Women's Tournament 2015: Friday Subregionals Scores, Updated Bracket, Schedule
The 2015 NCAA women's basketball tournament action from Friday featured subregional action as the first round got underway.
A couple of upsets sprung up within the first four games, and even a decorated program in Duke was tested by an upstart underdog in Albany.
Connecticut Huskies star Breanna Stewart hinted that the Blue Devils' close call was reason for the tournament's No. 1 overall seed to be especially diligent in its preparation, per the Hartford Courant's John Altavilla:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
"Breanna Stewart says watching Albany come close to beating Duke simply refocused the #UConnwomen. "It's March," Stewart said
— John Altavilla (@jaltavilla) March 20, 2015"
Although UConn is again the prohibitive favorites to win the championship, whatever else happens is anyone's guess. South Carolina and Notre Dame loom as other top-seeded contenders, though the Huskies did blow out the Gamecocks by 25 in February.
Read on to see how Friday's action played out, follow along with an updated bracket at NCAA.com and check out the updated schedule as the results come in.
| No. 13 Albany vs. No. 4 Duke | 12 p.m. | 54-52, Duke |
| No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Northwestern | 12 p.m. | 57-55, Arkansas |
| No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Dayton | 12 p.m. | 78-66, Dayton |
| No. 11 Miami vs. No. 6 Washington | 12 p.m. | 86-80, Miami |
| No. 15 Northwestern State vs. No. 2 Baylor | 2:30 p.m. | 77-36, Baylor |
| No. 15 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Kentucky | 2:30 p.m. | 97-52, Kentucky |
| No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 Mississippi State | 2:30 p.m. | 57-47, Mississippi State |
| No. 14 American vs. No. 3 Iowa | 2:30 p.m. | 75-67, Iowa |
| No. 16 Savannah State vs. No. 1 South Carolina | 5 p.m. | 81-48, South Carolina |
| No. 14 South Dakota State vs. No. 3 Oregon State | 5 p.m. | 74-62, Oregon State |
| No. 12 Western Kentucky vs. No. 5 Texas | 5 p.m. | 66-64, Texas |
| No. 9 DePaul vs. No. 8 Minnesota | 5 p.m. | 79-72, DePaul |
| No. 16 Montana vs. No. 1 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | 77-43, Notre Dame |
| No. 11 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 George Washington | 7:30 p.m. | 82-69, Gonzaga |
| No. 13 Wichita State vs. No. 4 California | 7:30 p.m. | 78-66, California |
| No. 9 Nebraska vs. No. 8 Syracuse | 7:30 p.m. | 72-69, Syracuse |
Duke 54, Albany 52
The Blue Devils were in for a far greater test than they likely could have imagined in Friday's thriller versus Albany.
Thankfully for the Duke faithful, star guard Rebecca Greenwell came to play, scoring a game-high 20 points and knocking down six three-pointers to lead the fourth-seeded favorites to a win.
Greenwell knocked down the biggest shot of the game that proved to be the difference, per ESPN Stats & Info:
What really plagued Duke was an astonishing amount of turnovers. The Great Danes forced their heavily favored adversaries into 27 giveaways, which almost always results in a loss.
Part of the reason Albany didn't win was a failure to execute on offense, as it shot just 30.2 percent from the field.
Duke's Twitter account highlighted center Elizabeth Williams' brilliance, as she finished with nine rebounds and nine blocks:
Either Mississippi State or Tulane will take on Duke next. While Friday's close call has to be a bit discouraging for the Blue Devils, they can at least be consoled by the fact that they're moving on and are capable of playing far better as a unit.
With the dynamic between Williams on the inside and Greenwell on the perimeter, Duke is still a tough out despite a shaky 2015 NCAA tourney debut. If it can cut down on the tunrovers, this squad has the tools to make a deeper run.
Arkansas 57, Northwestern 55
Another tight contest played out between the Oklahoma City region's seventh and 10th seeds, but the underdog Razorbacks came out on top.
