2013 Postseason WNIT: Schedule, results and recaps
WNIT Championship Game
Saturday, April 6
Utah at Drexel, 3 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Semifinal
Wednesday, April 3
Drexel 67, Florida 57
Utah 54, Kansas State 46 OT
Utah 54, Kansas State 46 OT
The Utah Utes advance to the WNIT championship game after knocking off the Kansas State Wildcats 54-46 in a thrilling overtime win at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.
Michelle Plouffe finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds for Utah and teammate Taryn Wicijowski added 18 points and pulled down 17 boards in the win.
Brittany Chambers netted 16 points and 10 boards for the Wildcats and Haley Texada finished with 11.
Utah held KSU to 3-of-27 shooting from three and just 27.6 percent shooting from the field. The Utes overcame 19 turnovers by shooting 40 percent from the field and hitting key free throws in the final seconds of overtime.
Utah never trailed in the game and led 26-17 at halftime. Chambers had a chance to win the game in regulation for KSU but missed a shot in the paint with seven seconds on the clock.
The Wildcats suffered their first loss all-time in WNIT home games and are now 13-1.
The Utes will travel to Philadelphia to face the Drexel Dragons on Saturday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised live and in HD on CBS Sports Network. Thad Anderson (play-by-play) and Ceal Barry (analyst) will call the game.
Drexel 67, Florida 57
The Drexel Dragons (27-10) advance to the WNIT championship game with a 67-57 win over the Florida Gators (22-15) at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Hollie Mershon scored a game-high 26 points and dished out 10 assists in the win for Drexel. Taylor Wootton chipped in 16 points and forward Fiona Flanagan finished with 11.
Sydney Moss led the Gators with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Jaterra Bonds finished with 14. Florida become only the second team in WNIT history to reach the semifinals without playing a home game.
For the second straight year a Colonial Athletic Association team will play in the championship game. Last year, James Madison fell to Oklahoma State in Stillwater, 75-68.
Drexel knocked off an SEC opponent for the second straight round. The Dragons defeated Auburn 56-43 in the Elite 8.
Drexel will host Utah in the WNIT championship game on Saturday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET.
Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 30
Florida 85, JMU 80
Utah 58, Saint Mary’s 55
Kansas State 66, Illinois 48
Drexel 56, Auburn 43
Kansas State 66, Illinois 48
Kansas State nearly led from start to finish Saturday as the Wildcats defeated Illinois 66-48 to advance to the Final Four round of the Postseason WNIT.
Brittany Chambers (21 points, 5 assists), Chantay Caron (19 points, 6 rebounds), and Haley Texada (16 points, 5 rebounds) scored in double figures for Kansas State (19-17), who will host Utah at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 3.
Illinois’ Karisma Penn led the team with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Illinois finished the season with a 19-14 record in Matt Bollant’s first year in Champaign, a turnaround from last year’s 11-19 mark.
Drexel 56, Auburn 43
Drexel limited Auburn to 27% shooting for the game – including 14% in the first half – as the Dragons entered their first postseason semifinal in school history with a 56-43 win over host Auburn.
Hollie Mershon led the way for Drexel with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Teammate Fiona Flanagan had 13 points and 5 rebounds for the Dragons (26-10), who will host Florida in a Final Four game starting at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 3.
Auburn closed its season with a 19-15 mark, with help from Tyrese Tanner (16 points) and Blanche Alverson (15 points).
Utah 58, Saint Mary’s 55
Utah continued its school-record deepest march into the postseason Saturday with a 58-55 victory over Saint Mary’s to vault into the Final Four of the WNIT.
All-Pac 12 Conference player Michelle Plouffe again led the Utes with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Utah (22-13) will play at Kansas State at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 3.
Saint Mary’s got 14 points and 14 rebounds from West Coast Conference leading rebounder Danielle Mauldin. WCC scoring leader Jackie Nared added 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Gaels (23-11).
