2022 NCAA Women's Tournament Top Moments: Belmont upsets Oregon
The second day of the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament was one for the books.
After an action-packed schedule on Day 1, the final day of the first round tipped off Saturday with No. 9 Kansas State taking down No. 8 Washington State, followed by No. 6 BYU falling to No. 11 Villanova, No. 6 Ohio State narrowly escaping No. 11 Missouri State and No. 11 Princeton knocking off No. 6 Kentucky.
Elsewhere, No. 12 Belmont stunned fifth-seeded Oregon in double overtime to advance to the second round.
Here are the top moments from the Round of 64 games that concluded on Saturday.
No. 4 Arizona 72, No. 13 UNLV 67
The Lady Rebels came out strong against the Wildcats, whose first lead of the game didn't come until the final seconds of the first half. Arizona held a 31-29 lead at the break.
In the end, UNLV was outmatched, and Arizona came away with the W to close out Saturday's slate.
No. 4 Oklahoma 78, No. 13 IUPUI 72
Oklahoma's Skylar Vann made a layup with one second to spare in the opening frame to give the Sooners a one-point edge headed into the second.
On the other side, IUPUI's Rachel Kent drained a 3-point jumper to keep Oklahoma within arm's reach ahead of the second half.
IUPUI wasn't going down without a fight. The Jaguars gave the Sooners a run for their money, but they came up just short in the end.
No. 5 UNC 79, No. 12 Stephen F. Austin 66
Stephen F. Austin got out to an early lead in this one thanks to great shooting.
The Ladyjacks held a 36-33 edge at the break, but the Tar Heels turned up the heat in the fourth and took over.
UNC held on to defeat SFA by double digits and punch its ticket to the second round, which starts Sunday.
No. 5 Notre Dame 89, No. 12 UMass 78
Notre Dame started off with back-to-back 3-pointers from guard Dara Mabrey, followed by a 10-0 run in the first to set the tone early.
The Minutewomen trailed by as many at 17 points before cutting Notre Dame's lead to 49-41 at the half.
UMass' Sydney Taylor drained a huge 3 as the third came to a close, keeping Notre Dame within arm's reach before the Irish pulled away in the end.
No. 12 Belmont 73, No. 5 Oregon 70 (2OT)
After struggling against Belmont in the first quarter, Oregon got back in front after a 9-0 run. The Ducks scored 20 points in the second quarter to take a 28-26 lead at halftime.
It came down to the wire, as Oregon forward Sedona Prince made a layup late in the game to knot things up. Then, after Belmont regained the lead on free throws, Ducks guard Te-Hina Paopao made a clutch 3-point jumper to tie things up and send the game into overtime.
Things were deadlocked after the first overtime, but Belmont had the last word, upsetting Oregon in the end.
No. 3 LSU 83, No. 14 Jackson State 77
It was a back-and-forth battle between these two squads right from the start, so much so that both the LSU and JSU mascots had to get in on the competition.
LSU quickly settled into a rhythm and took a 41-28 lead at the half. Jailin Cherry led all scorers with 18 points.
LSU found itself down by one point with just under three minutes to go, but the Tigers' defense showed up when they needed it most and came back to win it against JSU. Khayla Pointer came out on top with 26 points.
No. 11 Princeton 69, No. 6 Kentucky 62
Kentucky came into the tournament hot off winning 10 straight games on its way to the SEC championship title. Wildcats guard Jada Walker pulled out all the stops in the first half, but it was actually Princeton who had the edge at the break, 32-26.
Princeton's Julia Cunningham sunk a huge 3-point jumper in the third, as the Tigers extended their lead. It came down to the wire, but in the end, Princeton emerged victorious over Kentucky.
No. 7 UCF 69, No. 10 Florida 52
The two Florida-based squads were neck and neck as they battled in the Bridgeport Region.
The Gators kept the Knights within arm's reach with one big basket after another, but in the end, UCF had a little more left in the tank than Florida did and came out victorious.
No. 3 Michigan 74, No. 14 American 39
American University forward Taylor Brown didn't let anything past her as the Eagles tipped off against the Wolverines.
Michigan forward Naz Hillmon, a first-team All-American and former Big Ten Player of the Year, was on a roll in the second half, as the Wolverines broke away.
No. 4 Tennessee 80, No. 13 Buffalo 67
Buffalo guard Dyaisha Fair kept the Volunteers within reach early with this smooth 3-point jumper.
Fair helped teammate Georgia Woolley sink a shot from distance shortly after as the Bulls got off to a hot start.
Back-to-back buckets by Tennessee's Alexus Dye started the second half, which was a much different story for the Lady Vols. Tennessee later went on a 10-0 run to secure the win and a spot in the second round.
No. 6 Ohio State 63, No. 11 Missouri State 56
Jacy Sheldon was the star of show after Ohio State fell in a 12-point hole against the Lady Bears. The Buckeyes guard hit a shot from distance midway through the second that reignited her team and another just ahead of halftime that gave Ohio State its first lead of the game.
The Buckeyes held on from there for the win, and Sheldon led all scorers with 23 points.
No. 1 NC State 96, No. 16 Longwood 68
The Wolfpack was on fire Saturday. NC State guard Raina Perez was perfect in the first half, going 6-for-6 — including 2-for-2 from distance — for 14 points.
Longwood was able to get a little something going ahead of the break, but NC State held onto their first-half double-digit lead over the Lancers until things came to a close.
No. 2 UConn 83, No. 15 Mercer 38
Paige Bueckers started and scored 12 points in UConn's route over Mercer. She played 25 minutes, the most in six games since coming back from a left knee injury that kept her out for more than two months.
The Huskies held a 20-point lead at halftime, 43-23, before shutting out Mercer 20-0 in the third quarter.
No. 11 Villanova 61, No. 6 BYU 57
It quickly became a barn-burner between 'Nova and BYU, who held a one-point lead at halftime, 30-29.
Villanova surged in the fourth quarter to set up a potential upset, which the Wildcats were able to pull off.
No. 9 Kansas State 50, No. 8 Washington State 40
K-State guard Emilee Ebert got the Wildcats on the board first against the Cougars in Saturday's first game.
This wild shot from Washington State's Jessica Clarke helped cut into Kansas State's lead, but it ultimately wasn't enough to hold the Wildcats off for good.
KSU's Ayoka Lee and WSU's Charlisse Leger-Walker each led their teams with 20 points.
No. 3 Indiana 85, No. 14 Charlotte 51
Charlotte's Mikayla Boykin forced an Indiana turnover that led to two quick points, but the 49ers trailed early and were never able to get their footing once the Hoosiers found their momentum.
