NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2019: Friday Scores, Subregionals Bracket
March 22, 2019
The NCAA women's basketball tournament kicked off Friday with a number of intriguing teams in action, including top seeds Louisville and Mississippi State and perennial powerhouse and No. 2-seeded UConn.
Below, we'll break down the day's results.
Friday Matchups and Scores
No. 1 Louisville def. No. 16 Robert Morris 69-34
No. 4 South Carolina def. No. 13 Belmont 74-52
No. 2 Iowa def. No. 15 Mercer 66-61
No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 12 Rice 58-54
No. 8 Michigan def. No. 9 Kansas State 84-54
No. 5 Florida State def. No. 12 Bucknell 70-67
No. 10 Buffalo def. No. 7 Rutgers 82-71
No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 13 Wright State 84-61
No. 7 Missouri def. No. 10 Drake 77-76
No. 2 UConn def. No. 15 Towson 110-61
No. 5 Arizona State def. No. 12 UCF 60-45
No. 10 Indiana def. No. 7 Texas 69-65
No. 9 Clemson def. No. 8 South Dakota 79-66
No. 1 Mississippi State def. No. 16 Southern 103-46
No. 2 Oregon def. No. 15 Portland State 78-40
No. 4 Miami def. No. 13 Florida Gulf Coast 69-62
Bracket
For the women's bracket, be sure to check out NCAA.com.
Miami def. Florida Gulf Coast 69-62
An 11-0 run in the fourth quarter pushed the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes into the second round over the No. 13 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
The Hurricanes held a 12-point advantage at halftime, but Florida Gulf Coast fought back to end the third quarter in a 48-48 tie.
Eagles guard Keri Jewett-Giles led all scorers with 24 points. However, the game's most valuable player was Miami forward Beatrice Mompremier, who put up 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Miami will play No. 5 Arizona State in the second round Sunday.
Oregon def. Portland State 78-40
The No. Oregon Ducks were all over the ball Friday night, out-rebounding Portland State 50-23.
And when they had the ball, they were putting it in the net (46 percent shooting from the field). With 8:27 left in the third quarter, Oregon reminded everyone of its dominance when Sabrina Ionescu nailed a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired:
Dagger.
Oregon forward Ruthy Hebard led all scorers with 22 points.
The Ducks will play No. 10 Indiana in the second round on Sunday.
Mississippi State def. Southern 103-46
The No. 16 Southern Lady Jaguars were no match for the tournament's top overall seed, which not only scored 100-plus points but also secured 51 rebounds.
No Southern player scored in double digits, while the Bulldogs had five players with at least 10 points. Mississippi State forward Anriel Howard had a game-high 23 points. Center Teaira McCowan finished with 22.
Next for Mississippi State is No. 9 Clemson in the second round Sunday.
Clemson def. South Dakota 79-66
Propelled by senior guard Danielle Edwards' four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, the No. 9 Clemson Tigers pulled away from the No. 8 South Dakota Coyotes.
Edwards made five of nine shots from behind the arc and finished with 25 points. Clemson graduate guard Simone Westbrook led all scorers with 27 points.
Next up for the Tigers will be the daunting task of unseating No. 1 Mississippi State in the second round Sunday.
Indiana def. Texas 69-65
The first two quarters ended with the No. 7 Texas Longhorns in the lead, and it was 37-29 at halftime. But the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers held the lead at the end of the only quarter that mattered.
With just under two minutes to go, guard Jaelynn Penn sunk a three to give Indiana a 67-63 lead. Penn was on fire all game long and finished with a game-high 24 points.
Indiana secured just its third NCAA tournament win in program history and will now go for its second consecutive upset over the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in the second round Sunday.
Arizona State def. UCF 60-45
Led by Courtney Ekmark's 20 points and seven rebounds, Arizona State led off its tournament with a 60-45 win over UCF.
The Sun Devils shot well from three (6-of-13, 46.2 percent) and dominated on the boards, 42-27. Kay Kay Wright (18 points, two steals) did all she could to lead UCF to the upset, but none of her teammates scored in double-digits.
Arizona State now awaits the winner of Miami vs. Florida Golf Coast.