Florida 85, JMU 80
Florida won its fourth straight game on the road with an 85-80 victory over JMU on Saturday in the Elite Eight round of the Postseason WNIT .
Sydney Moss had 27 points and 9 rebounds, and teammate Jaterra Bonds added 20 points for Florida (22-14), which will play at Drexel in the semifinals at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 3.
JMU (25-11), which finished second in last year’s Postseason WNIT to Oklahoma State, got 26 points from Tarik Hislop and 17 points from Kirby Burkholder.
Third Round
Thursday, March 28
Drexel 50, Bowling Green 47
Illinois 63, Toledo 55
Kansas State 60, Ball State 48
Utah 60, Pacific 55 OT
Utah 60, Pacific 55 OT
The Utah Utes will move on to the WNIT Elite 8 with a 60-55 overtime win against the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, Calif., tonight.
Michelle Plouffe led Utah with a game-high 26 points and hit key free throws in the overtime period to seal the win.
Gena Johnson finished with 17 points for Pacific and Erica McKenzie added 12. The Tigers finish the season with a record 27 wins.
Utah held Pacific to just 26.4 percent shooting from the field and out rebounded the Tigers 48-34.
The Utes will travel to Saint Mary’s for the quarterfinal round of the WNIT. The game is slated for Saturday, March 30 at 5 p.m. ET.
Kansas State 60, Ball State 48
Brittany Chambers scores 23 points to lead Kansas State over Ball State 60-48 and advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
KSU’s Haley Texada contributed 14 points and five rebounds and Brianna Craig added eight.
BSU’s Shanee’ Jackson scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and Nathalie Fontaine finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
KSU trailed the Cardinals early in the first half by as many as nine points, but used a 13-0 run to take the lead heading into halftime. The Wildcats never trailed again and led by as much as 16 points in the second half.
The Wildcats are now 12-0 in WNIT games played at home and are looking to become the first team in tournament history to win the championship twice. KSU captured the 2006 title defeating Marquette 77-65 in front of a sellout crowd of 13,340 fans in Manhattan.
KSU will host Illinois in the WNIT Elite 8 on Saturday, March 30 at 5 p.m. ET.
Illinois 63, Toledo 55
Illinois used a 14-2 run late in the second half to defeat Toledo 63-55 and advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
Karisma Penn scored 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win for Illinois and teammate Amber Moore finished with 18.
Toledo’s Inma Zanoguera led the team with 13 points and Yolanda Richardson chipped in 12.
This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Illini improve to 11-7 all-time in the Postseason WNIT.
Illinois will now wait to see who the play next. They will face the winner of Ball State at Kansas State which is currently in action.
Drexel 50, Bowling Green 47
The Drexel Dragons advance to the WNIT Elite 8 for the first time in program history with a 50-47 win over Bowling Green.
Holly Mershon scored a game-high 19 points and dished out four assists for Drexel. Taylor Wootton added 10 points and five rebounds.
Chrissy Steffen netted 14 points and pulled down four boards for the Falcons which end the season 24-11.
It’s the 25th victory of the year for the Dragons which sets a program record for most wins in a year.
Drexel will look for win No. 26 when it heads to Auburn, Ala., to face the Tigers on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. ET. Auburn knocked off Tulane 72-52 on Wednesday night.
Wednesday, March 27
St. Mary’s 59, BYU 55
JMU 77, Fordham 61
Florida 67, Charlotte 65
Auburn 72, Tulane 52
Auburn 72, Tulane 52
Tyrese Tanner scored a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Auburn over Tulane 72-52 in third-round WNIT action.
Tra’cee Tanner finished with 12 and Blanche Alverson added 10 as the Auburn Tigers improve to 19-14 on the season and advance to the WNIT Elite 8.
Tulane’s Danielle Blagg netted a team-high 11 points and teammate Tiffany Dale finished with 10.
