DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 15 points and Baylor rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, making 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch, to beat Nebraska 67-62 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After leading 19-11 after the first quarter, the sixth-seeded Bears (25-8) went cold and were down 50-41 with 9:33 to play in their March Madness opener. Baylor then turned up the full-court press and forced six turnovers by Nebraska in the final quarter.
The turning point came on a jump ball with the game tied at 53 with 3:48 to play. Baylor coach Nicki Collen appealed for officials to review the play for a flagrant foul on Nebraska junior forward Jessica Petrie.
Baylor won the appeal, and Scott made two free throws to give Baylor the lead for good. Petrie, who had 10 points for the Cornhuskers, fouled out on the next play.
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 13 points. Jana Van Gytenbeek added 12, including two critical 3-pointers in the second half.
NO. 2 LSU 116, NO. 15 JACKSONVILLE 58
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Flau'jae Johnson scored 20 points, Mikaylah Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, and LSU easily surpassed it's nation-leading scoring average with a victory over Jacksonville.
LSU (28-5), entered the game averaging 94.5 points per game, scored 100 or more for the 15th time this season.
The Tigers also had a season-high 18 steals and finished with a 38-13 advantage in points off of turnovers.
Jada Richard scored 17 points and four steals, and ZaKiyah Johnson added 16 points for the Tigers, who had seven players score at least 10 points. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 13 points.
Carmaya Bowman scored 14 points and Tatum Brown scored 10 for Jacksonville (24-9), the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament champions, who were making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance.
NO. 3 DUKE 81, NO. 14 COLL. OF CHARLESTON
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Toby Fournier scored 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting and Duke maintained its momentum by opening the first round of March Madness with a victory over the College of Charleston.
Jordan Wood had 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and Delaney Thomas had 19 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Blue Devils (25-8), who are hosting the first and second rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Since a 3-6 start, Duke is on a 22-2 run that includes their second ACC Tournament championship in a row.
But coach Kara Lawson still was frustrated, becoming animated with her players during a four-quarter timeout despite a comfortable margin. She noted that 20 Duke turnovers led to 22 points by Charleston, which also scored 12 second-chance points and made 22 free throws.
"Those are areas that we need those numbers to come down," Lawson said. "I wake up intense. I'm always at the next level. There's an urgency about me. It's March. You want to win. You want to play well. No matter what the score is, there's a standard by which we play. If we don't play that, then it's my job to get them to that level."
Fournier, a 6-2 sophomore forward who was a third-team All America selection, was a force inside on offense and defense. During one second-quarter sequence, she sandwiched a nifty reverse lay-in and fast-break layup around a block of Tyja Beans.
NO. 4 MINNESOTA 75, GREEN BAY 58
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota survived a home-court scare by Green Bay, getting 21 points from Amaya Battle and using a 30-point fourth quarter for a victory.
Sophie Hart had 19 points and Mara Braun saved her best for the sizzling fourth quarter to finish with 16 points as the No. 4 seed Gophers (23-8) celebrated their first tournament appearance since 2018 with a memorable comeback.
Minnesota, which trailed 43-34 midway through the third quarter, will stay home to face No. 5 seed Mississippi in a second round game on Sunday.
Maddy Skorupski scored 19 points for the Phoenix (25-9), who simply ran out of steam against the relentless Gophers defense down the stretch.
NO. 5 MISSISSIPPI 81, NO. 12 GONZAGA 66
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Latasha Lattimore led a balanced offense with 15 points as Mississippi overpowered Gonzaga.
Cotie McMahon scored 13 points and Sira Thienou had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Mississippi, who will face the winner of the matchup between Minnesota and Green Bay on Sunday.
Denim DeShields added 11 points and four assists for the No. 5-seed Rebels (24-11), who were ranked 19th in the most recent AP poll and are playing in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.
Allie Turner led Gonzaga, champions of the West Coast Conference Tournament, with 27 points. Jaiden Haile had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Whittaker added eight points and 13 rebounds.
After falling behind by as much as 13 in the first quarter, No. 12-seed Gonzaga (24-10) got a three-point play by Haile and a driving layup by Turner to cut the deficit to 25-19 midway through the second.
But Ole Miss responded with a 14-4 run that started with consecutive second-chance buckets by Lattimore in the low post. McMahon capped the run with a 3-pointer to send the Rebels into the locker room leading 39-23.
