The second day revealed a majority of the top-seeded teams showcasing why they earned their placement in the women’s NCAA Tournament. In Saturday’s 16-game slate, the higher seed in 14 of those contests won games, setting up a slate of must-watch second round matchups on Monday with tickets to the Sweet 16 on the line.
No. 1 seeds Southern California and Texas along with second-seeded UConn demolished their opponents. Third-seeded LSU joined UT and UConn in breaking the 100-point barrier. No. 2 seed North Carolina State, No. 3 seed Oklahoma and No. 3 seed North Carolina all won in varying fashions.
The day’s results also featured dominating wins by three No. 6 seeds — Iowa, West Virginia and Florida State — along with No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 seed Illinois and No. 9 seed Mississippi State also advancing. The top upset was No. 10 seed South Dakota State knocking off seventh-seeded Oklahoma State.
Here’s a breakdown of the second day of the women’s NCAA tourney.
JuJu Watkins dazzles as No. 1 USC dismantles No. 16 UNC Greensboro
Southern California left no doubts as to why it is one of the best teams in the country as the Trojans defeated UNC Greensboro 71-25. Despite a slow start and getting banged up a bit in the second half of the contest, JuJu Watkins generated an impressive performance on her home court. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, two assists and three steals.
When Watkins was asked about her health after the Trojans’ win, the USC star confirmed that she was good to go for a second round contest on Monday against No. 9 seed Mississippi State.
“I’m all good, don’t worry,” Watkins said.
Kiki Iriafen added a double-double performance as the 6-foot-3 fifth-year forward tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds while the Trojans’ bench produced a whopping 25 points in the Trojans’ victory. USC’s defense stifled UNC Greensboro, holding the Spartans to single-digit points in each quarter, forcing them to commit 23 turnovers and holding them to 25 points on seven made field goals and seven assists.
“… Our defense is something we take pride in,” Watkins said after the game. “I think because we couldn’t really get it going on our offense [early on], we relied on our defensive ability.”
Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd power No. 2 UConn past No. 15 Arkansas State
UConn seized control of the game from the beginning and never looked back. Fifth-year guard Azzi Fudd returned to the March Madness stage and scorched Arkansas State for 27 points – with 21 coming in the first half – and career highs in steals (six) and assists (seven) in the Huskies’ 103-34 win.
While UConn’s superb ball movement made the offense click and the defensive effort was stifling, Fudd said there is still work to be done.
“I think that it’s March,” she said. “It’s not time to get complacent. It’s that time of the year to pick everything apart because this is the time where the little things are what cause you to lose in big games.”
Meanwhile, 6-foot-2 freshman forward Sarah Strong didn’t play as if it was her first NCAA tournament game. Her line included a double-double: 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five of UConn’s 13 blocks. The Huskies forced 20 turnovers and turned those into 34 of their 103 points.
“I feel like we were doing a really good job communicating and being there for each other and just talking through everything,” Strong said.
UConn will face No. 10 South Dakota State on Monday in second round action.
No. 2 N.C. State uses late fourth-quarter run to separate from No. 15 Vermont
North Carolina State aspires to make another Final Four run. The first step in the Wolfpack’s trek started against a stingy defensive squad in Vermont. The Catamounts trailed 35-33 at halftime after a strong run to end the second quarter.
However, N.C. State outscored Vermont 40-22 in the second half, including a 23-9 in the final quarter to secure the 75-55 victory.
Sophomore guard Zoe Brooks led N.C. State with 19 points, followed by senior guards Aziaha James (despite shooting 4-of-15 from the field) and Saniya Rivers combining for 30 points. Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore said Brooks’ performance was truly a game changer.
“Early in the game Zoe [Brooks] was keeping us in it,” Moore said. “We didn’t have anybody else hitting shots, really, and we weren’t really creating like we needed to… I thought Zoe did a great job of picking up the scoring slack in the first half and really carried us.”
N.C. State will face No. 7 seed Michigan State on Monday in the second round.