The Tigers are now 4-1 versus the Green Wave and 2-0 at home. Auburn is looking to be the first team in WNIT history to win the tournament twice.
Auburn will face the winner of Drexel at Bowling Green which will tip Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
Florida 67, Charlotte 65
Jaterra Bonds hit a jumper with three seconds left in the game to give the Florida Gators a 67-65 win over Charlotte and advance to the WNIT Elite 8.
Trailing by two points with 20 seconds to go Gator forward Christin Mercer stole the ball and dished to Bonds who was then fouled. Bonds quickly made her first free throw but missed on the second. The Gators pulled down a huge rebound and quickly called a timeout. With 16 seconds remaining Head Coach Amanda Butler designed a play for the game-winning shot.
Bonds scored a team-high 15 points and Jennifer George added 14 for Florida. Charlotte’s Jennifer Hailey led all scorers with 19 points.
The Gators will face James Madison in the Elite 8 on Saturday, March 30 @ 4 p.m. ET.
James Madison 77, Fordham 61
James Madison improved to 16-0 in postseason home games with their 77-61 victory over Fordham in the WNIT Sweet 16.
Kirby Burkholder scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for JMU. Precious Hall and Toia Giggetts added 14 points respectively.
Marah Strickland led the Rams with 24 points and Erin Rooney netted 15.
The Dukes are making their second-straight appearance in the WNIT Elite 8. In 2012, they advanced all the way to the championship game before losing to Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
This was only the second time in both program’s history that the teams have met. The all-time series is now tied at 1-1.
JMU’s 77 points was the most Fordham has given up all season. The previous high was 68 points in losses verse Dayton and Drexel.
The Dukes will host the Florida Gators in the WNIT Elite 8 on Saturday, March 30 at 4 p.m. ET.
Saint Mary’s 59, BYU 55
Saint Mary’s used a 9-0 run in the final 3:41 of the game to defeat BYU 59-55 and become the first team to advance into the WNIT Elite 8.
Danielle Mauldin netted a game-high 18 points for the Gaels and teammate Jackie Nared finished with 13 points including three key free throws in the final moments of the game.
Jennifer Hamson scored 12 points and 12 rebounds for BYU who end the season with a 23-11 record.
The game included three ties and six lead changes with SMC’s biggest lead of seven points coming at the 13:06 mark in the first half.
The Gaels defeat the Cougars for the first time in Provo and now hold a 3-2 all-time series record.
SMC improves to 23-10 on the season and will face the winner of Utah at Pacific set to tip Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
Second Round
Monday, March 25
Florida 84, Winthrop 53
Kansas State 57, Illinois State 48
Illinois 62, Eastern Illinois 54
Utah 61, San Diego 50
Utah 61, San Diego 50
Utah’s Michelle Plouffe earned her 10th double-double of the season to lead the Utes in a 61-50 victory in the second round Monday of the Postseason WNIT.
Plouffe scored 21 points and added 15 rebounds for Utah (20-13), which has won nine of its last 12 games. The Utes also got 23 points and 7 rebounds from Taryn Wicijowski to propel them into a Sweet 16 matchup at Pacific on Thursday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.
San Diego (22-10), a WNIT Final Four team a year ago, wrapped up its second-straight 20-win season. Junior Amy Kame led the way with 19 points.
Illinois 62, Eastern Illinois 54
Four Illinois players score in double figures in a 62-54 second-round WNIT win Monday night over Eastern Illinois.
Karisma Penn finished with 19 points and five blocks for Illinois and junior Amber Moore added 16 hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field. Ivory Crawford netted 11 and Adrienne Godbold finished with 10 for the Illini.
Mariah King scored a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds in the loss for Eastern Illinois
Illinois trailed by three points at halftime and by as much as eight in the second half, but used a 15-5 run at the 7:33 mark on an Amber Moore three-point jumper to regain lead
Illinois improves to 10-7 all-time in seven WNIT appearances and 8-2 in WNIT home games. The Illini are now 10-5 all-time against Eastern Illinois.