NO. 7 TEXAS TECH 57, NO. 10 VILLANOVA 52
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and Texas Tech held on to defeat Villanova.
Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech (26-7), which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range, outshot Villanova, 44% (18 of 41) to 37% (20 of 54) and made 14 of 15 foul shots.
Fritz and Maupin both hit 3-pointers in the final 4:22 to help Tech carry a 53-47 lead into the final two minutes.
Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds for Villanova.
NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA 82, WESTERN ILLINOIS 51
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Nyla Harris scored 17 points, Lanie Grant had 15 and North Carolina rolled past cold-shooting Western Illinois.
Nyla Brooks added 14 points and Indya Nivar had 11 as the Tar Heels , hosting games on the opening weekend for the second year in a row, won a first-round game for the fifth straight season.
Fourth-seeded North Carolina (27-7) will meet fifth-seeded Maryland , a 99-67 winner over Murray State in the site's first game, on Sunday in the second round.
Mia Nicastro scored 21 points for No. 13 seed Western Illinois (26-6), which shot 30.4% from the field. The Leathernecks were 2 for 15 on 3-pointers. Nicastro shot 6 for 15 from the floor and 9 for 10 on free throws, coming up just short of her 24.2 points per game scoring average.
NO. 5 MARYLAND 99, NO. 12 MURRAY ST. 67
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Redshirt freshman Kyndal Walker scored a career-high 20 points and she had plenty of help from Maryland teammates as the Terrapins defeated Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Mir McLean scored 19 points and Addi Mack added 18 points, while Yarden Garzon had 12 points and Saylor Poffenbarger added 10 points for fifth-seeded Maryland, which hammered the Racers on the boards.
The Terrapins (24-8), who matched their highest point total in a regulation game this season with the aid of 50% shooting from the field, will meet the North Carolina-Western Illinois winner in Sunday's second round.
Halli Poock poured in 27 points and Haven Ford and Keslyn Secrist each scored 17 points for No. 12 seed Murray State (31-4), which finished with a school-record win total even though its 15-game winning streak ended.
Maryland's 24 offensive rebounds were more than Murray State's overall rebounding total in what finished as a 51-21 gap on the boards.
NO. 1 TEXAS, NO. 16 MISSOURI STATE 45
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Jordan Lee scored 19 points and Texas opened the women's NCAA Tournament with a romp over Missouri State, building a 32-point lead by halftime as the Longhorns started what they hope will be a return trip to the Final Four.
All-American Madison Booker had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Texas (32-3) against the overmatched No. 16-seed Lady Bears. The Longhorns advance to Sunday's second-round game against No. 8-seed Oregon , which beat No. 9 Virginia Tech 70-60 earlier Friday.
The Longhorns overwhelmed Missouri State early with their size and speed at both ends of the court. Kyla Oldacre, at 6-foot-6, scored 15 points was an immovable force under the basket. The quickness of Texas guards Lee, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston created open lanes to the basket or shut them down on defense.
Texas led 19-4 after the first quarter and 44-12 by halftime. Missouri State, which won the Conference USA Tournament, made just four baskets in the first half.
NO. 2 MICHIGAN 83, HOLY CROSS 48
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mila Holloway and Syla Swords each had seven points in a dominant opening quarter and combined to score 33 points, leading Michigan to a win over Holy Cross.
Holloway finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Swords scored 13 and Olivia Olson had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines (26-6).
Michigan will be back on its home court against N.C. State or Tennessee on Sunday with a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history.
The Crusaders (23-10) earned a bid for the third time in four years and entered March Madness with a nine-game winning streak and exited with just their second loss in two months.
Kaitlyn Flanagan scored 11 points as the only double-digit scorer for Holy Cross.
Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 14 points to lead Missouri State (23-13).
NO. 7 NC State 76, NO. 10 TENNESSEE 61
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Zamareya Jones scored 15 of her career-high 30 points in the first half to help build a double-digit lead and North Carolina State went on to beat Tennessee .
The Wolfpack (21-10) will play second-seeded Michigan (26-6) on the Wolverines' home court in the second round Sunday. They might be without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks , who injured his right leg in the quarter and didn't return.
The Lady Vols (16-14) have dropped eight straight games for the first time in the NCAA women's basketball era that dates to the 1981-82 season, and they matched the 2015-16 team's school record for losses.
NO. 8 OREGON 70, NO. 9 VIRGINIA TECH 60
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Katie Fiso scored 22 points and Oregon used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Virginia Tech for a win to open the women's NCAA Tournament .
