NCAA Women’s March Madness Roundup: JuJu Watkins scores 22 as USC routs UNCG

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 22 points and top-seeded Southern California led all the way in routing 16th-seeded UNC Greensboro 71-25 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

The Trojans (29-3) advanced to the second round to play either eighth-seeded California or ninth-seeded Mississippi State on Monday at Galen Center.

Watkins appeared to hurt her left hand early in the second quarter, occasionally shaking out her fingers. Then in the third, the star sophomore came up limping on her left leg and winced. She hit a 3-pointer and sat for the final 3:39 before returning briefly in the fourth.

The Spartans came out confidently, holding the Trojans to 12 points in the first quarter after missing their first five shots and trailing 8-0.

UNCG closed within two early in the second quarter before USC blew the game open. The Trojans outscored the Spartans 16-3 while limiting them to three free throws. The Trojans’ pressure defense forced eight turnovers and the Spartans were 0 of 11 from the field and 0 of 5 from 3-point range. USC led 28-11 at halftime.

UCONN 103, ARKANSAS STATE 34

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd had 21 of her 27 points in the first half as second-seeded UConn rolled to a win over Arkansas State.

Freshman Sarah Strong added 20 points and 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in her NCAA Tournament debut. Most of those came in the first half when UConn jumped out to a 66-16 advantage at the half, playing nearly flawless basketball.

The Huskies had runs of 22-0, 12-0 and 13-0 in the first half as UConn won its 31st consecutive first-round game.

UConn (32-3) scored 34 points in the first quarter, making all 11 of its two-point shots. Many of those were layups coming off the press.

Arkansas State (21-11), which likes to apply pressure itself, had no answer for the Huskies.

Crislyn Rose led the Red Wolves with seven points. The team shot 17% from the field (12-for-70), including going 7-for-40 from behind the arc.

OKLAHOMA 81, FLORIDA GULF COAST 58

NORMAN, Okla. — Raegan Beers had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Oklahoma dominated the fourth quarter to beat 14th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.

The Sooners led 55-48 entering the fourth, then outscored the Eagles 26-10 in the final period.

Beers, a 6-foot-4 center, towered over a team with no starter taller than 5-9. She helped the Sooners outrebound the Eagles 72-35.

Skylar Vann scored 24 points and Payton Verhulst added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Sooners (26-7).

Emani Jefferson, the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year who had 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Sooners last year, had 12 points and eight rebounds in the rematch while spending much of the day in foul trouble. She made 3 of 11 field goals.

Dolly Cairns scored 15 points for the Eagles (30-4), who had won 23 straight. Florida Gulf Coast shot 23.6% from the field and made 8 of 41 3-pointers (19.5%).

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 74, OKLAHOMA STATE 68

STORRS, Conn. — Madison Mathiowetz scored all 15 of her points in the second half as 10th-seeded South Dakota State erased a double-digit deficit to top No. 7 seed Oklahoma State.

Brooklyn Meyer had 19 points and eight rebounds, Paige Meyer had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Haleigh Timmer added 11 points for South Dakota State (30-3).

Stailee Heard had 20 points and Anna Gret Asi had 16 points for Oklahoma State (25-7).

Oklahoma State took its first double-digit lead on a basket by Alexia Smith with 7:38 left in the third quarter. Paige Meyer scored nine points as the Jackrabbits scored 17 of the next 24 points.

A three-point play by Meyer gave South Dakota State the 44-43 lead with 2:57 left in the quarter. South Dakota State took a two-point advantage into the fourth quarter on a driving layup by Mathiowetz to beat the third-quarter buzzer.

SPOKANE REGIONAL 1

IOWA 92, MURRAY STATE 57

NORMAN, Okla. — Freshman Ava Heiden scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and sixth-seeded Iowa rolled past No. 11 seed Murray State.

Lucy Olsen had 12 points and a career-high 12 assists for the Hawkeyes (23-10). They scored a season high in points in the first tournament win for first-year Iowa coach Jan Jensen, a longtime assistant who was promoted after Lisa Bluder retired.

Murray State’s Katelyn Young, who averaged 22.2 points heading into the NCAA Tournament, left the game early in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. She finished with six points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.

Halli Poock scored 15 points and Ava Learn added eight points and 10 rebounds before fouling out for Murray State (25-8). The Racers, who entered the game averaging a nation-leading 87.8 points per game, shot just 30.6% from the field and posted their lowest point total of the season.