Illinois will travel to Toledo for third-round action on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. ET.
Kansas State 57, Illinois State 48
Brittany Chambers scores 28 points, pulls down eight rebounds, and dishes out four assists as the Kansas State Wildcats knock off Illinois State 57-48 in round two of the WNIT.
KSU’s Haley Texada hit four three pointers and finished with 13 points and seven boards.
Janae Smith led Illinois State with 19 points and eight rebounds and teammate Candace Sykes finished with 10.
The Wildcats now hold an 8-1 all-time series lead against the Redbirds and have won their 11th straight home WNIT game and their 10th home win of the season.
KSU improves to .500 on the year at 17-17 and ISU falls to 24-11 to end a successful season.
Kansas State will host Ball State in third-round action of the WNIT on Thursday, March 28 at 8 p.m. ET.
Florida 84, Winthrop 53
The Florida Gators (20-14) cruised to an 84-53 victory over the Winthrop Eagles (21-12) and advance to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT.
Five Gator players finished in double figures including a game-high 16 points by freshman January Miller and 15 each for Christin Mercer and Kayla Lewis.
Gator senior Jennifer George collected her 900th rebound in the win and is now only 1-of-7 players in program history who have 1000 career points and 900 boards.
Big South Player of the Year Dequesh McClanahan scored 15 points and five rebounds to lead Winthrop.
The game marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the hardwood.
The Gators are making their 6th appearance in the WNIT and 20th all-time postseason appearance including their 19th in the last 21 years.
Florida will travel to Charlotte in round three of the WNIT slated for Wednesday, March 27 @ 7 p.m. ET. The Gators and 49ers met in the 2011 WNIT Sweet 16 with Charlotte winning 81-77 in overtime.
Sunday, March 24
James Madison 72, North Carolina State 66
Charlotte 72, Davidson 60
Ball State 53, Northern Iowa 48
Auburn 84, Western Kentucky 66
Tulane 60, Arkansas 48
St. Mary’s 68, Northern Colorado 58
Pacific 85, Washington 78
Pacific 85, Washington 78
The Pacific women’s basketball team advanced to the WNIT Sweet 16 for the first time in program history after defeating Washington 85-78 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
Pacific trailed Washington 41-25 at 4:05 in the first half, but used a 46-17 run to go up 71-58 with 7:48 left in the game. The Huskies cut the lead to four with 47 seconds left in the game, but Pacific hit key free throws to seal the game.
Kendall Rodriguez scored 27 points for Pacific hitting 5-of-9 from behind the arc and Erica McKenzie finished with 18 all of which were three pointers.
Washington’s Kristi Kingma had 21 points , Talia Walton added 15, and Aminah Williams finished with a double-double scoring 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Tigers added to the program record for most wins in a season with their 27th. Pacific is now 29-4 in their last 33 games when scoring 69 or more points in regulation, including 15-2 this season
Pacific will face the winner of Utah/San Diego which is set to tip Monday at 9 p.m. ET.
Saint Mary’s 68, Northern Colorado 58
Morgan Hatten scores 21 points as Saint Mary’s defeats Northern Colorado 68-58 at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion in Greeley, Colo. The Gaels improve to 22-10 and will face BYU in Provo, Utah, on Wednesday, March 27.
Jackie Nared finished with a double-double for SMC scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Both D’shara Strange and Lauren Oosdyke scored 19 points for UNC who end a successful season at 21-13.
The Gaels are now 3-0 all-time against the Bears and match last season’s win total at 22 games. SMC has totaled 84 wins over the last four years which includes four consecutive WNIT appearances.
Tulane 60, Arkansas 48
The Tulane women’s basketball team made history Sunday afternoon defeating Arkansas 60-48 and advancing past the second round in any postseason tournament for the first time in program history.
Jamie Kaplan, Whitney Bibbins, and Chinwe Duru all finished with ten points for the Green Wave who move to 24-8 on the season.