Northwestern had built a solid 13-point lead, only to watch it evaporate thanks to 19 turnovers and better poise under pressure from Arkansas towards the end.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette highlighted the strong push the Razorbacks made to finish, which may have had something to do with their strong postseason pedigree:
"NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL: Arkansas 57, Northwestern 55 | The Razorbacks finished the game on a 22-7 run after trailing by 13 points.
— WholeHogSports (@wholehogsports) March 20, 2015"
A much tougher test looms for Arkansas in the second round as it gears up to take on Baylor.
Although the Lady Bears no longer employ the services of Brittney Griner, they are still a formidable No. 2 seed and will do all they can to earn a regional final opportunity to face Notre Dame.
One positive from Friday's win is that the Razorbacks were balanced offensively, as four of five starters scored in double figures. The key is to be more efficient versus Baylor after shooting a meager 31.8 percent as a team in the opening round.
Dayton 78, Iowa State 66
Flyers forward Ally Malott gave the Cyclones fits in scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead Dayton to the second round.
Cox Media's John Cummings observed the milestone Malott reached in her accomplished career:
Guard Andrea Hoover played all 40 minutes for the victors and put up a game-high 20 points. Iowa State had trouble defending as the Flyers shot a strong 48.3 percent from the floor.
Kentucky had little trouble getting through the second round in its own right, though, so the Flyers will have to stage an extraordinary performance to keep going to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats' men's squad is in the midst of a potentially historic run through March Madness. That has to at least be some source of motivation for the ladies. Perhaps Dayton can draw on the school's recent Cinderella run the men experienced in 2014 for some similar fuel to add to the fire.
Miami 86, Washington 80
The most high-scoring contest in the initial wave of first-round games saw the Hurricanes seize a 41-33 advantage at the break and continue to pour it on the Huskies in the final 20 minutes.
Miami guard Adrienne Motley lit it up, netting 30 points to lead all scorers on 10-of-19 shooting.
Christy Chirinos of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel logged what Motley said afterwards, when she implied that she was in the proverbial zone:
When someone as talented as Motley gets hot, that's up 11th seeds are capable of advancing to the third round in the women's tournament.
Jessica Thomas and Michelle Woods chipped in 19 and 17 points of their own respectively. What helped Miami's winning cause most was its lead scoring trio's ability to get to the free-throw line, as the Hurricanes sank 25 of 40 attempts from the charity stripe, while Washington attempted only 19.
With how much Miami can score from the perimeter and get to the rim, there's reason to believe it can pull off another upset. Things won't get easier with a likely showdown against Iowa on tap, though.
Freshman forward Erykah Davenport is the Hurricanes' X-factor. She pulled down 14 rebounds and gives Miami a strong paint presence, which can help take this squad even further.
Baylor 77, Northwestern State 36
What a laugher. No really—the final score is just the beginning of the story about how lopsided this game was.
The Lady Bears imposed their will with numerous easy buckets. Let's let ESPN Stats & Info do the talking here:
Baylor's size advantage made this a ridiculous mismatch. It got to the point where the Lady Demons were chucking up desperation three-pointers because they couldn't manufacture anything in the paint.
The victors almost doubled Northwestern State's rebound total, holding a 53-26 edge in that category. Only Janelle Perez scored in double figures but was just 4-of-15 shooting as part of a Lady Demons offense that shot 23.7 percent from the floor.
After this breeze through the first round, things figure to remain rather easy for the Lady Bears when they take on Arkansas, a 10th seed who pulled off an upset over Northwestern.
Kentucky 97, Tennessee State 52
While the Kentucky men proceed on the course of a perfect season with a stupendous defense, it was the ladies' offense that pushed the Wildcats through their opener in the women's tournament.
Six players scored in double figures to help Kentucky advance, but the standout performer was guard Linnae Harper. She stuffed the stat sheet to say the least with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
UK Hoops alluded to how its explosive first half all but put an end to the game then and there:
Although the Wildcats can't be too pleased with turning the ball over 17 times, it was of little consequence, especially since they forced the Lady Tigers into 26 turnovers.