NC STATE 75, VERMONT 55

RALEIGH, N.C. — Zoe Brooks scored 19 points and N.C. State finally took control in the second half to beat Vermont.

Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James added 15 points apiece for the second-seeded Wolfpack, who reached the Final Four last year.

Keira Hanson scored 21 points off the bench, Catherine Gilwee had 13 and Nikola Priede added 11 for No. 15 seed Vermont (21-13).

Vermont pulled ahead 27-24 midway through the second quarter on Hanson’s 3-pointer. The Wolfpack scored the last six points of the half for a 35-33 edge.

The Wolfpack saved their best stretch for late in the game, outscoring Vermont 23-9 in the fourth quarter.

MICHIGAN STATE 64, HARVARD 50

Grace VanSlooten had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Michigan State beat Harvard.

Jocelyn Tate had 13 points as the seventh-seeded Spartans (22-9) advanced to the second round for the first time since 2019. Theryn Hallock added 10 points.

Harmoni Turner had 24 points for 10th-seeded Harvard (24-5), which topped two Big Ten teams in November but couldn’t pull off another victory against a power conference opponent.

The Spartans scored the game’s first 11 points. Harvard closed to 26-25 in the third quarter, but back-to-back 3s from Ines Soltelo and Tate helped the Spartans bounce out to a 37-25 lead.

FLORIDA STATE 94, GEORGE MASON 59

BATON ROUGE, La. — Ta’Niya Latson scored 28 points and sixth-seeded Florida State defeated George Mason.

Mikayla Timpson had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Seminoles (24-8), who advanced to play either No. 3 seed LSU or 14th seed San Diego State in a second-round game on Monday night.

Paula Suarez scored 25 points and Kennedy Harris added 12 points for George Mason (27-6), which was making its first March Madness appearance after winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

LSU 103, San Diego State 48

BATON ROUGE, La. — Flau’Jae Johnson scored 22 points, Aneesah Morrow had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and LSU overwhelmed San Diego State.

Morrow increased her nation-leading double-double tally to 28 in her first game since hurting her left foot during a March 8 loss to Texas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Johnson, who missed that tournament with a right shin injury, wore a compression sleeve over her lower leg but exhibited the explosiveness, shooting touch and all-around panache that has made her one of the most popular players in women’s college basketball.

Mikaylah Williams added 13 points for LSU (29-5), the third seed in the Spokane 1 region, which moves on to host No. 6 seed Florida State in a second-round game on Monday night.

San Diego State (25-10), winner of the Mountain West Conference, did not have a single player score as many as 10 points. Adryana Quezado led the Aztecs with eight.

BIRMINGHAM REGIONAL 2

ALABAMA 81, GREENBAY 67

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Aaliyah Nye scored 23 points and Zaay Green added 22 to lead fifth-seeded Alabama to a victory over 12th-seeded Green Bay.

The Crimson Tide (24-8) ended Green Bay’s 22-game winning streak and now advances to the second round to face either Maryland or Norfolk State on Monday. Maddy Schreiber scored 14 points for the Phoenix (29-6).

Green Bay kept the game close through most of the first half, but the Horizon League champion allowed six straight points to end the second quarter and trailed 38-29. The Crimson Tide — who earned their highest seed since 1999 — now have a chance to achieve another March Madness breakthrough. They haven’t made the Sweet 16 since 1998.

Alabama pushed its lead to 13 in the third quarter. The margin was down to five early in the fourth, but Nye connected from 3-point range to help repel that Green Bay push.

WEST VIRGINIA 78, COLUMBIA 59

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — JJ Quinerly scored 27 points, Jordan Harrison matched a career-high with 23 and sixth-seeded West Virginia led wire-to-wire in a victory over 11th-seeded Columbia.

Quinerly also had seven of the Mountaineers’ 17 steals.

The Mountaineers (25-7) advance to face the winner of No. 3 North Carolina and No. 14 Oregon State on Monday. West Virginia will be looking for its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1992.

West Virginia’s full-court press was a constant source of frustration for Columbia, which was coming off its first tournament win in program history. The Lions committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter, more than they had in all of Thursday’s First Four win over Washington, and 25 overall.

Columbia (24-7) was led by Cecelia Collins’ 16 points. Riley Weiss scored 14, and Kitty Henderson contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.

NORTH CAROLINA 70, OREGON STATE 49

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Lexi Donarski scored 17 of her 19 points in the third quarter and third-seeded North Carolina pulled away to beat 14th-seeded Oregon State.