Arkansas’ Sarah Watkins finished with 12 points and Jhasmin Bowen added 11.
The win marks the first time Tulane has defeated Arkansas. The Razorbacks hold a 3-1 all-time record against the Green Wave.
Tulane will travel to Auburn for the round of 16 on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Auburn 84, Western Kentucky 66
The Auburn Tigers (18-14) cruise to an 84-66 victory over Western Kentucky (22-11) and advance to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT.
Hasina Muhammad finished with a game-high 27 points and teammate Tyrese Tanner added 24. The Tigers scored 33 points on 19 WKU turnovers and dominated inside with 44 points in the paint compared to 16 by the Lady Toppers.
WKU’s Alexis Govan scored a team-high 23 points and six assists, while teammate Chastity Gooch had a double-double with 19 points and 12 boards.
The Tigers are now 5-0 all-time against the Lady Toppers and move to 14-3 in homes games this season.
Auburn will host Tulane in round three on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Charlotte 72, Davidson 60
Four players finished in double figures including a game-high 22 points from Jennifer Hailey as Charlotte moves past Davidson 72-60 and advances to the WNIT Sweet 16.
Hillary Sigmon and Jai Forney both finished with 13 points for the 49ers who improve to 26-5 on the season. Junior Ny Hammonds added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Sophia Aleksandravicius had a team-high 18 points and five boards for Davidson who end their season 22-13.
The 49ers lead the all-time series with Davidson 13-8 and have now won the last four matchups.
Charlotte will host the winner of Florida/Winthrop on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. ET.
Ball State 53, Northern Iowa 48
Ball State advances to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT with a 53-48 win over Northern Iowa at John E. Worthen Arena.
Nathalie Fontaine (17) and Brittany Carter (16) led Ball State in scoring. Jacqui Kalin finished with 13 points for UNI and a team-high nine rebounds.
The game marked the first time in both program’s history that UNI and Ball State have met.
The Cardinals move to 17-15 on the season and will now face the winner of Kansas State/Illinois State which is set to tip Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
James Madison 72, NC State 66
James Madison uses a 20-5 run in the second half and holds off a late rally by NC State to advance to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT. The Dukes (24-10) knock off the Wolfpack (17-17) 72-66 at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, VA.
JMU’s Tarik Hislop led all scorers with 19 points and Toia Giggetts finished with 16. Kirby Burkholder led the team with nine rebounds and chipped in 14 points.
Len’Nique Brown scored 13 points for NC State and teammates Markeisha Gatling and Myisha Goodwin-Coleman each had 12.
JMU is now 15-0 all-time in postseason games played on their home floor. The Dukes advance to the third round of the WNIT for the second straight year. In 2012, JMU defeated Wake Forest 84-76 in overtime and eventually made it to the championship game against Oklahoma State.
JMU will host Fordham in third-round action slated for Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. ET.
Saturday, March 23
Toledo 61, Youngstown State 43
Fordham 58, Boston 44
BYU 69, San Diego State 58
Bowling Green State 61, Duquesne 54
Drexel 82, Harvard 72
Fordham 58, Boston 44Â
Saturday’s Round 2 game between Boston University and host Fordham was billed as a defensive battle, and the game lived up to its expectations, with Fordham earning a 58-44 victory.
Both teams entered the game ranked in the Top 20 nationally in points allowed – Boston’s opponents averaged just 51.6 ppg this season, and Fordham only allowed 52.1 ppg this season. But Fordham (26-8) picked up its second-ever victory in the postseason with the game. They will play the winner of Sunday’s JMU-NC State game at a site and day to be determined.
Marah Strickland led Fordham with 14 points, while Chantell Alford scored 12 points in her final game for Boston (24-6).
Toledo 61, Youngstown State 43Â
The Toledo Rockets, playing in familiar postseason territory, defeated Youngstown State 61-43 in a second-round WNIT game Saturday.