Raegan Beers’ double-double helps No. 3 Oklahoma rout No. 14 FGCU
Saturday presented familiar territory for the Sooners. A year ago, Oklahoma defeated FGCU 73-70 in its first round NCAA tourney contest. However, in the rematch had far less drama.
The Sooners dominated the glass, hauling in an NCAA Tournament record 72 rebounds with 18 of them coming from Raegan Beers. The 6-foot-4 junior center also finished with 25 points to help Oklahoma pull away in the fourth quarter for an 81-58 victory.
“We had to flip that switch in the fourth quarter and the crowd was behind us,” Beers said. “That’s really, really important and a fun environment to play in.”
In addition to Beers and Oklahoma converting on 31 field goals off 23 assists, senior forward Skylar Vann and senior guard Peyton Verhulst added 24 points and 13 points respectively to elevate the Sooners to a second round matchup against No. 6 seed Iowa. Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk told reporters that Vann was truly a tone setter in the game.
“I told myself even before the game, I was just like play with joy and have fun,” Vann said. “I was like this could have been my last game in my college career.”
Lexi Donarski third-quarter explosion aids No. 3 North Carolina in win against No. 14 Oregon State
Fifth-year guard Lexi Donarksi, the former Iowa State sharpshooter, stepped up in the second half to notch another stellar shooting performance. The North Carolina star splashed five threes, tying her season high, and finishing with 19 points to help UNC defeat No. 14 Oregon State 70-49.
While Donarski led the way for UNC and played a huge part in the Tar Heels’ 30-9 run against the Beavers in the third quarter, she had help from fifth-year 6-foot-1 guard Alyssa Utsby and 6-foot-3 senior center Maria Gakdeng as the two combined for 23 points and 14 rebounds in the victory.
Donarski said the Tar Heels’ defensive effort played a role in the team’s confidence and flow offensively in the third period.
“We pressured them (in the third quarter) and were able to turn them over,” Donarski said. “I feel like over half of our steals that we had in this game had to have come from the third quarter. Just pushing pace offensively through our defense. The majority of those looks were in transition.”
UNC advances to the round of 32 and faces No. 6 seed West Virginia on Monday.
Madison Mathiowetz, Brooklyn Meyer lead No. 10 South Dakota State in upset of Oklahoma State
The Jackrabbits are no strangers to the national stage, making their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 seasons. On Saturday, facing a talented Cowgirls’ squad, they showed why they enjoy the spotlight.
Oklahoma State held South Dakota State to single digits in the second quarter and went into halftime leading 31-24. However, in the second half, the Jackrabbits upped their intensity on offense and defense, making big shots in the third and fourth quarters as well as getting key stops in the latter parts of the contest to secure the 74-68 victory.
“I think through the whole game it was a battle,” said junior guard Madison Mathiowetz, who scored all 17 of her points in he second half. “I don’t know that I ever felt we really had it, but I do think that our confidence was on the rise [in the third quarter] and we were playing our basketball. We knew we could win it at that point.”
In addition to Mathiowetz, junior forward Brooklyn Meyer – who struggled with her post play early in the game – led SDSU in scoring with 19 points and eight rebounds.
SDSU next upset bid comes against second-seeded UConn.
No. 4 Maryland survives scare, defeats No. 13 Norfolk State
Norfolk State, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champ, hoped to become the first No. 13 seed to win a first round game since Wright State accomplished the feat in 2021. At halftime, the Spartans led Maryland 32-30 backed by a 16-point performance from Diamond Johnson, the former Rutgers and N.C. State star.
The Terps quickly reversed course to start the second half with the offense awakening behind the shooting of senior guard Sarah Te-Biasu and junior guard Kaylene Smikle. Maryland put the game on ice in the fourth quarter when the Terrapins orchestrated a 12-2 run by Te-Biasu and Smikle to chalk up an 82-69 victory.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese said the team’s need to rally in the second half was a wakeup call.
“Took a little longer than what I anticipated,” she said. “It took 20 minutes and the halftime to be able to reset. …I’m hopeful as we move forward we can get back to playing the way we’re used to playing.”