Donarski also matched a season-high with five 3-pointers, all coming during a lopsided third that saw the Tar Heels outscore Oregon State 30-9. Alyssa Ustby contributed 10 points and nine rebounds, including the program-record 1,252th of her career, and Maria Gakdeng added 13 points.

Kelsey Rees led Oregon State (19-16) with 15 points and 10 boards while AJ Marotte scored 13.

MARYLAND 82, NORFOLK STATE 69

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Sarah Te-Biasu and Kaylene Smikle led a 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, and fourth-seeded Maryland held off 13th-seeded Norfolk State.

The Terrapins (24-7) will host fifth-seeded Alabama on Monday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line, but advancing wasn’t easy against a Norfolk State (30-5) team that entered on a 19-game winning streak. The scrappy Spartans trailed by just four early in the fourth quarter before a series of outside shots by Te-Biasu and Smikle gave Maryland some breathing room.

Te-Biasu finished with 22 points and Smikle scored 21. Kierra Wheeler led Norfolk State with 20.

BIRMINGHAM REGIONAL 3

ILLINOIS 66, CREIGHTON 57

AUSTIN, Texas — Genesis Bryant scored 17 points and No. 8 Illinois earned its first NCAA Tournament victory in 25 years with a win over No. 9 Creighton.

Illinois’ tough defense frustrated Creighton’s outside shooters as the Illini also dominated on the boards. Kendall Bostic added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Illinois (22-9), which advances to the second round on Monday against the winner of No. 1 Texas (31-3) against No. 16 William & Mary.

Morgan Maly led Creighton (26-6) with 18 points and Lauren Jensen scored 17. But the Bluejays’ top scorers all season — both scored more than 2,000 points in their careers — were mostly contained on a tough shooting night. Creighton shot just 36% against a stifling Illinois defense and was just 6 of 22 on 3-pointers.

Illinois led 51-41 early in the fourth quarter before Creighton pulled within 58-54 on Jensen’s tough layup through the lane with 2:08 to play.

SPOKANE REGIONAL 4

UCONN 103, ARKANSAS STATE 34

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd had 21 of her 27 points in the first half as second-seeded UConn rolled to a win over Arkansas State.

Freshman Sarah Strong added 20 points and 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in her NCAA Tournament debut. Most of those came in the first half when UConn jumped out to a 66-16 advantage at the half, playing nearly flawless basketball.

The Huskies had runs of 22-0, 12-0 and 13-0 in the first half as UConn won its 31st consecutive first-round game.

UConn (32-3) scored 34 points in the first quarter, making all 11 of its two-point shots. Many of those were layups coming off the press.

Arkansas State (21-11), which likes to apply pressure itself, had no answer for the Huskies.

Crislyn Rose led the Red Wolves with seven points. The team shot 17% from the field (12-for-70), including going 7-for-40 from behind the arc.

OKLAHOMA 81, FLORIDA GULF COAST 58

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Oklahoma dominated the fourth quarter to beat 14th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.

The Sooners led 55-48 entering the fourth, then outscored the Eagles 26-10 in the final period.

Beers, a 6-foot-4 center, towered over a team with no starter taller than 5-9. She helped the Sooners outrebound the Eagles 72-35.

Skylar Vann scored 24 points and Payton Verhulst added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Sooners (26-7).

Emani Jefferson, the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year who had 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Sooners last year, had 12 points and eight rebounds in the rematch while spending much of the day in foul trouble. She made 3 of 11 field goals.

Dolly Cairns scored 15 points for the Eagles (30-4), who had won 23 straight. Florida Gulf Coast shot 23.6% from the field and made 8 of 41 3-pointers (19.5%).

MISSISSIPPI STATE 59, CALIFORNIA 46

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Madina Okot had 14 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out late and ninth-seeded Mississippi State beat California.

Eniya Russell added 14 points for the Bulldogs (22-11), who are back in March Madness for the first time in two years. They lost in the national title game in 2017 and 2018.

Michelle Onyiah led the eighth-seeded Golden Bears with 17 points and 15 rebounds despite four fouls. Lulu Twidale added 13 points before fouling out in the final seconds.

Cal’s only lead was by one point in the first quarter, when the Bears managed just five points. They recovered to play the Bulldogs evenly in the second but trailed 26-19 at halftime.

The Bears (25-9) capped their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference by making the NCAAs for the first time since 2019, when current USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb was in charge.