BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Brittney Griner became the second woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Tuesday night, slamming one down with her right hand early in the second half of top-seeded Baylor’s 76-57 win over ninth-seeded Florida. BOWLING
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Brittney Griner became the second woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Tuesday night, slamming one down with her right hand early in the second half of top-seeded Baylor’s 76-57 win over ninth-seeded Florida.
Griner went nearly 12 minutes without scoring at the beginning of the game but finished with 25 points, including the night’s biggest highlight.
Odyssey Sims added 14 points for Baylor (36-0). Azania Stewart led Florida (20-13) with 14.
Candace Parker of Tennessee dunked twice in an NCAA tournament game in 2006 against Army. Griner’s dunk was her first of the season and sixth of her career. Parker holds the career record with seven.
The Lady Bears will play Georgia Tech in the round of 16.
No. 11 KANSAS 70,
No. 3 DELAWARE 64
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Angel Goodrich scored 27 points to lead Kansas past Delaware and the nation’s leading scorer, Elena Delle Donne.
The win moves the Jayhawks (21-12) to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998.
They did so by rallying in the second half behind Goodrich, who fell one short of her career high in scoring. The junior was 12 of 21 from the field, 3 of 6 on 3-pointers, and also added six assists.
Aishah Sutherland added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Chelsea Gardner had 10 points for Kansas.
Delle Donne finished with 34 points for the Blue Hens (31-2), who had their 21-game winning streak snapped.
No. 4 GEORGIA TECH 76, No. 5 GEORGETOWN 64
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Sydney Wallace continued her scoring tear with 23 points, and Georgia Tech claimed its first berth in the regional semifinals of the women’s NCAA tournament by beating Georgetown.
Sasha Goodlett added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (26-8).
They shot 50 percent and never let Georgetown get closer than eight in the second half while winning for the 15th time in 18 games and prolonging the best season in school history.
Now comes their biggest challenge: A trip to Iowa to face Baylor — the tournament’s top overall seed — on Saturday.
Sugar Rodgers had 14 points on 4-of-19 shooting for the Hoyas (23-9), who were denied a second straight spot in the round of 16. Georgetown didn’t get closer than 10 in the final 12 minutes.
RALEIGH REGIONAL
No. 1 NOTRE DAME 73,
No. 8 CALIFORNIA 62
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Natalie Novosel scored 28 points, and top-seeded Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to beat California and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament’s round of 16.
Skylar Diggins added 21 points, and Devereaux Peters had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Irish (32-3). Novosel was 18-for-20 from the free throw line.
The Irish started the second half with a 10-2 run and came up with five early steals, setting off the partisan crowd at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame led by as many as 17.
Cal (25-10), tied with the Irish 31-31 at the half, got 17 points from Layshia Clarendon and 15 from Reshanda Gray. But the Golden Bears were hurt by 19 turnovers.
No. 5 ST. BONA. 66,
No. 13 MARIST 63
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jessica Jenkins scored 22 points, and Doris Ortega contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead St. Bonaventure over Marist.
Leanne Ockenden missed a desperation 3-point shot at the buzzer for 13th- seeded Marist, which was the lowest seed to advance into the second round.
The fifth-seeded Bonnies (31-3), making their first NCAA appearance, took the lead for good with 9:38 left on Chelsea Bowker’s 3-point shot.
Marist (26-8) had a chance to tie the score at 64 with 1:25 left, but Kelsey Beynnon missed a free throw that would have completed a three-point play.
Jenkins made six 3-pointers.
Brandy Gang led Marist with 19 points, 14 coming in the second half.
FRESNO REGIONAL
No. 2 DUKE 96,
No. 7 VANDERBILT 80
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Haley Peters’ career-high 25 points led five Blue Devils in double figures, and Duke turned in its best shooting performance of the season in routing Vanderbilt.
The second-seeded Blue Devils (26-5) trailed only once before a display that included nine straight made baskets in the first half. Duke advanced to its 14th regional semifinal in 15 seasons.
Tricia Liston had 23 points for Duke. Elizabeth Williams had 13, and Chelsea Gray and Shay Selby each had 10.
Not even Memorial Gym, the Southeastern Conference’s oldest gym with no air conditioning, gave Vanderbilt (23-10) any help on a night the temperature reached 90 by halftime.
The only thing hotter was Duke’s shooting.
Christina Foggie had 26 points for Vanderbilt.
No. 3 ST. JOHN’S 74,
No. 6 OKLAHOMA 70
NORMAN, Okla. — Eugeneia McPherson scored 21 points, Shenneika Smith added 18, and St. John’s advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time in school history with a win at Oklahoma.
The third-seeded Red Storm (24-9) came up with 21 points off Oklahoma’s 19 turnovers and were able to hold off a second-half charge to win in the second round for the first time in five tries.
Nadirah McKenith, who hit a buzzer-beater in an opening-round win against Creighton, had 13 points and seven assists, and Da’Shena Stevens chipped in 11 points for St. John’s.
Whitney Hand led No. 6 seed Oklahoma (21-13) with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Sooners had a chance to tie on Aaryn Ellenberg’s 3-pointer from the top of the key with 37 seconds left, but the ball ticked off the right side of the rim and went out of bounds.
KINGSTON REGIONAL
No. 4 PENN STATE 90,
No. 5 LSU 80
BATON ROUGE, La. — Maggie Lucas scored 30 points, and fourth-seeded Penn State moved on to the third round with a victory over LSU.
Ariel Edwards scored 15 points, and Mia Nickson had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Lions (26-6), who will play Connecticut in Kingston, R.I., on Sunday in the regional semifinals. That game will be the first third-round appearance for fifth-year Penn State coach Coquese Washington.
LaSondra Barrett had 18 points and 12 rebounds for LSU (23-11), while Krystal Forthan added 15 points and Bianca Lutley scored 14. Barrett’s nine made free throws made her LSU’s all-time leader with 497, surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ 494.
Lucas was 7 of 12 shooting, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
