Despite limited minutes by Hannah Stuelke, Iowa had no issues defeating the Crusaders Saturday. Here’s what else happened on the second day of the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament.
The first round of the 2024 women’s NCAA tournament is wrapping up Saturday.
Top-seeded Iowa rolled into the second round as Caitlin Clark scored 27 points. No. 1 seed USC handled business as JuJu Watkins scored 23 points leading the Trojans to a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Catch the final action of the night on ESPN networks and the ESPN App.
We’re breaking down every game as the field is cut in half, and 32 teams are eliminated. And be sure to check out everything we learned Friday on Day 1.
Is there a concern about Hannah Stuelke not playing in the second half for Iowa? The Hawkeyes’ starting forward played just over 10 minutes in the first half and didn’t score. She didn’t play in the second half. Stuelke said she was dealing with a migraine and tried to play through it, but just didn’t feel well. She said she expects to be fine for Monday’s second-round game. Stuelke is Iowa’s second-leading scorer (14.6 PPG) and rebounder (6.8 RPG) this season. But the Hawkeyes didn’t have any issues defeating the Crusaders without her, as Clark led the way with 27 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. And reserve post player Addison O’Grady had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, plus five rebounds. « She came off the bench and did some nice things for us, » coach Lisa Bluder said of O’Grady.
What it means for Iowa: The Hawkeyes are now 30-4 and did a pretty good job dealing with Holy Cross’ attempts to frustrate them defensively. The Crusaders packed in the paint, so Iowa made 10 3-pointers. And the Hawkeyes won the rebounding battle 50-37.
What it means for Holy Cross: The Crusaders, 21-13, finished their season as Patriot League regular-season and tournament champions. They also got a First Four victory in the NCAA tournament, beating UT Martin. — Michael Voepel
JuJu Watkins gets it done on the defensive end after she swats away the layup attempt.
Is McKenzie Forbes USC’s new go-to player? Of course, this question is mostly tongue-in-cheek. JuJu Watkins remains as « go-to » as any player in the country this side of Caitlin Clark. But Forbes’ play of late is worth examining. If she continues to play this well, the Trojans will have a significantly improved shot at winning the national title. Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, her 23 points (9-of-14 shooting in 29 minutes) tied her with Watkins for the team-high mark. And Forbes is coming off a 26-point performance in the Pac-12 tournament championship game and 17 points against UCLA in the semifinals.
What it means for USC: The Trojans made sure there was no stress in their first-round game after a 21-4 first quarter. But taking the court as a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1986 is a big deal for a program that, because of Watkins, will be part of the national conversation for years to come.
What it means for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: To call themselves Southland Conference tournament champs and NCAA tournament participants for the first time makes this the best season in Islanders’ program history. –Charlie Creme
Hannah Hidalgo makes a magnificent bounce pass to Sonia Citron, who lays in the rock for two.
How far can Notre Dame’s Big Three take the Irish? With just six healthy scholarship players, Notre Dame must rely heavily on Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld. In the ACC tournament championship game, it was Hidalgo and Westbeld that carried Notre Dame to the title. Today, it was almost exclusively Citron who pushed the Irish to the second round. Her 29 points allowed the Irish to beat the Golden Flashes despite Hidalgo and Westbeld shooting a combined 9-of-27 from the field. Notre Dame got out ahead early and was never really threatened by Kent State, but for the team to make a deep run, every member of the big three will have to deliver.
What it means for Notre Dame: This was the art of shutting down a potential upset early. Notre Dame scored 18 straight points in the first quarter and never looked back. Even though Kent State outscored the Irish in the second half, the outcome of the game was never in jeopardy. Despite Citron, Hidalgo and Westbeld all still playing to the final buzzer because Niele Ivey simply has no other options, the minutes weren’t intense, so Notre Dame should be rested enough for the second round.
What it means for Kent State: The Golden Flashes finished third in the MAC and made their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2002. This was a successful season by any measure. — Charlie Creme
Paige Bueckers puts up 28 points and 11 boards to power UConn to a win in her return to the women’s NCAA tournament.
How did the shorthanded Huskies fare in their NCAA tournament opener? Jackson State went 10 deep and played a 6-foot-6 post in Angel Jackson, but the Huskies — who are down to eight active players (two posts) with six out for the year because of injury — rolled early in Saturday’s opener. UConn used a 17-0 first-quarter run to build its advantage and held a comfortable lead for the last 25 minutes of the game. Against a defensive-minded squad, the Huskies were impressive offensively, besting the Lady Tigers in the paint and from the 3-point arc as redshirt junior Paige Bueckers, senior Aaliyah Edwards and freshman Ashlynn Shade each hit the 20-point mark, and the team shot 50% as a whole.
Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.
• 2025 NFL free agents: Stars on the move? »
• NCAA men’s coaching carousel is turning »
• Record pace scoring in Premier League »
More ESPN+ content »
Coach Geno Auriemma played four players for 34 or more minutes despite his squad being comfortably ahead for most of the game. UConn would benefit from having Qadence Samuels able to play more minutes (she played just seven Saturday) as the tournament goes on.
What it means for UConn: Lots of positives all the way around. Bueckers shined in her first NCAA tournament game since April 2022, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers. Shade’s big game (her 26 points were the most by a UConn player in their NCAA tournament debut) has to give Auriemma, who turned 70 on Saturday, confidence moving forward with his younger squad. He’ll need Shade’s classmates KK Arnold, Ice Brady and Samuels to continue to gain confidence as the Huskies look ahead to Monday and whatever lies beyond.
What it means for Jackson State: Returning to the NCAA tournament was a goal for the Lady Tigers after missing out last season with their SWAC tournament loss to Southern — and they achieved that while compiling a 21-game winning streak along the way. She has a senior-heavy squad, but coach Tomekia Reed has shown she knows what it takes to win, and that her teams will never back down from the challenge of playing more highly ranked programs. — Alexa Philippou
Watch the Game Highlights from NC State Wolfpack vs. Chattanooga Mocs
What has happened to NC State’s offense? Scoring has become hard to come by in Raleigh as of late. The Wolfpack have hit the 70-point mark just twice in their past seven games. A 33.3% shooting day against the Mocs didn’t ease any concerns. Aziaha James paced the way with 19 points today and did make 5 of 10 3-pointers, but consistency behind her has been missing. Saniya Rivers failed to reach double figures in any ACC tournament game and despite 16 points against Chattanooga, she was only 4-of-11 from the field and had just one assist. With a Tennessee team up next that scored 92 points earlier in the day, the Wolfpack may need to regain their earlier-season form when they scored 92 against UConn and 78 against Colorado, quickly.
What it means for NC State: The term « Survive and Advance » was born in Raleigh, and that is exactly what the Wolfpack did against Chattanooga. In NCAA tournament play that is enough. After losing in the first round a year ago, this should feel good. These games are tough for coaches meeting their former programs, like Wes Moore was. He coached at Chattanooga from 1998 to 2013, getting the Mocs to nine NCAA tournaments.
What it means for Chattanooga: NC State did shut down the Mocs’ best player, Jada Guinn, holding her to 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
