Women's March Madness Roundup: Top Canadians Ejim, Edwards advance

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Calgary's Yvonne Ejim had 25 points and 14 rebounds and No. 4 seed Gonzaga overcame a slow start to roll past UC Irvine 75-56 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (31-3) rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter. Kayleigh Truong added 16 points and the Zags shot 62% and scored 45 points in the second half.

Gonzaga will face No. 5 seed Utah or No. 12 seed South Dakota State in the second round on Monday.

The Bulldogs started 0-for-10 from the 3-point line and managed just 10 points in the first quarter, their lowest output in any quarter this season.

Brynna Maxwell, the Zags’ top outside shooter, shook off a slow start and sank two 3s and a long jumper to fuel a 21-2 run to end the first half and start the third quarter.

(3) UCONN 86, (14) JACKSON STATE 64

STORRS, Conn. — Paige Bueckers scored 28 points and freshman Ashlynn Shade added 26 as No. 3 seed UConn celebrated coach Geno Auriemma's 70th birthday with an 86-64 win over Jackson State in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Aaliyah Edwards, wearing a mask after missing two games with a broken nose, had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies (30-5), who won in the opening round of the tournament for a 30th straight time.

Ti'Ian Boler scored 25 points and Angel Jackson had 13 for 14th-seeded Jackson State (26-7), which lost for the first time in 22 games.

The Tigers' Miya Crump opened the game with a jumper and Jackson State led briefly at 4-2.

But Bueckers sparked a 17-0 Husky run by scoring eight of UConn’s first 10 points. She gave Connecticut its first lead at 5-4 on an up-and-under layup and foul shot.

UConn led 22-8 after 10 minutes and took its first 20-point lead at 39-19 on a 3-pointer from Bueckers, who also pulled down 11 rebounds and had seven assists in the game.

Boler’s 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer sent the teams into the half with UConn leading 49-28.

A 3-pointer from Nika Muhl as the third quarter expired put the Huskies up 72-50 and Connecticut cruised from there.

The Huskies improved to 13-1 in games played on their coach's birthday.

(1) IOWA 91, (16) HOLY CROSS 65

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark struggled to make shots early but finished with 27 points and 10 assists as Iowa defeated Holy Cross 91-65 in a women's NCAA tournament first-round game Saturday.

Kate Martin also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (30-4), the top seed in the Albany 2 Regional. Iowa advanced to Monday’s second round to face either eighth-seed West Virginia or ninth-seed Princeton.

Clark, a unanimous Associated Press All-American selection, was just 8 of 19 from the field, 3 of 9 in 3-pointers, showing her frustration with missed shots multiple times during the game.

She was constantly complaining to officials and at one point cameras caught her dad Brent telling her to stop.

“I should probably smile more. I’m a competitor,” said Clark, who even headbutted the basketball during the game in frustration. “I love this game. I’m a perfectionist.”

Clark finished with her 65th career double-double and added eight rebounds.

She got off to a slow start and didn’t make her first field goal until 22 seconds were left in the first quarter. She committed five turnovers in the first eight minutes.

Iowa had a similar start. The Hawkeyes had a 10-0 run midway through the first quarter that didn’t bother the Crusaders, who were within 23-21 at the end of the quarter.

The Hawkeyes then outscored Holy Cross 25-9 in the second quarter, holding the Crusaders to just 1 of 12 shooting. Clark finally got her first 3-pointer with 3:26 left in the first half, shaking her head and rolling her eyes after making the shot.

Holy Cross (21-13) made 12 3-pointers in Thursday’s 72-45 First Four win over UT-Martin, but were just 7 of 34 in 3-pointers in this game, with only three in the second half. The Crusaders, who missed their first 10 shots of the fourth quarter, shot just 32.4 per cent from the field.

Addison O’Grady had 14 points and Gabbie Marshall had 11 for the Hawkeyes. Iowa had a 50-37 rebounding edge despite starting forward Hannah Stuelke, the team's second-leading rebounder, playing just 10 minutes.

Bronagh Power-Cassidy had 19 points for Holy Cross. Janelle Allen had 18.

(1) USC 87, (16) TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins scored 23 points in her NCAA Tournament debut, leading No. 1 seed Southern California to an 87-55 blowout victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday night.

The Trojans (27-5) also got 23 points from McKenzie Forbes in a first-round game they dominated from the opening tip.

The 16th-seeded Islanders (23-9) scored the first basket, then the Trojans took over. Watkins hit a 3-pointer for her first points to launch a 21-0 run in which five different players scored.

