Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair combined for 36 points and 16 rebounds to help No. 5 Michigan State stave off No. 12 Colorado State’s upset bid in a 65-62 victory Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament at Norman, Okla.
VanSlooten had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Blair 18 points and six rebounds for Michigan State (23-8). The Spartans advanced to the second round of the Sacramento 4 Region, and they will play Oklahoma on Sunday in Norman.
Colorado State (27-8) was led by Brooke Carlson’s 26 points.
Colorado State led the entire third quarter before Blair scored the last five points, including a 3-pointer with 1:03 left in the quarter that tied the game at 47.
VanSlooten fueled an 11-3 run with two baskets, giving Michigan State a 58-52 lead left with 6:31 left.
Carlson scored Colorado State’s last 13 points, including a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left that cut the lead to 65-62.
After a missed jumper by Michigan State, the Rams had the chance to tie the game at the buzzer but a 3-pointer by Hannah Ronsiek was off the mark.
“A heck of a game, definitely all the elements of March Madness,” Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick said. “We knew it was going to be a bit of a grind out. Proud of our team.”
No. 3 TCU 86, No. 14 UC San Diego 40
Olivia Miles assembled her sixth triple-double of the season and Taylor Bigby added a career-high 27 points to help the Horned Frogs coast past the Tritons in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Horned Frogs (30-5) will host Washington in Sunday’s second round.
Miles (12 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists) joined Oregon’s Sabrian Ionescu and Stanford’s Nicole Powell as the only Division I women to produce multiple triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament.
Clara Silva (13 points, 11 boards) and Marta Suarez (11 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles for TCU, which doubled up UC San Diego (24-9) on the glass while shooting 49.2% from the floor and 50% from the perimeter.
Erin Condron (12 points) was the only UC San Diego player in double figures. The Tritons never led as they shot 22.7% from the floor (15 of 66) and were held to 15 second-half points.
No. 6 Washington 72, No. 11 South Dakota State 54
Avery Howell amassed 30 points and nine rebounds while canning seven 3-pointers as the Huskies snapped the Jackrabbits’ 10-game winning streak in Fort Worth, Texas.
Brynn McGaughy added 14 points for Washington (22-10) while Sayvia Sellers handed out 10 assists and posted three of the Huskies’ 12 steals. Washington also owned a 40-25 margin on the glass and forced 18 turnovers that resulted in 16 points.
Brooklyn Meyer scored 29 points on 13-of-20 shooting for South Dakota State (27-7), but she finished with three more field goals than the rest of her teammates combined. Emilee Fox contributed 14 points and made four of the five shots the Jackrabbits sank from the 3-point arc.
The game was tied at 15 after the first quarter, but Washington took charge by outscoring the Jackrabbits 23-9 in the second. Howell, McGaughy and Yulia Grabovskaia each scored six points in that defining quarter.
No. 4 Oklahoma 89, No. 13 Idaho 59
Raegan Beers led a quartet of scorers in double figures for the Sooners in their victory over the Vandals in Norman, Okla.
Beers had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Sahara Williams finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists and Peyton Verhulst had 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Sooners (25-7), who did not trail after taking a 13-11 lead with 4:04 left in the first quarter, will host No. 5 Michigan State (23-8) in a Round of 32 game Sunday.
Idaho (29-6) was led by Kyra Gardner’s 19 points, while Hope Hassmann added 12. The Vandals shot 24.7% overall from the field compared to 50.7% for Oklahoma.
–Field Level Media