Inma Zanoguera scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting for the Rockets (29-3), who were in the second round of postseason play for the fourth straight year.
Brandi Brown, the Horizon League player of the year, led Youngstown State (23-10) with 10 points. This was the Penguins’ first postseason appearance since the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Youngstown won its first-round game before ending its season against Toledo.
BYU 69, San Diego State 58Â
BYU had four players score in double figures Saturday in its 69-58 victory over San Diego State to set up a third-round matchup with Sunday’s winner of Saint Mary’s-Northern Colorado.
Kim Beeston led the Cougars (23-10) with 17 points, and Jennifer Hamson had a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds. For San Diego State (27-7), champions of the Mountain West Conference, Chelsea Hopkins had 17 points and six assists.
Bowling Green 61, Duquesne 54Â
Bowling Green’s strong second-half performance earned the Falcons a 61-54 victory over Duquesne in the second round of the Postseason WNIT.
Bowling Green (24-10) moved to 4-4 all-time in the WNIT as it outscored Duquesne 36-25 and made its free throws at the end to seal the win. The Falcons will play the Drexel-Harvard winner in Round 3.
Duquesne (24-8) wraps up another strong season with its fifth straight appearance in the WNIT.
Drexel 82, Harvard 72Â
Drexel matched its school record for wins in a season by defeating Harvard 82-72 in the second round of the Postseason WNIT.
The victory gave Drexel (24-10) its first multiple-victory postseason accomplishment in school history. The Dragons move on to play at Bowling Green at 7 p.m. ET Thursday in Round 3.
Harvard (21-9), which entered the contest on an eight-game win streak, finished out its season with the most wins since the Crimson earned 22 in the 2002-03 season.
First Round
Friday, March 22
Ball State 54, Minnesota 51
Northern Iowa 61, Marquette 59
Washington 65, Eastern Washington 60, 2OT
Pacific 69, UALR 65
Third Round
Fordham vs. JMU-NC State winner at site, day TBA, time TBA
Toledo vs. Eastern Illinois-Illinois winner at site, day TBA, time TBA
BYU vs. Saint Mary’s-Northern Colorado winner at site, day TBA, time TBA
Thursday, March 28
Drexel at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. ET
Ball State 54, Minnesota 51Â
Brandy Wood scored 19 points to lead Ball State over Minnesota 54-51 in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Ball State (16-15), making its first appearance in the WNIT since 2007, will host Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. ET Sunday in Round 2.
Minnesota was led by Micaella Riche, who scored 18 points for the 18-14 Gophers.
Northern Iowa 61, Marquette 59Â
Jacqui Kalin poured in 18 points and added 6 assists to lead Northern Iowa past host Marquette 61-59 in their opening game of the Postseason WNIT.
Kalin, the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year with a 19.4 ppg average, helped Northern Iowa (17-16) hold off Marquette and earn a second-round game at Ball State on Sunday.
Sarina Simmons and Arlesia Morse each tallied 16 points for the Golden Eagles (16-16), who were runners-up for the WNIT title in 2008.
Pacific 69, UALR 65
Pacific won a 69-65 battle with Arkansas-Little Rock in its first-round game of the Postseason WNIT. With the help of Gena Johnson (22 points) and Kendall Kenyon (11 points, 14 rebounds), Pacific (26-7) advances into the second round for the second straight year and builds on its school record for victories. They will play Washington in round two.
Shanity James had 19 points and 9 rebounds as UALR (24-9) capped its stellar season.
Washington 65, Eastern Washington 60, 2OT
Jazmine Davis led all scorers with 22 points as Washington won an epic two-overtime battle with Eastern Washington, 65-60.
Davis and teammates Talia Walton (10 points, 14 rebounds) and Aminah Williams (9 points, 14 rebounds) helped the Huskies (21-11) stay alive to host Round 2 on Sunday with Pacific.