Next up for Kentucky is seventh-seeded Dayton. It seems like a game the Wildcats should be able to handle, but they must be more judicious with the basketball to avoid a potential upset.
The Flyers coughed up just seven turnovers in their victory over Iowa State. Kentucky won't be able to lean on its superior talent as much in that contest, though it should find a way to win with just a bit more attention to detail.
Mississippi State 57, Tulane 47
Kolby Morgan did her best to carry Tulane by scoring 17 points, but her best efforts weren't quite enough to upend a superior Bulldogs squad.
Forward Breanna Richardson devastated the Green Wave inside with 15 points and 12 boards to spark Mississippi State to the round of 32.
MSU W. Basketball brought forth a telling statistic in illustrating the points in the paint edge the Bulldogs enjoyed:
Part of that advantage was due to Morgan William's ability to get inside. The Bulldogs guard sank nine of 11 free throws among her 14 points.
Next up for Mississippi State is Duke, who struggled to get past Albany to start its tournament run. If the lower seed can play defense the way it did versus Tulane and keep Blue Devils star Rebecca Greenwell in check, there's a strong chance for the Bulldogs to move on to the next phase.
Iowa 75, American 67
In a game that was tied at 36 entering the halftime intermission, the Hawkeyes managed to emerge from the locker room reinvigorated to beat an upset-minded American outfit.
Eagles star Jen Dumiak led all scorers with 23 points and also had a game-high nine assists. Dumiak was the catalyst for just about all the offense American mustered, yet she couldn't quite will her side to a win.
Steve Batterson of the Quad-City Times made sure to call out Samantha Logic's stellar performance for Iowa:
Both teams played clean basketball and shot well, but Iowa had 18 free throws and made 16, while American sank seven of its eight attempts. This margin more than accounts for the amount the Hawkeyes won by, illustrating how evenly matched the game was.
Few 14th seeds in the women's game have any chance of claiming victory in the tournament. That's a stark contrast to the two such seeds that won in this year's men's edition of March Madness. American should therefore be proud of its effort, even though it fell short in the end.
On tap for the Hawkeyes are the Miami Hurricanes. Iowa may be susceptible to letting Hurricanes star Adrienne Motley's hot streak continue. Motley had 30 points in the upset win over Washington, and could put up similar numbers as Dumiak did.
South Carolina 81, Savannah State 48
Although Savannah State held its own in trailing at the half by just 13 points, it was no match for the Gamecocks' supreme scoring prowess.
The massive talent disparity was already working against the Lady Tigers. What didn't help was the fact that South Carolina shot an unconscious 64.2 percent from the floor.
Despite the seemingly inevitable outcome of a Gamecocks victory, the home crowd still turned out in considerable numbers, as the Greenville News' Willie Smith pointed out:
South Carolina needs all the support it can get in Columbia to spur the team on. The Gamecocks have bigger fish to fry than a 16th seed, hopefully setting up a rematch with UConn in the national title game.
Between now and then, there's plenty of basketball to be played. It restarts on Sunday when South Carolina plays again, likely to move through to the regional semifinals in similar fashion as it did on Friday.
Oregon State 74, South Dakota State 62
Yet another 14th seed had strong Cinderella aspirations when the Jackrabbits jumped out to a 34-32 lead in the first 20 minutes.
This didn't last. The Beavers outscored South Dakota State 19-6 at the free throw line and benefitted from Sydney Wiese's 23 points to stage a mini-comeback of sorts at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
Danny Moran of The Oregonian praised how Wiese led Oregon State through a period of adversity toward the beginning of the game:
Sometimes teams that are so heavily favored need an early wakeup call. Thankfully this one didn't cost the Beavers a saddening exit from the tournament.
The positive that ought to emerge from Friday's outcome is a refocused Oregon State squad keen to challenge the likes of Tennessee and Maryland for the Spokane regional crown.
Texas 66, Western Kentucky 64
The excitement that accompanied the initial Friday games was largely absent until the Longhorns were forced down to the wire and held on for a two-point win.
Lady Topper forwards Chastity Gooch and Alexis Govan combined for 45 points to keep the game tight throughout, but got little help otherwise. Had anyone else on Western Kentucky emerged as a true threat, Texas may have gone home earlier than expected.
