas State 34
No. 5 Alabama 81, No. 12 Green Bay 67
No. 2 NC State 75 No. 15 Vermont 55
No. 6 West Virginia 78, No. 11 Columbia 59
No. 3 Oklahoma 81, No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast 58
No. 1 USC 71, No. 16 UNC Greensboro 25
No. 10 South Dakota State 74, No. 7 Oklahoma State 68
No. 4 Maryland 82, No. 13 Norfolk State 69
No. 3 North Carolina 70, No. 14 Oregon State 49
No. 7 Michigan State 64, No. 10 Harvard 50
No. 8 Cal vs. No. 9 Mississippi (ESPN2)
No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton (ESPNEWS)
No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason (ESPN2)
9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 William & Mary (ESPN2)
10:15 p.m.: No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State (ESPN)
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We’re a quarter into the game and still waiting for the Creighton offense to show up. The Blue Jays are 4-of-18 from the field and down 18-10. Only two of their players are scored, and neither have as many points as the Illini’s Genesis Bryant (nine points).
Mississippi State has things well in hand at the end of the third quarter, growing its lead over Cal to 12 points. The Bulldogs have improved their shooting slightly this quarter, outscoring the Golden bears 15-10, but it’s still a very low-scoring game in L.A.
Harvard’s loss marks the end of an incredible career for guard Harmoni Turner. The senior guard averaged a career-best 22.5 ppg (ninth in DI) in her final season shooting 48.6% overall, 36.4% from 3 and 80.6% from the free throw line. Earlier this month, she scored a career-high 44 points in the Ivy semifinals against Princeton, beating the 41 she scored on Boston College in November.
The Texas native earned all-Ivy honors every season and became the first Harvard player in 20 years to win the league’s Player of the Year award. She led Harvard to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007 by winning the Ivy League Tournament title.
Turner will likely enter her name in the WNBA Draft, where she could be a second or third-round selection. Few draft picks outside of the first round make WNBA rosters, but it’s not impossible depending on where the player lands.
Now it’s Mississippi State’s turn to take a timeout, with Cal now within six points of the Bulldogs halfway through the third quarter. Both teams are struggling with shooting, and Mississippi’s edge is slowly starting to fade.
The Bulldogs have gone on a 4-0 run to start the second half, forcing Cal to take an early timeout. The Golden Bears have not gotten off on the right foot this half, getting two turnovers in the first two minutes.
It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Spartans, but they get their first NCAA Tournament win in six years and will face No. 2 NC State on Monday
Mississippi State pulled ahead to an early lead, but Cal has kept pace in the second quarter to make things a little tighter.
It’s been a tough shooting day so far for both teams: The Bulldogs are 9-35 from the floor, including 2-for-9 from three. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, are 6-of-26 overall, and 2-for-10 from three.
This game was tied as late as the final minute of the second quarter, but the Tar Heels proceeded to rip off a 13-0 run and comfortably defeat the Beavers. They’ll get No. 6 West Virginia in the second round.
As the second quarter winds down, a few key points has gotten Cal within six points of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs currently lead, 18-12.
Harvard pulled within seven points late in the third quarter, but it’s still advantage Spartans entering the fourth quarter with a 45-35 lead.
In one of the most entertaining games yet of the tournament, Maryland pulled off a win over an unyielding Norfolk State team. Even with the Spartans nipping at Maryland’s heels all game, the Terrapins pulled away in the final quarter to earn the 82-69 win.
In the end, fouls were what doomed the Spartans: Maryland went 23-for-25 on free throw shooting, with those points providing a significant boost for the Terrapins’ final score.
It’s a heartbreaking loss for Norfolk State, who fell just short of its first-ever NCAA tournament win. The Spartans labored throughout the game and constantly kept Maryland on its toes, but couldn’t quite overcome the Terrapins’ lead.
Maryland, meanwhile, will breathe a sigh of relief and move on to face No. Alabama on Monday.
Not much drama for No. 3 UNC, which leads No. 14 Oregon State by 23 entering the fourth quarter. Lexi Donarski leads all scorers with 19 points.
Jocelyn Tate’s 3-pointer capped an 11-0 Michigan State run which has helped MSU build a 39-30 edge over Harvard late in the 3rd quarter.
South Dakota State has more in common with women’s blue bloods Connecticut, Tennessee and Notre Dame than you might think. South Dakota State ranks top-10 all-time in wins and top-15 in winning percentage alongside those programs. The Jackrabbits will meet UConn in Connecticut on Monday in the second round.
South Dakota State remains the star of mid-majors on the women’s side. It’s their second 30-win season since joining Division I in 2008-09. They went 32-3 in their inaugural season to notch the third-most victories by any team in its first season, and the first by a team entering after the NCAA’s first season in 1981-82. Louisiana Tech (35 wins) and Texas (34 wins) led the first NCAA season after the takeover from the AIAW.
They reached the second round that first season in their first NCAA appearance, and are 6-11 all-time in Tournament games. That’s a solid mark for a mid-major largely regulated to double-digit seed lines.
The Jackrabbits (81-1 in Summit League play the last five years) head into a meeting with UConn as one of the nation’s best in field goal percentage (48.3%) and 3-point shooting (37.3%). The Huskies are similarly strong in those areas, and poor at guarding the perimeter. South Dakota’s ability to hit from deep and protect the ball will be key.
Norfolk State has been keeping up with Maryland on offense so far this game. But after a quick start to the fourth quarter — and a Terrapins timeout — the Spartans have missed their past few shots, allowing Maryland to grow its lead to 14 points off a 9-0 run.
With less than six minutes remaining, can Norfolk State turn the tide?
The Jackrabbits have pulled it off. Thanks to a 28-point third quarter, South Dakota State is moving on to the second round of the tournament for the second time in the last three years. The Jackrabbits will take on UConn next on Monday.
Maryland has secured an eight-point lead heading into the final frame, as the Terrapins’ offense has come alive, outscoring Norfolk State 30-20 in the third quarter.
Fouls and free throws have been a big boost for Maryland in this third quarter: The Terrapins are 17-19 on free throws overall, while the Spartans have two players in foul trouble heading into the fourth quarter.
This game is continuing to deliver, with Norfolk State and Maryland trading steals and buckets in equal measure. The Terrapins grew the lead to as many as eight points before the Spartans fought right back.
Right now, halfway through the third quarter, Maryland is leading 51-45 — but that could change any minute.
Maryland opened the second half swinging, with senior guard Sarah Te-Biasu getting two straight three-pointers to send the Terrapins to a four-point lead. But Norfolk State’s Niya Fields found a fast response with a three-pointer of her own to cut the lead back down to one.
But then Shyanne Sellers got a layup with a bit of trickery, in-bounding the ball by hitting it off the back of a Spartans defender and giving herself the assist.
The two teams have traded and-one opportunities early in this quarter, with both sides getting tough contested baskets and getting rewarded with three-point plays. It’s getting gritty out here.
Norfolk State’s season is a historically good one for the program. The Spartans’ scoring offense is their best all-time (74.4 ppg), led by Diamond Johnson’s 19 ppg, and their defense remains top-20 (56 ppg). That’s problematic for Maryland, which has worked to stay afloat through injuries and has struggled mightily on defense. Point guard Shyanne Sellers is not 100%, creating cascading issues down the roster.
Still a lot of basketball to go. A win here would be Norfolk State’s first in four appearances (this marks their third consecutive berth) and the 13th time in NCAA DI Tournament history a No. 13 seed defeated a No. 4 seed. The mid-major powers are tapping on the door; we’re waiting to see one slam it down.