Eastern Washington (19-13) outscored Washington 26-18 in the second half to force overtime, thanks in part to Hayley Hodgins’s 20 points and 7 rebounds, but eventually lost in the extra periods
Thursday, March 21
Toledo 63, Butler 49
Drexel 59, Iona 50
Harvard 61, Hartford 57
Bowling Green State 76, SMU 70
Duquesne 71, Akron 66
Boston University 61, Sacred Heart 49
Fordham 55, Army 46
James Madison 77, NCA&T 62
North Carolina State 60, Richmond 55
Davidson 82, Old Dominion 73
Charlotte 79, Appalachian State 61
Florida 75, Florida International 68
Winthrop 65, Florida Gulf Coast 51
Youngstown State 63, Indiana State 51
Kansas State 72, Texas Southern 44
Illinois 73, Miami OH 60
Western Kentucky 88, East Carolina 77 OT
Arkansas 67, Memphis 57
Tulane 65, Sam Houston State 57
Illinois State 63, IUPUI 47
San Diego 61, Hawaii 49
Northern Colorado 71, Wyoming 63
Saint Mary’s CA 68, Seattle 51
St. Mary’s 68, Seattle 51
Jackie Nared led Saint Mary’s with 24 points as the Gaels defeat Seattle 68-51 and advance in the WNIT tournament. Sylvia Shephard scored 20 points for the Redhawks. Saint Mary’s faces Northern Colorado in round-two action.
Northern Colorado 71, Wyoming 63
The Northern Colorado Bears advance to round two of the WNIT with a 71-63 over Wyoming. Lauren Oosdyke finished with 16 points and teammates D’shara Strange and Lindsay Mallon each added 15. Wyoming’s Chaundra Sewell led all scorers with 17.
San Diego 61, Hawaii 49
San Diego will face Utah in round two of the WNIT after defeating Hawaii 61-49. Amy Kame led the Toreros with 19 points and teammates Maya Hood and Klara Wischer both added nine apiece. Sydney Haydel finished with 11 points for Hawaii.
Western Kentucky 88, East Carolina 77 OT
Chastity Gooch scored 26 and Alexis Govan had 25 as Western Kentucky defeats East Carolina in overtime 88-77. Celeste Stewart finished with 25 points to lead ECU. The Hilltoppers face Auburn in round two.
Illinois 73, Miami (OH) 60
Illinois moved past Miami (OH) with a 13-point victory (73-60). Amber Moore scored a game-high 25 points and Karisma Penn added 20 for the Fighting Illini. Courtney Osborn led Miami (OH) with 19 points. Illinois will face Eastern Illinois in round two.
Arkansas 67, Memphis 57
The Arkansas Razorbacks defeat the Memphis Tigers 67-57 and move on to round two. Dominique Wilson (15) and Calli Berna (14) led Arkansas in points. Ariel Hearn of Memphis had a game-high 16 points.
Illinois State 63, IUPUI 47
The Redbirds of Illinois State defeat IUPUI 63-47 and advance to round two of the WNIT. ISU’s Janae Smith finished with 15 points and Jamie Russell added 12. IUPUI’s DeAirra Goss led all scorers with 19 points.
Tulane 65, Sam Houston State 57
Janique Kantasky and Olivia Grayson scored 11 points each as Tulane advances to round two of the WNIT. Britni Martin had a game-high 18 points for Sam Houston State in the loss.
Kansas State 72, Texas Southern 44
Brittany Chambers scored a career-high 42 points to lead Kansas State to a 72-44 win over Texas Southern. Chambers was just three points shy from tying the all-time single game scoring record of 45 points set by Tamika Whitmore in 1999.
Toledo 63, Butler 49
Naama Shafir led Toledo with 17 points in a 63-49 victory over Butler. Daress McClung finished with 18 points for Butler to lead all scorers. Toledo, which won the 2011 WNIT championship, moves on to face Youngstown State in round two.