UConn def. Towson 110-61
Was there ever any doubt?
UConn raced out to a 31-7 lead after the first quarter and it was smooth sailing from there, as the Huskies did what they do, dominating Towson 110-61.
All five Huskies starters scored in double-digit figures, led by Napheesa Collier's 23 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.
Up next for UConn is Buffalo.
Missouri def. Drake 77-76
In the game of the day—and the second contest to go to overtime—Missouri survived against Drake 77-76.
Cierra Porter led the Tigers with 18 points and three blocks, while Sophie Cunningham added 21 points. Becca Hittner posted 19 points, nine boards and four assists for Drake.
The game literally came down to the wire, with Jordan Roundtree hitting the game-winning free throw with just one second on the clock. Hittner's three-pointer at the buzzer didn't connect, and Missouri moved on.
Up next for the Tigers is a date with Iowa.
Texas A&M def. Wright State 84-61
Chennedy Carter and Angel Baker had themselves quite the showdown, but Carter and Texas A&M won the battle and the war.
Carter went for 27 points and seven rebounds, as Texas A&M stomped Wright State. Baker did all she could off the bench, putting up 23, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the more talented Aggies.
Up next for Texas A&M is a matchup against Marquette.
Buffalo def. Rutgers 82-71
It may be March, but it was Summer for Buffalo on Friday.
Summer Hemphill, that is. The forward led Buffalo to a first-round win over Rutgers with 23 points and seven boards, while Cierra Dillard did a little bit of everything, posting 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals.
That spoiled a 20-point effort from Rutgers' Stasha Carey.
Up next for Buffalo is UConn. Good luck, Buffalo.
Florida State def. Bucknell 70-67
In a day of close calls for higher seeds, Florida State was yet another favorite to squeak by.
Led by Kiah Gillespie's 17 points and 11 rebounds, the Seminoles held off Bucknell. Nicki Ekhomu, Nausia Woolfork and Valencia Myers chipped in with 15 points apiece, while Kate Walker led the way for Bucknell with 18 points.
Up next for Florida State is South Carolina.
Michigan def. Kansas State 84-54
There are convincing victories, and then there was Michigan's win over Kansas State on Friday.
The Wolverines outscored the Wildcats by at least seven points in every quarter, got 38 points from their bench alone, shot 55.6 percent from the field as a team and out-rebounded Kansas State, 51-19, which included 17 offensive boards.
Calling this win dominant would be an understatement. Up next for the impressive Wolverines is a date with No. 1 seed Louisville.
Marquette def. Rice 58-54
It took overtime, but Marquette held off Rice's upset bid and is advancing in the NCAA women's tournament.
Marquette's defense came up big in the extra session, holding Rice to just two points, while Natisha Hiedeman led the way for the Golden Eagles with 13 points. Rice's Erica Ogwumike did everything she could to knock off Marquette, scoring 22 points, but it wasn't enough to get past the Golden Eagles.
Up next for Marquette is Texas A&M.
Iowa def. Mercer 66-61
Iowa barely survived Mercer on Friday, and they have Megan Gustafson to thank for the win.
The star senior had a monster performance, scoring 30 points and adding 16 boards, and every single point and rebound was needed against a Mercer side that gave Iowa all it could handle. The Bears will lament their struggles from the field (35 percent shooting) and from three (5-of-21, 23.8 percent).
Up next for the Hawkeyes is a matchup with Missouri.
South Carolina def. Belmont 74-52
South Carolina's talent advantage was on full display against Belmont on Friday.
The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Bruins, 38-22. They held Belmont to just 34.6 percent shooting from the field. They forced 17 turnovers and blocked six shots. Four players finished with double-digit points, led by Te'a Cooper's 13 points.
Up next for the Gamecocks is a matchup with Florida State.
Louisville def. Robert Morris 69-34
The Cardinals didn't have to break much of a sweat in their first game of the NCAA tournament.
Louisville raced out to a 21-4 lead by the end of the first quarter and didn't look back, blowing out Robert Morris 69-34. Asia Durr and Sam Fuehring led the charge for the Cardinals, scoring 19 points apiece.
Louisville will next face Michigan.