The Islanders managed just one other basket in the first and it came as time expired. They scored 16 points in the second quarter and trailed 36-20 at halftime.

Mireia Aguado, one of six players from Spain on the roster, scored 15 points and Alecia Westbrook added 12 for the Islanders.

USC poured it on in the third, outscoring the Islanders 35-21. The Trojans closed on a 20-5 run to lead 71-41 going into the fourth. Kayla Padilla hit consecutive 3-pointers and Forbes made two straight 3s of her own with Watkins on the bench resting.

Watkins was 8 of 18 from the floor and 1 of 6 from 3-point range. She made 6 of 7 free throws, and had five rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals before sitting down with 3:37 remaining.

Watkins, an Associated Press All-American, has seen about every defensive scheme possible this season, but there was little the Islanders could do to contain her. The freshman's 51-point game at Stanford was the most by any Division I player this season and she broke Caitlin Clark's record with 13 games of 30-plus points in her first season.

The Trojans had 14 blocks and 14 steals and forced the Islanders into 19 turnovers. Rayah Marshall added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

USC advanced to a second-round game Monday against eighth-seeded Kansas.

(6) TENNESSEE 92, (11) GREEN BAY 63

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rickea Jackson scored 26 points and Tennessee rolled past Green Bay 92-63 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament Saturday.

Sarah Puckett added 14 points and Jewel Spear had 13 for the sixth-seeded Lady Vols, who are the only team to participate in all 42 women's NCAA Tournaments. It was the first game in Raleigh for Tennessee coach Kellie Harper, who coached North Carolina State for four seasons from 2009-13.

Tennessee (20-12) will play either the third-seeded Wolfpack or No. 14 seed Chattanooga on Monday with a spot in the Sweet 16 in Portland, Oregon.

Maddy Schreiber led 11th-seeded Green Bay (27-7) with 13 points, but the Phoenix remained without an NCAA Tournament victory since 2012 by suffering their most-lopsided loss of the season. Veteran coach Kevin Borseth gave a salute to teary-eyed fans as he walked off the court.

Tennessee reached the 20-win mark for the 47th time, including the fourth in Harper’s five seasons. The Lady Vols have been seeded lower than sixth only twice.

This marked Tennessee’s first game since nearly knocking off previously undefeated and No. 1 overall seed South Carolina in the Southeast Conference tournament semifinals on March 9.

The impact of Tennessee’s interior size advantage was too much for Green Bay. The Lady Vols shot 58.3 per cent from the field.

Tennessee held a 44-28 halftime lead, holding the Phoenix without a point for the last 5:53 of the half while scoring the final 11 points. The Vols scored 18 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, stretching their lead to 62-37.

(8) KANSAS 81, (9) MICHIGAN 72

LOS ANGELES — Zakiyah Franklin scored 22 points, including a tying 3-pointer that bounced on the rim and dropped with 12 seconds left in regulation, and Kansas beat Michigan 81-72 in overtime in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Wyvette Mayberry and S'Mya Nichols added 15 points each and Taiyanna Jackson had 14 points and eight rebounds for the eighth-seeded Jayhawks (20-12).

The Jayhawks rallied in the fourth quarter when they outscored the Wolverines 23-14. Then Kansas stepped up its defense and controlled the five-minute extra session, 14-5.

Lauren Hansen's 3-pointer pulled the Wolverines within 75-72. Franklin missed, but the 6-foot-6 Jackson grabbed the rebound. Nichols scored and drew the foul, extending the Jayhawks' lead to 78-72.

Franklin stole the ball with 22 seconds left and Nichols got fouled and made both.

The Jayhawks advanced to a second-round game against either No. 1 seed Southern California or 16th-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Cameron Williams scored 18 points to lead ninth-seeded Michigan (20-14). Laila Phelia added 16 points.

(2) NOTRE DAME 81, (15) KENT STATE 67

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sonia Citron scored 29 points and Hannah Hidalgo added a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists to help No. 2-seed Notre Dame beat 15th-seeded Kent State 81-67 on Saturday in the women's NCAA Tournament.

Citron was 13 of 20 from the field while Hidalgo added six steals for the Irish (27-6), who play Monday in the second round.

Katie Shumate led Kent State (21-11) with 20 points while Janae Tyler scored 18.

A relentless defensive effort in the first quarter set a dominating tone for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish used an 18-0 run on the way to building a 22-5 lead, harassing Kent State into a stretch of 0-for-13 shooting.

