Alyssa Ustby collected 16 points and 17 rebounds as No. 8 seed North Carolina topped No. 9 Michigan State 59-56 in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday in Columbia, S.C.
Ustby’s double-double was her 15th of the season, and she also had a team-high six assists. The Tar Heels (20-12) also got a double-double from Maria Gakdeng of 17 points and 10 boards. Deja Kelly added 13 points.
Julia Ayrault and Theryn Hallock paced Michigan State (22-9) with 14 points apiece, while Moira Joiner had 13 points.
The Tar Heels started the game firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 21-7 lead. Of the 23 points UNC scored in the opening frame, 18 of them came in the paint. That dominance inside continued as the Tar Heels won the rebounding battle 45-27.
Michigan State trimmed the deficit to a point with 5.1 seconds to play, but never got any closer.
No. 1 South Carolina 91, No. 16 Presbyterian 39
Led by a career high-tying 21 points and 13 rebounds from Chloe Kitts, the Gamecocks never took their foot off the gas in a first-round win over the Blue Hose in Columbia, S.C.
Kitts shot a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor in 26 minutes off the bench. Te-Hina Paopao had 18 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 17, Sania Feagin added 12, and Raven Johnson chipped in 11 for South Carolina. Undefeated South Carolina (33-0) will face No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday for the chance to go to the Sweet 16 for the 10th straight time.
Paige Kindseth and Tilda Sjokvist powered Presbyterian (21-15) with nine points apiece.
No. 3 Oregon State 73, No. 14 Eastern Washington 51
Raegan Beers scored 19 points to lead the Beavers over the Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Corvallis, Ore.
Beers shot 8-of-11 from the floor and also had nine rebounds for Oregon State (25-7), while Dominika Paurova scored 17 points off the bench and Timea Gardiner added 12 points. Jamie Loera led Eastern Washington (29-6) with 21 points and Jacinta Buckley had 12.
The Eagles led by three points entering the second quarter, then Oregon State outscored them 24-9 to take a 12-point lead into the break. The Beavers shot 54.9 percent from the floor and won the rebounding battle 45-26.
No. 6 Nebraska 61, No. 11 Texas A&M 59
Logan Nissley sank the game-tying and go-ahead free throws with 14 seconds remaining to give the Cornhuskers the edge in a first-round win over the Aggies in Corvallis, Ore.
Nissley and Alexis Markowski each finished with 16 points to lead Nebraska (23-11) to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2014. Jaz Shelley added a game-high six assists. The Cornhuskers will face host No. 3 Oregon State on Sunday.
Texas A&M (19-13), playing in its first tournament since 2021, was powered by 26 points from Aicha Coulibaly, while Janiah Barker chipped in 11 points. Trailing by 17 in the third quarter, the Aggies roared back to take a one-point lead before Nissley’s clutch free throws put the Cornhuskers back on top.
Following another Nebraska foul shot, the Aggies’ Endyia Rogers missed a 3-point attempt for the win at the buzzer.
–Field Level Media
