by SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 17: Grace Stone #10 of the Princeton Tigers celebrates with Madison St. … [+]
The sixteen teams advanced on Friday after first-round victories of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The first round has been far from chalk so far, or a guarantee that the higher seed would advance. Check out the first round scores, the biggest storylines and the upcoming schedule for the women’s series.
Princeton stuns NC State
The biggest upset of the first part of the opening round came in the form of Princeton’s 64-63 victory over NC State. Senior guard Grace Stone knocked down the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“We play in tight games all year and that’s a game we practice over and over again. That’s a picture I took earlier in a match,” Stone said with a slight laugh at the post-match press conference. “I think my teammates have all the confidence in me in the world and I knew if I missed that shot they would get an offensive rebound.”
No plates needed, as Stone drained the three to finish her night with 22 points, tied with Kaitlyn Chen for the team lead. Princeton had a one-point lead after the first quarter, but took the second and had a 41–35 lead going into halftime.
The Wolfpack, who advanced to the Elite Eight last season, entered the NCAA Tournament as seven seed, their lowest since the 2016-17 season. NC State had 20 turnovers in the game and only four offensive rebounds in the game.
“Our kids, I thought, were playing hard. They fought and I have to do better, to be honest, down the stretch and make better decisions to put us in a better position to finish that game,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said after the game .
The Princeton Tigers take on Sunday in Utah at 7 p.m. ET.
Show some respect for the state of Norfolk
Reining NCAA champion South Carolina was one of three one-seeds to advance, alongside Virginia Tech and Stanford. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley gave high praise to the opponents and the only Historically Black College of University (HBCU) team in the tournament.
“I’m going to say it today so we can get ready for next year,” Staley said onstage at her post-game press conference, “Norfolk State isn’t a 16 seed. I just want you to know they aren’t,” said Staley.The basketball legend too visited the locker room of the NSU to lift sophomore Kierra Wheeler. Wheeler and NSU held Aaliyah Boston to seven points and nine rebounds.
The Gamecocks play South Florida (8) on Sunday, which advanced after a 67-65 victory over Marquette (9).
The Clark Show
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 04: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates progress to the … [+]
Iowa (2) defeated Southeast Louisiana (15) 95-43 in the first round. Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist Caitlin Clark finished the game with 26 points, 12 assists and three rebounds short of a triple-double in the first three quarters of the game. ESPN Women’s Basketball Report Alexa Phillipou reported Clark is the first player to accumulate 20+ points and 10+ assists in the NCAA Tournament in 23 years.
A total of 16 teams advanced to the second round on Friday, here’s a list of all the scores:
South Carolina (1) over Norfolk State – Final Score: 72-40
South Florida (8) over Marquette (9) – Final Score: 67-65
Virginia Tech (1) over Chattanooga (16) – Final Score: 58-33
South Dakota State (9) over Southern California (8) – Final Score: 62-57
Notre Dame (3) over Southern Utah (14) – Final Score: 82-56
Stanford (1) over Sacred Heart (16) – Final Score: 92-49
Ole Miss (8) over Gonzaga (9) – Final Score: 71-48
Georgia (10) v Florida State (7) – Final Score: 66-54
Iowa (1) over Southeastern Louisiana (16) – Final Score: 94-43
Michigan (6) over UNLV (11) – Final Score: 71-59
LSU (3) over Hawaii (14) – Final Score: 73-50
Mississippi State (11) over Creighton (6) – Final Score: 81-66
Arizona (7) over West Virginia (10) – Final Score: 75-62
Maryland (2) over Holy Cross (15) – Final Score: 93-61
Princeton (10) over NC State (7) – Final Score: 64-63
Utah (2) over Gardner-Webb (15) – Final Score: 103-77
