Ava Heiden scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 2 seed Iowa survive a strong upset bid from No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson for a 58-48 win in Sacramento Region 4 first-round NCAA Tournament action Saturday in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes (27-6) led by just two points entering the fourth quarter after they were outscored 16-15 over the middle two periods. Heiden accounted for half of the team’s scoring with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, all of which came in the final quarter.
Hannah Stuelke added 13 points and a career-high-tying 16 rebounds as Iowa overcame a 1-for-13 3-point performance by handily outrebounding the Knights 47-28 to win their seventh straight NCAA Tournament opener.
The Hawkeyes next host No. 10 seed Virginia on Monday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Fairleigh Dickinson’s only lead of the game came at 3-2, but the Knights (30-5) cut a 15-point first-quarter deficit to three points by the end of the first with a 12-0 run and trailed by one at halftime. Ava Renninger was the only Fairleigh Dickinson player in double figures with 13 points.
Bella Toomey tallied nine off the bench on a trio of treys, and Madlena Gerke and Kailee McDonald chipped in eight apiece as the Knights saw their 22-game winning streak come to an end.
No. 1 South Carolina 103, No. 16 Southern 34
Joyce Edwards scored 27 points to lead five Gamecocks players in double figures in a first-round romp over the Jaguars in Columbia, S.C.
Regional top seed South Carolina (32-3) will meet Southern Cal on Monday. Ta’Niya Latson had 17 points, Madina Okat and Agot Makeer both scored 15 and Tessa Johnson had 14 for the Gamecocks, who made 54.7% of their shots from the field.
Joceyln Tate had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Southern (20-14), which shot just 18.5% from the field and committed 20 turnovers. The Jaguars knocked off Samford on the same court two days earlier in the First Four, but they were no match for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks led 23-6 early in the second quarter and outscored Southern 32-2 in the third quarter.
Johnson, who also pulled in 10 rebounds, connected on four of South Carolina’s eight 3-point baskets, matching Southern’s 3-point total. Alicia Tournebize had 11 rebounds for South Carolina, which built a 57-33 rebounding edge.
No. 10 Virginia 82, No. 7 Georgia 73 (OT)
Kymora Johnson poured in 28 points and Sa’Myah Smith racked up 23 as the Cavaliers dominated overtime in a first-round victory in Iowa City, Iowa.
Romi Levy provided 14 points for No. 10 seed Virginia (21-11), which takes on the Fairleigh Dickinson-Iowa winner on Monday. The Cavaliers outscored Georgia 11-2 in the extra period.
Mia Woolfolk, a Virginia native, posted 27 points and Rylie Theuerkauf, aided by five 3-point baskets, compiled 22 points for seventh-seeded Georgia (22-10). Savannah Henderson had 11 points, but the Bulldogs shot 7 of 24 on 3-pointers.
With the score tied at 71-all, Georgia got off two shots in the final seconds of regulation but didn’t connect.
Georgia wasn’t able to take full advantage of a huge edge in free-throw opportunities, going 22 of 35 at the line. Virginia was just 12 of 15, with six of those attempts coming in the final two minutes of overtime.
No. 9 USC 71, No. 8 Clemson 67 (OT)
Jazzy Davidson scored six of her game-high 31 points in overtime as the Trojans outlasted the Tigers in a first-round matchup in Columbia, S.C.
After Clemson (21-12) took a three-point lead in overtime, Davidson drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to put USC (18-13) ahead to stay. Kara Dunn scored 22, including four 3-pointers, and Kennedy Smith added 12 points and six rebounds for the Trojans.
Taylor Johnson-Matthews scored a team-high 16 for Clemson, which forced the extra session on two Mia Moore free throws with 50 seconds left. Moore finished with nine points, six rebounds and six assists, while Raven Thompson posted an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. Morgan Lee chipped in 12 points off the bench.
The Trojans shot 45% (27 of 60) from the field while holding the Tigers to just 37.3% (22 of 59). Clemson won the rebound battle 37-33, but USC held a 32-26 edge in points in the paint.
–Field Level Media
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