Here’s Part 1 of our roundup of Friday’s action:
number 8 seed South Florida Bulls over number 9 seed Marquette Golden Eagles67-65 (OT)
Marquette’s Mackenzie Hare had a three that would have given the Golden Eagles a one-point lead with five seconds remaining in overtime. Marquette was unable to make another shot before time expired.
Hare missed the three with eight seconds remaining. Dulcie Funkam Mendjideau grabbed a defensive rebound off that miss, was fouled, and made 1-of-2 free throws to give South Florida a 67–65 lead. Funkam Mendjedeu finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks and broke the USF single-season rebound record in the contest.
Jordan King had 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals in the loss.
The Bulls shot just 2-of-18 from distance and lost the turnover margin by seven, but were 19-of-23 at the stripe.
No. 10 seed Georgia Lady Bulldogs over No. 7 seed Florida State Seminoles66-54
Playing without Ta’Niya Latson, FSU came out and won the first quarter 18–13. However, the Seminoles could not maintain it, losing the second 22–12 and the fourth 21–14 on their way to a 66–54 loss.
Diamond Battle defeated Georgia by 21 points. Erin Howard tallied 19 points and nine boards in the loss. The Seminoles shot just 26.9 percent from the field and were outshot 48–38.
number 6 seed michigan wolverines over No. 11 seed UNLV Lady Rebels, 71-59
Emily Kiser (18 points, 2 of 3, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals), Leigh Brown (17 points, seven assists), Maddie Nolan (18 points, 4 of 3) and Layla Felia (eight points, 11 rebounds) all came out to play for the Wolverines, who won the first quarter 17–9. Essence Booker fell for 16 points along with four assists in the loss.
Michigan attempted 10 fewer threes but improved its 3-point efficiency from 40 percent to 28 percent. It attempted nine more free throws and made seven more. The rebounding went in favor of the Wolverines, 41–31.
number 7 seed Arizona Wildcats Over No. 10 Seeds West Virginia Mountaineers75-62
Arizona scored 28 points in the first quarter, and its star Kate Reese finished with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists. JJ Queenly posted 19 points, eight boards and three steals in the loss and West Virginia trailed by just seven at the break, but the Mountaineers could not take the Wildcats down to the wire.
Arizona won by field goal percentage 46.2 to 31.3, while both teams struggled from beyond the arc. The Wildcats won the Battle on the Glass 49–35. West Virginia lost, despite turning the ball over just seven times.
number 3 seed notre dame fighting irish over No. 14 seed Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 82–56
Playing without Olivia Miles, who is out for the rest of the season, the Irish won the first 27–10, and by the end of the game Maddie Westbeld had 20 points, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Lauren Ibo added 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the winning cause, while Sonia Citron had 14 points, six assists and three steals and Keke Branford was good for nine points, eight boards and five assists.
Megan Jensen had 11 points and five rebounds in the loss.
Notre Dame shot only 3-of-14 from deep and attempted eight fewer free throws, but won the rebound, 53–25.
No. 1 Seed South Carolina Gamecocks over No. 16 seed Norfolk State Spartans, 72-40
South Carolina led the way in blowout victories in the first and third quarters. Aliyah Boston only needed to score seven points, as 12 Gamecocks got in the scoring column and 14 saw the court. Gia Cook and Leticia Amihere top-scored for South Carolina with 11 each. Boston added a game-high nine rebounds, while Raven Johnson accumulated more assists (seven) than the entire Norfolk State team (six).
Kiera Wheeler was good for 13 points, eight boards and two steals in the loss.
The Gamecocks held the Spartans to only 26.2 percent shooting from the field. His 38.9 percent shooting wasn’t great either, but he made 25 free throws and allowed just four. South Carolina won on the boards 49–33.
number 2 seed maryland terrapins over No. 15 seed Holy Cross Crusaders, 93-61
Maryland had the most dominant first quarter imaginable, winning the opening frame 23–4. Twenty-four forced turnovers and a 9-of-19 attempt from downtown were the keys to the victory.
Brin Alexander was 4-of-7 from three with a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Shayne Sellers had a great day sharing the basketball, finishing with eight assists and 13 points.
Maryland won the second half 29–17 and held a 31–1 lead at the break, winning the second half by just one.
Simone Foreman led Holy Cross with 13 points.
Iowa’s recap will come tomorrow morning from Zachary Draves, who was at the game live in Iowa City.
