Follow along as we track all 16 games on the opening day of the women’s NCAA tournament.
March Madness is here. Day 1 of the women’s NCAA tournament has tipped off with 16 games on opening day. And we’re tracking all the action across all corners of the bracket.
Buckle up. We’re in for 12 hours of women’s hoops. So keep refreshing the scoreboards, check your Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket and consider this your destination to track all the highlights and results, along with analysis, reaction and on-site reporting from ESPN.
Jump to: Live updates | Full results and analysis
Friday’s schedule (all tips ET):
(9) Georgia Tech vs. (8) Richmond, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNEWS)
(12) South Florida vs. (5) Tennessee, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
(15) Lehigh vs. (2) Duke, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
(16) Southern vs. (1) UCLA, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Final: Baylor 73, Grand Canyon 60
How did Baylor hold off Grand Canyon? The Western Athletic Conference champion Lopes came into their first NCAA tournament game on a 30-game winning streak and gave the Bears all they could handle before Baylor was able to pull away in the fourth quarter. Credit the Bears’ defense — the Lopes scored just 3 points in the final five minutes — and center Aaronette Vonleh. A transfer who helped Colorado reach the Sweet 16 the past two seasons, Vonleh led Baylor with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while guard Jada Walker had 17 points and 4 assists. Baylor guard/forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who was averaging 14.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG when she went out on Feb. 15 with a knee injury, returned to action Friday and had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.
What it means for Baylor: The Bears made the Sweet 16 last season, falling in that round to No. 1 seed USC. Baylor is now 28-7, and having Littlepage-Buggs back is sure to make the Bears more confident for the second round.
What’s next for Grand Canyon? It’s no secret that Lopes coach Molly Miller is considered a strong prospect for an open major-conference job because of the success she has had, first at Division II Drury and for the past five years at Grand Canyon, where she has produced four 20-win seasons. Her 32-3 record this season improved her résumé even more, so we’ll see if she’s staying put or ready to move on. — Michael Voepel
Final: South Carolina 108, Tennessee Tech 48
How did South Carolina roll to its first-round win? The Gamecocks’ win in the first round in Columbia was their most impressive NCAA tournament performance in program history: 108 points, 43 field goals, 12 3-pointers, 63.2% shooting on 3-pointers, a 60-point margin — all of which were program records. Their 66 bench points were the most in NCAA tournament history for any team. South Carolina scored more points in the paint (58) than the Eagles totaled. The Gamecocks also outrebounded Tennessee Tech 47-15 and outscored the Eagles in transition 32-4. As a No. 1 seed, they have now outscored their first-round opponents by an average margin of more than 40 points per game. South Carolina led the country in bench points this season (41.5 per game) and that depth keyed an early run Friday to put the game away. Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley scored all the points in a 21-4 first quarter that put the score out of reach nine minutes into the game. All 12 Gamecocks who played scored. Edwards led the way with 22, Fulwiley scored 15 and had five assists while Johnson had 11 points and six assists.
What it means for South Carolina: The 12 days off since the SEC tournament title win didn’t slow down a South Carolina team that appears to be playing its best basketball of the season. Since their 29-point home loss to UConn on Feb. 16, the Gamecocks have outscored opponents by an average of 26.8 points. That time frame includes wins over Texas, LSU, Oklahoma and Kentucky, which are all top-four seeds in this NCAA tournament. Up next: Indiana, the same team South Carolina met in the Sweet 16 a year ago. The Hoosiers were a second-half team in their win over Utah and did the same against the Gamecocks last March, outscoring South Carolina 43-30 after halftime and nearly coming back before falling 79-75. — Charlie Creme
Final: TCU 73, FDU 51
How did TCU pull away? TCU didn’t shoot well in the first half — particularly in the first quarter when the Horned Frogs shot only 35.