Ehis Etute added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 8-seed Ducks (23-12) who took control of the game with an 18-0 run in the third and advance to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive season. They earned a matchup with the winner of Friday's game between No. 1 Texas (31-3) and No. 16 Missouri State (23-12).
Mia Jacobs added 13 points for Oregon, Carys Baker scored 21 to lead the No. 9-seed Hokies (23-10), who shot under 30 percent over the first three quarters.
Fiso and Oregon started the game by making nine of their first 11 shots and led 22-11 by the end of the first quarter. The Hokies went more than six minutes without a field goal, and leading scorer Carleigh Wenzel went to the bench with two early fouls.
Wenzel stayed out the entire second quarter, but Virginia Tech rallied to within 32-29 before Oregon closed the half with a 3-pointer by Jacobs.
Etute scored seven points in the Ducks' big run in the third and Fiso hit a step-back 3-pointer when she was left at the top of the arc. Oregon stretched the lead as high as 22 in the quarter.
NO. 3 TCU 86, NO. 14 UC SAN DIEGO 40
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles had her 12th career triple-double with 12 points and career highs of 16 rebounds and 14 assists as TCU beat UC San Diego in a first-round NCAA Tournament game, giving the Horned Frogs their 43rd consecutive win at home.
Miles has the assists on the first four baskets for the Frogs as they went ahead to stay, going up 11-2 in the first 2:02 of the game. They scored the final 19 points of the game to make the final score the largest margin.
"You saw within the first four minutes of the game the pep, the pop she played with. I mean she was in attack mode," TCU coach Mark Campbell said. "When Olivia's like that, our team feeds off it and we're at a whole different level."
Taylor Bigby added a career-high 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting with seven 3-pointers for TCU (30-5), which also got double-doubles from Clara Silva (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Marta Suarez (11 points, 10 rebounds).
Miles became only the third player with multiple triple-doubles in women's NCAA Tournament games, with her other coming while at Notre Dame in 2022. She came out of the game right after her 3-pointer with 4:50 left for a 74-40 lead. Her 14 assists set TCU's single-game record, matching her best set at Notre Dame.
NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 89, NO. 13 IDAHO 59
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Oklahoma overwhelmed Idaho .
Beers, a senior center, also had four assists and four blocks. Sahara Williams had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 points and Payton Verhulst added 14 for the Sooners (25-7), who stopped Idaho's win streak at 18 games. The Vandals hadn't lost since Jan. 10.
Oklahoma will play No. 5 seed Michigan State in the second round on Sunday. The Spartans outlasted No. 12 Colorado State 65-62 in the early game on Friday.
Kyra Gardner scored 19 points and Hope Hassmann added 12 for Idaho (29-6).
NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE 65, NO. 12 COLORADO STATE 62
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair each scored 18 points, and Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat Colorado State .
VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State (23-8), the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region. The Spartans will play either No. 4 seed Oklahoma or No. 13 seed Idaho in the second round on Sunday.
Brooke Carlson had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists for No. 12 seed Colorado State (27-8), which played without leading scorer Lexus Bargesser. She suffered a non-contact injury during the Rams' Mountain West Conference Tournament title run.
NO. 6 WASHINGTON 72, NO. 11 S. DAKOTA ST. 54
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Avery Howell had 30 points and nine rebounds to lead Washington to its first women's NCAA Tournament victory since 2017, beating South Dakota State.
South Dakota State jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first five minutes, but the game was tied at 15 when Howell made a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Howell made another 3 only 55 seconds into the second quarter to break that tie and put Washington (22-10) ahead to stay.
Howell, the transfer from Southern Cal who as a freshman last season was part of the Trojans' run to the Elite Eight, finished with seven 3s.
"That allowed me to have some experience and just feel really comfortable in these type of high-pressure situations," Howell said, referring to her previous NCAA tourney. "That just allows me to hopefully be a calming presence on the court and just be there for my teammates and for my coaches in any way that I can."
Brooklyn Meyer had 29 points and seven rebounds for South Dakota State (27-7), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped. Emilee Fox had 14 points.
Brynn McGaughy added 14 points in 18 minutes for the sixth-seeded Huskies, whose last NCAA tourney win came on their way to the Sweet 16 nine years ago. They lost a First Four game to Columbia last season in what had been their only other appearance since then.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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