Zoe Brooks scored 19 points Saturday and second-seeded North Carolina State pulled away in the fourth quarter to eliminate 15th-seeded Vermont 75-55 in the first round of the Spokane 1 region of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.
Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers added 15 points each, with Rivers grabbing 12 rebounds. Madison Hayes also collected 12 rebounds, helping the Wolfpack (27-6) to a 45-34 advantage on the boards. They turned 18 offensive boards into 21 points.
Keira Hanson came off the bench to hit 5 of 8 from 3-point range and score a game-high 21 points for the Catamounts (21-13), while Catherine Gilwee added 13. Nikola Priede chipped in 11 points for Vermont, which made 8 of 19 3-pointers.
NC State led 52-46 after three quarters but dominated the fourth period 23-9. The Wolfpack made 17 of 21 foul shots on the day, while the Catamounts were 3 for 3.
NC State next takes on No. 7 Michigan State.
No. 3 LSU 103, No. 14 San Diego State 48
Flau’Jae Johnson scored a game-high 22 points and the Tigers cruised past the Aztecs in Baton Rouge, La.
Five other players hit extra digits for the Tigers (29-5), who advanced to a second-round matchup at home Monday night against Florida State. Mikaylah Williams added 13 points, while Aneesah Morrow chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds. Shayeann Day-Wilson contributed 11 points, and Sa’Myah Smith and Mjracle Sheppard each tallied 10.
LSU canned 50 percent of its shots from the field, including 10 of 18 from 3-point range, and dominated the rebounding battle 53-31. The Tigers enjoyed a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint and scored 15 fast-break points.
LSU wasted no time identifying itself as the superior team, leading for all but 48 seconds and taking a 49-20 cushion to halftime.
Adryana Quezada scored eight points for the Aztecs (25-10), who made only 18 of 56 shots (32.1 percent) and committed 19 turnovers.
No. 6 Florida State 94, No. 11 George Mason 59
Ta’Niya Latson poured in a game-high 28 points Saturday night as the Seminoles outscored the Patriots 31-6 in the fourth quarter in Baton Rouge, La.
O’Mariah Gordon added 18 for the Seminoles (24-8), who connected on 56.9 percent of their field goal attempts. Makayla Timpson also scored 18 points and added 11 rebounds, while Sydney Bowles canned all five of her 3-pointers on her way to 15 points.
Paula Suarez made 5 of 9 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the Patriots (27-6), while Kennedy Harris added 12 points and five assists. But George Mason made just 20 of 70 attempts from the field, including 2 of 19 in the fourth quarter, and was outrebounded 46-31.
Florida State enjoyed a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint while also collecting 14 fast-break points. It made 10 of 14 shots in the fourth quarter.
No. 7 Michigan State 64, No. 10 Harvard 50
Grace VanSlooten scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday as the Spartans survived a turnover-ridden performance to knock off the Crimson in Raleigh, N.C.
Jocelyn Tate added 13 points and Theryn Hallock hit for 10 for the Spartans (22-9). Michigan State won despite committing 23 turnovers, offsetting that with 22 of 27 foul shooting and a good defensive performance.
Harmoni Turner scored a game-high 24 points for Harvard (24-5), which was one of three Ivy League teams in the field. But she made just 7 of 22 shots from the field and had six of the Crimson’s 20 turnovers. Harvard shot just 27.7 percent from the field, including 4 of 26 on 3-pointers.
The Spartans led for all but 49 seconds but never really put the game away until the final couple of minutes.
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