Notre Dame built the advantage to 49-30 at the half. The Fighting Irish hit six of their first nine shots from 3-point range and also had the transition game in high gear, racing to a 13-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

Kent State wouldn’t let Notre Dame romp into the next round. The Flashes closed the deficit to 67-55 with 5:30 left in the game.

(3) N.C. STATE 64, (14) CHATTANOOGA 45

RALEIGH, N.C. — Aziaha James scored each of her 19 points in the second half, and North Carolina State pulled away from Chattanooga for a 64-45 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Saniya Rivers scored 16 points and River Baldwin had 10 points and 11 rebounds, boosting N.C. State coach Wes Moore to a victory against his former team.

Next up for No. 3 seed N.C. State (28-6) is ex-Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper and sixth-seeded Tennessee (20-12) on Monday. The Lady Vols advanced with a 92-63 victory over Green Bay.

The winner goes to the Sweet 16 in Portland, Oregon.

Jada Guinn scored 13 points for Chattanooga (28-5), which had lost only once previously in 2024. Raven Thompson added 11 points.

The Mocs fell to 1-17 in NCAA Tournament play, with the lone victory coming when Moore was coaching the team. He coached 15 seasons at Chattanooga before leaving for the N.C. State job following the 2012-13 season.

Chattanooga, which shot 33 per cent from the field, had scored at least 49 points in every game this season.

James was 0 for 4 from the field in the first half, but she drained five 3-pointers in the second half.

A 12-0 run in the third quarter stretched N.C. State’s advantage to 41-20.

Both teams shot below 31 per cent from the floor in the first half, when they combined to go 3 for 24 on 3-pointers.

(4) INDIANA 89, (13) FAIRFIELD 56

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sara Scalia scored 27 points, hitting five of Indiana's 10 3-pointers, to lead the fourth-seeded Hoosiers to an 89-56 victory over No. 13 Fairfield on Saturday in the first round of the women's NCAA tournament.

Yarden Garzon, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 13 points for the Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers (25-5) will face the winner of No. 5 seed Oklahoma and No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast on Monday night.

Fairfield (31-2) saw its 29-game winning streak come to an end. Janelle Brown led the Stags, who earned the first Top 25 ranking in school history earlier this month, with 19 points. Meghan Andersen was the only other Fairfield player in double figures with 10 points.

IU led 38-34 at halftime but dominated in the second half. The Hoosiers used a 13-0 spurt in the third quarter to take a 59-43 lead with 4:23 left in the third quarter. Scalia scored 10 of those 13 points with two 3-pointers.

Indiana led 64-49 after three quarters and kept expanding its lead in the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers shot 51 per cent from the field while holding the Stags to 32 per cent. IU held a 44-29 rebounding advantage. IU held a 40-18 edge of points in the paint and a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers.

IU had a big advantage in free throws, too, making 17-of-22 free throws while Fairfield only took four from the line.

Trailing 31-26 with 4:46 left in the second quarter, the Hoosiers outscored the Stags 12-3 the rest of the quarter to take a 38-34 halftime lead.

Garzon led IU with 12 points in the opening half, including a 3-pointer that gave the Hoosiers the lead for good at 32-31.

Holmes had converted a 3-point play to give IU a 20-17 left with 52 seconds left in the opening quarter. Fairfield went on to take that five-point lead before the bubble burst.

(6) SYRACUSE 74, (11) ARIZONA 69

STORRS, Conn. — Syracuse star Dyaisha Fair scored 32 points, including 13 after she returned from a second-half injury, to lead the Orange to a 74-69 come-from-behind win over No. 11 seed Arizona in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

The third-team All-American scored all of her team's points during a game-winning run that began with the Orange trailing 66-61 with 3:16 left. Alyssa Latham added 10 points for Syracuse (24-7).

Skyler Jones had 24 points while Jada Williams and Helena Pueyo each added 14 for Arizona (18-16).

The Wildcats led by as many as nine points in the first half at 31-22 after a 3-pointer from Williams. But Fair scored five points in the final 41 seconds of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 37-32 at intermission.

Syracuse kept chipping away at the Arizona lead and a steal and fast-break layup by Fair tied the game at 51.

The fifth-year guard went down hard after driving into Arizona's Isis Beh on the final play of the third quarter. She lay on the floor for several minutes and had to be carried into the locker room without putting any weight on her legs.

Kennedi Perkins' jump shot to open the fourth quarter gave the Orange their first lead at 53-51.

Fair emerged from the locker room to cheers just over two minutes into the quarter and was back on the court a short time later.