Instead, coach Karen Aston's Longhorns managed to stave off severe disappointment.
Center Imani McGee-Stafford is largely to thank due to her 24 points and 15 rebounds, which afforded Texas the ability to make up for 19 turnovers to WKU's mere nine.
After the game, McGee-Stafford shared her feelings as the Lady Toppers kept hanging tough, via Chad Bishop of WBKO-TV:
California will probably prove to be an even tougher test in the next game. Texas will have to continue relying on McGee-Stafford to give the Longhorns an intimidating presence to take over the game close to the basket.
DePaul 79, Minnesota 72
Undaunted by a 41-30 halftime deficit, the Blue Demons stormed back with 49 second-half points to defeat Minnesota.
DePaul Athletics praised its squad's swarming defense that ultimately doomed the Golden Gophers:
Guard Megan Podkowa paced the Blue Demons with 23 points, as they overcame a poor 8-of-34 shooting from beyond the arc to will their way to the second round.
Amanda Zahui B. was extraordinary down low for Minnesota. She had 21 points and 22 rebounds, not to mention five assists and sank seven of eight free throws. It's a shame someone so uniquely talented won't be able to play more in the postseason.
But DePaul couldn't care less about that, because it now earns the right to move on and face Notre Dame. Odds of victory are long, yet it's nevertheless a great chance for the Blue Demons to showcase their program on the national stage.
Notre Dame 77, Montana 43
Notre Dame played the part of the top seed Friday and easily took care of business against Montana during its 77-43 victory.
The Fighting Irish got 18 points, four assists and three rebounds from Jewell Loyd and 12 points from Brianna Turner. As a team, Notre Dame drilled 62.3 percent of its shots and was never really challenged. It wasn't just the hot shooting, though, as the Fighting Irish dominated the boards with a 38-20 rebounding advantage.
Notre Dame will certainly have more difficult games in the immediate future in this tournament, but it appeared to be a strong Final Four contender during Friday's contest. If it continues to shoot a blistering pace from the field and control the boards, it will be nearly impossible to beat until the later rounds.
Gonzaga 82, George Washington 69
Gonzaga wasted little time putting George Washington away, even if the deficit was a closer-than-it-appeared 13 points.
The Bulldogs went on a 17-1 run in the first half to open up a 19-point deficit and then put it on cruise control the rest of the game. Four different players finished in double figures, including Sunny Greinacher and Keani Albanez, who both finished with 19 points apiece.
While George Washington actually held a 51-39 rebounding advantage, it only shot 29.3 percent from the field and struggled to crack the stifling Gonzaga defense. It was the perfect formula for an upset, and that's exactly what fans were treated to Friday.
California 78, Wichita State 66
Much like Gonzaga, California took control of Friday's game against Wichita State in the first half and then cruised to the victory after intermission.
The Golden Bears opened up a 10-point lead at the half and extended it to 12 by the end of the game behind Reshanda Gray's 22 points and nine rebounds. The Pac-12 Player of the Year was an overwhelming force for the overmatched Shockers, and she controlled the pace of the game and came through with the important plays when it mattered most.
Janie McCauley of The Associated Press passed along a telling quote from the game:
Now Gray will take her chances in the later rounds. Friday was a good sign of things to come for the Golden Bears.
Syracuse 72, Nebraska 69
Games between No. 8 and No. 9 seeds are always interesting, and the showdown between Syracuse and Nebraska lived up to the hype.
It was the No. 8 seed Orange that lived to fight another day thanks largely to the 17 points from Brianna Butler. She also put home the go-ahead basket with less than a minute remaining and was the best player on the floor in some of the critical moments.
Butler made the most important basket, but Alexis Peterson led the team in scoring with 24 points, including three important shots from beyond the three-point arc.
Nebraska will certainly be kicking itself after turning the ball over 19 times in such a close contest. If the Cornhuskers held onto the ball for even a couple of more possessions throughout the 40 minutes, they could have won the game without any late drama.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
