Round 1 Recaps - Friday, March 17

VILLANOVA 59, PRINCETON 53

PRINCETON, NJ – Kelly Jekot hit a 3-pointer for Villanova with 30 seconds to go, one of very few made attempts from long range for the Wildcats, and Villanova held on to top Princeton.

Villanova (17-14) will play at Drexel on Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. ET.

Vanessa Smith hit two free throws for Princeton with 1:42 remaining, cutting Villanova’s lead to 55-53. The Tigers (16-14) fouled twice trying to get a steal, and Jekot hit the shot that sealed the win. Overall, Villanova was just 6-of-30 from 3-point range.

Alex Louin had 18 points for the Wildcats; Jekot and Adrianna Hahn each had 12 points. Princeton had a rebounding edge of 48-33 but suffered 19 turnovers.

Leslie Robinson had 14 points for Princeton, and Vanessa Smith added 11 points.

HARVARD 69, NEW HAMPSHIRE 56

DURHAM, NH – Destiny Nunley went 9-for-10 from the field for 19 points, and teammate Katie Benzan scored 15 points and added six rebounds and five assists for Harvard (21-8).

The Crimson will play at St. John’s in Round 2; tipoff is slated for Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. ET.

Harvard shot 52 percent from the field and had 24 assists; Taylor Rooks added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Brittni Lai rang up 17 points for New Hampshire (26-6), which finished just 2-for-12 from 3-point range.

ST. JOHN’S 72, SACRED HEART 43

NEW YORK, NY – St. John’s turned a small halftime lead into a 22-point advantage after three quarters, and both Jade Walker and Akina Wellere closed with 18 points for the Red Storm.

St. John’s (21-11) will host Harvard in Round 2; tipoff is 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 19.

Walker also had nine rebounds; Sacred Heart (17-15) was just 1-for-22 from 3-point range and was led by Hannah Kimmel’s 13 points and 14 rebounds.

PENN STATE 74, OHIO 65

STATE COLLEGE, PA – Sierra Moore scored 20 points and added six rebounds for Penn State, and Amari Carter added 12 points.

The Nittany Lions (20-10) will face Fordham at home in Round 2, at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 19. Teniya Page added 11 points and nine rebounds, and Siyeh Frazier closed with 10 points.

Quiera Lampkins had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Ohio (22-10), and Taylor Agler added 18 points. Ohio made it interesting late by scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter.

FORDHAM 60, GEORGETOWN 49

WASHINGTON, DC – Georgetown held Fordham to 14 first-half points, but the Rams blitzed back to score 27 points in the third quarter and stifled the Hoyas in the final moments to post the road victory.

The Rams (22-11) move to Round 2 and will play at Penn State at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 19.

Fordham got two huge efforts, with Mary Goulding totaling 17 points and eight rebounds and G’Mrice Davis coming through with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

The Hoyas (17-13) got 17 points and eight rebounds from both Dionna White and Dorothy Adomako; the team was just 2-of-17 from3-point range.

NAVY 61, GEORGE WASHINGTON 51 (OT)

WASHINGTON, DC – Navy had the best shooting touch in the extra session, with Sarita Condie closing with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Navy (24-9) will play its Round 2 game at Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 19. Taylor Dunham added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the winners.

George Washington (20-10) had a 56-46 rebounding advantage and got 13 points and 13 rebounds form Caira Washington. Brianna Cummings added 10 points and seven rebounds.

VIRGINIA TECH 76, RIDER 62

BLACKSBURG, VA – Virginia Tech raced to a 26-point lead by halftime and enjoyed big nights from Regan Magarity and Chantette Hicks, who had 25 points and 21 points, respectively.

The Hokies (18-13) will host Navy in Round 2, with tip set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 19.

Magarity added 12 rebounds; teammate Samantha Hill scored 19 points. The Hokies had 22 turnovers but forced 18 turnovers as well; they also had a 47-31 edge in rebounding.

Rider (24-9) had four players hit double figures – Kamila Hoskova (18), Lexi Posset and Stella Johnson (13 each) and Julia Duggan (12).


DREXEL 70, DUQUESNE 47

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Drexel outscored Duquesne by 16 points in the third quarter to take control; Sarah Curran closed with 24 points and seven rebounds for the victors.

Drexel (22-10) will host Villanova in Round 2, with tip set for 2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 19.

Meghan Creighton added 16 points and six rebounds for the Dragons; Kelsi Lidge finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Duquesne (18-16) was paced by Chassidy Omogrosso, who had 18 points and played all 40 minutes.

JAMES MADISON 80, RADFORD 59

HARRISONBURG, VA – James Madison build a 26-point lead through three quarters and cruised to the finish, as Precious Hall finished with 23 points.

The Dukes (25-8) will host Virginia in Round 2; tipoff is 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 19.

Three other players for James Madison – Tasia Butler, Amber Porter and Savannah Felgemacher – scored 11 points apiece. Felgemacher also had 14 rebounds.

Radford (24-9) got 20 points and eight rebounds from Destinee Walker and 123 points from Jayda Worthy. The Highlanders also had 17 turnovers.

VIRGINIA 62, SAINT JOSEPH’S 56

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Jocelyn Willoughby had 25 points and seven rebounds for Virginia. And J’Kyra Brown chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds for the road winners.

Virginia (20-12) will play Round 2 on Sunday, March 19, traveling to James Madison for a 2 p.m. ET tip. Breyana Mason added 10 points for the Cavaliers.

Saint Joseph’s (17-15) got 15 points and seven rebounds from Sarah Veilleux, and Chelsea Woods added 12 points. The team ended up with 18 turnovers.

SMU 75, LOUISIANA TECH 70 (OT)

DALLAS, TX – SMU dug out of a seven-point hole in the fourth quarter to force overtime and shut Louisiana Tech down in the final minutes of the extra session.

The Mustangs (18-14) will host Abilene Christian in Round 2; tipoff is Monday, March 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

McKenzie Adams hit a jumper to put SMU ahead, 68-65, with 1:47 to go in overtime. Reauna Cleaver hit a free throw for Louisiana Tech (18-14), but Dai’ja Thomas’ layup at :49 rebuilt the lead. Louisiana Tech’s Kierra hit a free throw to make it 72-68, but the Mustangs hit their late free throws to ice the game.

Alicia Frohling had 28 points and 13 rebounds for SMU, and Adams added 16 points.

The Lady Techsters had a 63-62 lead with 57 seconds left in regulation after a free throw by Cleaver. Frohling made one free throw with 13 seconds left to tie it, and Anthony missed a shot with 4 seconds to go.

Anthony closed with 21 points for Louisiana Tech, and Rochelle Vasquez added 15 points.

UC DAVIS 72, UTAH 62

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – UC Davis took advantage of a cold shooting night by Utah, opening up a 12-point lead after one quarter and never looking back.

The Aggies (24-7) will play Round 2 at Colorado State, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 19.

Morgan Bertsch scored 23 points and added seven rebounds for UC Davis; Rachel Nagel closed with 17 points, and the aggies defense muscled up for 12 blocked shots.

Utah (16-15) got 19 points and six rebounds from Tanaeya Boclair; Malia Nawahine added 15 points. The Utes were just 4-of-21 from 3-point range and 8-of-16 from the free throw line.