But Arizona fought back. They went up 64-59 on a layup by Breya Cunningham and led 66-61 before Fair took over.

Her 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:17 left gave the Orange a 68-66 lead.

An offensive foul on Arizona's Jones gave the ball to Syracuse, and the Orange never gave back the lead.

(5) OKLAHOMA 73, (12) FLORIDA 70

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Skylar Vann scored 24 points and fifth-seeded Oklahoma held off No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast 73-70 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Oklahoma (23-9) will face No. 4 seed Indiana (25-5) in the second round on Monday night.

Payton Verhulst gave the Sooners a 72-70 lead on a turnaround jumper in the paint with 48 seconds left. After an Eagles turnover, Vann hit one of two free throws with 15 seconds left to push the Sooners’ lead to 73-70.

Dolly Cairns' 3-point shot was blocked by Vann with 3 seconds left. The Eagles got the rebound with a second left. Uju Ezeudu missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.

Sahara Williams scored 14 and Verhulst added 11 for the Sooners.

Emani Jefferson led Florida Gulf Coast (29-5) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jefferson was 8-of-22 from the field. Brylee Bartram scored 14 points and Cairns added 10 for the Eagles.

Oklahoma shot 45 per cent while holding Florida Gulf Coast to 37 per cent.

The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers by Scott and Jefferson to take a 56-53 lead. Oklahoma used a 9-0 run to take a 67-61 advantage with 2:59 remaining.

Cairns sank a 3-pointer as the Eagles scored the next seven points to regain the lead.

Following a 3-pointer by Oklahoma’s Aubrey Joens, Jefferson’s layup tied it a 70-all. Jefferson was fouled but missed the free throw.

(7) OLE MISS 67, (10) MARQUETTE 55

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Madison Scott scored 20 points and No. 7 Mississippi used a late run to beat 10th-seeded Marquette 67-55 on Saturday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.

Ole Miss (24-8) takes on the host No. 2 Seed Fighting Irish (27-6) on Monday.

Kennedy Todd-Williams added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Rebels. Tyia Singleton had 12 points and Kharyssa Richardson scored 10.

Liza Karlen led Marquette (23-9) with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Rose Nkumu scored 18 points, and Mackenzie Hare had 10 points.

Scott’s drive to the hoop with 7:22 left in the game gave Ole Miss an eight-point lead at 55-47.

Marquette’s Mackenzie Hare swished a 3 off a fastbreak to make it 55-50, and a turnover put the ball in the Golden Eagles’ hands with a chance to close the gap even more.

The Ole Miss sudden-strike defence kicked in as the Rebels bolted to a 59-50 lead with 5:18 left. Singleton stole the ball and drove in for an Ole Miss basket, and seconds later, a Todd-Williams steal led to her scoring on a putback.

Ole Miss and Marquette waged a tight battle in an intense first half. The Rebels held a 36-33 halftime lead thanks to a 22-17 edge in the second quarter.

(8) WEST VIRGINIA 63, (9) PRINCETON 53

IOWA CITY, Iowa — JJ Quinerly scored 29 points as West Virginia defeated Princeton 63-53 in a women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game on Saturday.

Quinerly, who was 10 of 19 from the field, scored West Virginia’s first 12 points of the fourth quarter as the eighth-seeded Mountaineers (25-7) pulled away from the No. 9 seed Tigers to advance to Monday’s Albany 2 Regional second-round game against No. 1 seed Iowa.

West Virginia ended Princeton’s five-game winning streak by rallying in the second half as its pressure defence disrupted the Tigers.

West Virginia led 42-35 early in the fourth quarter when Quinerly took over, hitting four field goals and going 4 of 4 in free throws over a 6 1/2-minute stretch to keep Princeton from coming back.

Princeton (25-5), the Ivy League champion making its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, led the entire first half despite shooting 34.4% from the field. The Tigers had a 24-12 edge in rebounding, and Kaitlyn Chen had 11 of their points. Princeton led by as much as nine points, but West Virginia got to within 26-24 at halftime on Jordan Harrison’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

That seemed to give the Mountaineers a spark heading into halftime, which continued into the second half. West Virginia’s pressure defence began wearing down the Tigers, who had 10 turnovers in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to help start a 13-0 run by the Mountaineers. West Virginia outscored Princeton 18-7 in the quarter.

West Virginia shot 52.5% for the game, but 64.7% in the second half, including making 5 of their 6 shots in the fourth quarter. Princeton shot just 33% for the game, 30% in the second half.

