Lauren Betts scored 14 points to lead six UCLA players in double figures as the top-seeded Bruins cruised to an 84-46 rout of 16th-seeded Southern in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday in Los Angeles.
Londynn Jones added 11 points for the Bruins (31-2), who will host eighth-seeded Richmond on Sunday in the second round of the Spokane 1 Region.
UCLA’s Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Janiah Barker and Elina Aarnisalo each chipped in 10 points. Barker also grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bruins nearly doubled the Jaguars on the glass, 44-23.
Aniya Gourdine scored 10 points for Southern (21-15), which was coming off its first NCAA win on Wednesday nigh when it stopped UC San Diego 68-56 in the First Four. But the Jaguars weren’t about to make it two in a row, even though they were reasonably competitive for a half, trailing 38-26 at the break.
However, Southern made only 19 of 60 shots from the field (31.7 percent) and couldn’t keep the Bruins off the foul line, where UCLA connected on 23 of 30 (76.7 percent).
No. 4 Baylor 73, No. 13 Grand Canyon 60
The 1-2 punch of Antoinette Vonleh and Jada Walker carried the Bears to a win over the Antelopes in the first round of the Spokane 1 Region of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in Waco, Texas.
Vonleh scored 25 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds before fouling out, while Walker added 17 points and four assists. Yaya Felder contributed 12 points as the Bears (28-7) hit 50 percent of their field goal attempts and earned a 44-33 rebounding advantage.
Trinity San Antonio poured in a game-high 27 points to pace the Lopes (32-3) but was limited to 26 minutes due to foul trouble. Laura Erikstrup added 11 for Grand Canyon, which made just 23 of 67 attempts (34.3 percent) from the field.
Baylor trailed 18-13 late in the first quarter but rallied to grab a 31-28 edge at halftime and steadily pulled away in the second half.
After the game, On3sports reported that Grand Canyon coach Molly Miller resigned to take the same position at Arizona State.
No. 5 Ole Miss 83, No. 12 Ball State 65
Starr Jacobs and Kennedy Todd-Williams each collected double-doubles as the Rebels cruised to a win over the Cardinals in Waco, Texas.
Jacobs scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rebels (21-10), who led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter. Todd-Williams added 14 points and 11 boards, while Madison Scott chipped in 15 points.
Ole Miss earned a 51-32 advantage on the boards, turning 17 offensive caroms into 22 second-chance points. It also boasted a 46-28 advantage in paint points. Ally Becki scored a game-high 19 points for the Cardinals (27-8), while Lachelle Austin added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
No. 8 Richmond 74, No. 9 Georgia Tech 49
The Spiders established a 19-7 first quarter lead and never looked back while walloping the Yellow Jackets in Los Angeles.
Maggie Doogan paced Richmond (28-6) with 30 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Doogan hit 11 of 18 shots from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Addie Budnik added 14 points, on 6-of-7 shooting, and seven boards for Richmond, which hit 30 of 60 attempts from the field and canned 9 of 23 3-point tries (39.1 percent). The Spiders earned a 37-33 advantage on the boards and assisted on 19 buckets.
The Yellow Jackets (22-12) struggled to make shots, converting just 20 of 63 attempts from the field (31.7 percent). Tonie Morgan was Georgia Tech’s only double-figure scorer with 12 points, and she added seven rebounds and five assists. Georgia Tech hit just 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
