Jacy Sheldon scored 19 points as No. 2 Ohio State raced away from No. 15 Maine 80-57 in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
Cotie McMahon scored 13 points, while Taylor Thierry and Celeste Taylor each added 12 apiece for the host Buckeyes (26-5). Taylor also had team-highs in assists (5), rebounds (6) and steals (6).
Anne Simon poured in 25 points for Maine (24-10), which was playing in the tournament for the first time in five years.
After a tight first quarter, the Buckeyes pulled away in the second with a 21-8 run, taking a 19-point advantage into the break. Ohio State would eventually go on to lead by 27 points.
No. 7 Duke 72, No. 10 Richmond 61
Reigan Richardson scored 25 points to help the Blue Devils beat the Spiders in first-round action in Columbus.
Richardson shot 10-of-18 from the floor and also had seven rebounds for Duke (21-11), which will face Ohio State on Sunday. Ashlon Jackson added 14 points for the Blue Devils, while Kennedy Brown chipped in 10 points and five assists.
Richmond (29-6), the champs of the Atlantic 10, were led by 18 points from Grace Townsend and 17 points from Addie Budnik. Maggie Doogan scored 15 and pulled down seven rebounds.
Duke trailed by nine points at halftime, but then opened the third frame with an 18-4 run to take a five-point advantage. Richardson had five points and three rebounds during that crucial stretch.
Key for Duke was its dominance on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 40-22.
No. 4 Virginia Tech 92, No. 13 Marshall 49
No Elizabeth Kitley? No problem. Matilda Ekh scored 21 points to help the host Hokies beat the Thundering Herd in Blacksburg, Va.
Playing without Kitley — the three-time ACC Player of the Year, who has been ruled out for the tournament with a torn ACL — Virginia Tech (25-7) leaned on Ekh along with freshmen Clara Strack and Carleigh Wenzel, who scored 17 and 13 points, respectively. Cayla King added 10 points while Olivia Summiel grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds. Georgia Amoore scored nine points in limited minutes due to foul trouble.
Marshall (26-7) was led by Abby Beeman’s 12 points and four assists.
The Hokies never trailed and led by as many as 47 points. Virginia Tech had 23 assists on 28 made baskets and shot 53.8 percent from the floor.
No. 5 Baylor 80, No. 12 Vanderbilt 63
Bella Fontleroy collected 19 points and 11 rebounds to help the Bears beat the Commodores in Blacksburg, Va.
Baylor (25-7) advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where it will face Virginia Tech on the Hokies’ home floor Sunday.
Sarah Andrews had 13 points and five assists, and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs chipped in 11 points for the Bears.
Vanderbilt (23-10) was powered by Iyana Moore’s 15 points, while Jordyn Cambridge had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Baylor never trailed again after closing the first frame on a 24-10 run. The Bears made 9-of-21 3-pointers in the game while holding Vanderbilt to just three makes from deep.
–Field Level Media