(7) CREIGHTON 87, (10) UNLV 73

LOS ANGELES — Lauren Jensen scored 25 points, Emma Ronsiek added 23 and the Creighton Bluejays sank 15 3-pointers en route to an 87-73 victory against UNLV in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday despite 30 points from Desi-Rae Young.

Morgan Maly added 16 points for seventh-seeded Creighton (26-5), who will face either UCLA or California Baptist University in the second round on Monday night. The winner of that game will move on to the Albany 2 Regional.

Young became the second 2,000-point scorer in UNLV women's history early in the second half.

Kiara Jackson scored 16 for the Lady Rebels (30-3), who were bounced from the first round for the third straight year.

The Bluejays came into the game 13th in the nation with 8.8 made 3-pointers per game. It is the 14th time in women's tournament history a team has made at least 16 in a game during the first two rounds.

In the first half, 10 of Creighton's 16 field goals were from beyond the arc as they were up by 14 at halftime.

Jensen, Creighton's leading scorer during the regular season at 17.1 points per game, was 8 of 12 from the field, including five 3-pointers. Ronsiek, a senior forward who averages 16.7 points per game, got back on track after scoring only 17 points in her last three games.

Creighton had a four-point lead late in the second quarter before scoring eight straight points — including back-to-back 3-pointers by Maly — to take a 44-32 advantage into halftime.

(2) UCLA 84, (15) CAL BAPTIST 55

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiki Rice scored 20 points, Gabriela Jaquez added 17 and second-seeded UCLA cruised to an 84-55 victory over California Baptist on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Charisma Osbourne finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. The Bruins (26-6) will face seventh-seeded Creighton (26-5) in the second round on Monday for a spot in the Albany 2 Regional. The Bluejays made 15 3-pointers in their 87-73 victory over UNLV.

Kinsley Barrington scored 16 points and Nae Nae Calhoun had 12 for California Baptist (28-4).

The 15th-seeded Lancers, who were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance, were 12th in the nation in scoring, averaging 81.1 points, but shot 28.8% from the field.

Londyn Jones added 12 points for the Bruins, who were without leading scorer Lauren Betts due to a foot injury. The sophomore center, who missed four games earlier this season due to foot problems, could be available for Monday's game.

Rice hit a pair of free throws to give UCLA a 24-12 advantage midway through the second quarter before California Baptist scored nine straight points to get within three. The Bruins though countered with a 10-1 run and went into halftime with a 34-22 advantage.

(5) UTAH 68, (12) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 54

SPOKANE, Wash. — Alissa Pili scored 16 of her 26 points in the second half, Kennady McQueen added 17 points and No. 5 seed Utah nearly let a 20-point lead evaporate before pulling away in the second half for a 68-54 win over No. 12 seed South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

Pili, a third-team AP All-America selection, was terrific again, hitting 11 of 20 shots and grabbing seven rebounds. She banked a 3-pointer with 2:49 left as the shot clock expired, finally putting away the Jackrabbits.

But it was Utah’s start that set the tone. The Utes outscored South Dakota State 20-3 in the first quarter and led 27-7 early in the second quarter. Utah gave away most of the lead and led just 27-24 at the half, but outscored South Dakota State 26-17 in the third quarter to regain control.

Utah (23-10) will face No. 4 seed Gonzaga on Monday night in the second round of the Portland 4 Regional.

Tori Nelson led South Dakota State (27-6) with 14 points, but the Jackrabbits picked the worst time to have their lowest-scoring quarter of the season. South Dakota State was 1-for-12 shooting with seven turnovers in the first quarter and saw leading scorer Brooklyn Meyer pick up two fouls less than three minutes in.

South Dakota State’s previous low for points in a quarter was four and it happened twice this season. The building could have been part of the problem, too. The Jackrabbits started slow and had just eight points in the first quarter of an 83-58 loss at Gonzaga in December.

Brooklyn Meyer finished with 13 points and Paige Meyer added 12. But the Jackrabbits were just 3 of 12 on 3-pointers after ranking fifth in the country while hitting 38% of their 3s coming into the NCAAs.

South Dakota State made one surge, holding Utah scoreless over the final 7:18 of the first half and pulled within 27-24 at halftime, scoring the final 17 points of the quarter.

That included a series of free throws in the final 30 seconds after a disputed call led to a technical foul on Utah's bench for expressing displeasure with a foul against the Utes.

Pili scored five of the first seven points of the second half for Utah and the Utes never led by less than eight over the final 12 minutes.