Davidson 82, Old Dominion 73
Davidson advances with an 82-73 win over Old Dominion. Sophia Aleksandravicins scored a game-high 27 points for Davidson and teammate Dakota Dukes chipped in 15. Shae Kelly led ODU with 21 points. Davidson faces Charlotte in round two.
NC State 60, Richmond 55
NC State advances with a 60-55 win over Richmond. Markeisha Gathing scored 14 points and teammate Kody Burke added 12 for the Wolfpack. Richmond’s Becca Wann led all scorers with 20 points. NC State will take on JMU in round two.
Duquesne 71, Akron 66
Duquesne will face Bowling Green in round two of the WNIT after knocking off Akron 71-66. Wumi Agunbiade led the Dukes with 22 points and Hanna Luburgh finished with 19 for the Zips.
Charlotte 79, Appalachian State 61
Jennifer Hailey (20 points) and Amanda Dowe (19 points) led Charlotte in a 79-61 win over Appalachian State. Courtney Freeman finished with a team-high 20 points for App State. Charlotte faces Davidson in round two of the WNIT
Florida 75, FIU 68
Sydney Moss scored a team-high 28 points in a 75-68 win over FIU in the opening round of the WNIT. FIU’s Jerica Coley led all scorers with a career-high 37 points. The Gators will face Winthrop in round-two action.
Youngstown State 63, Indiana State 51
Youngstown State moves on to round two of the WNIT after defeating Indiana State 63-51. Brandi Brown led the Penguins with 16 points and Shar’Rae Davis added 12. Taylor Whitley scored 15 for Indiana State.
James Madison 77, NC A&T 64
Kirby Burkholder scored 22 points to help James Madison defeat NC A&T 77-64. Amber Calvin finished with a game-high 25 points for NC A&T. JMU will face NC State in round two of the WNIT.
Bowling Green 76, SMU 70
Jillian Halfhill scored a game-high 23 points to lead Bowling Green to a first-round victory over SMU 76-70. Alexis Rogers chipped in 16 points for the Falcons who will now face Duquesne in round two. Alisha Filmore finished with 22 points for the Mustangs.
Winthrop 65, FGCU 51
Winthrop stuns FGCU with a 65-51 win in the opening round of the WNIT. Shaquilla Nunn and Dequesha Mcclanahan both scored 17 points for Winthrop. Stephanie Haas had a team-high 13 for FGCU.
Drexel 59, Iona 50
Drexel knocks off Iona 59-50 and advances to face Harvard in round two. Drexel is playing in its fourth-straight WNIT after beginning its postseason run with an NCAA Tournament bid in 2009. The Dragons are now just one win shy of the program-record 24 set in that 2008-09 season
Harvard 61, Hartford 57
Victoria Lippert scores a game-high 19 points to help lead Harvard to a 61-57 victory over Hartford. Christie Michais finished with 11 points for Harford. Harvard will move on to round two of the WNIT and face Iona.
Fordham 55, Army 46
Fordham holds off Army 55-46 and advances to round two to face Boston University. Abigail Corning scored 15 points and 11 rebounds for Fordham and teammate Arielle Collins chipped in 14. Army’s Anna Simmers finished with 15 points, 10 boards, and three assists.
Boston U 61, Sacred Heart 49
Boston University advances to the second round of the WNIT with a 61-49 win over Sacred Heart. BU’s Chantell Alford led all scorers with 17 points and Rashidat Agboola finished with 16 for the Terriers. Gabriell Washington led Sacred Heart with 16 points.
Wednesday, March 20
Auburn 80, UAB 57
Eastern Illinois 60, Missouri 58
BYU 69, Idaho State 54
San Diego State 69, UCSB 46
Utah 56, Long Beach State 49
Utah 56, Long Beach State 49
The Utah Utes (19-13) hold off Long Beach State (16-16) 56-49 to advance to round two of the Postseason WNIT.
Three Utah players scored in double figures including a game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds from forward Michelle Plouffe. Taryn Wicijowski finished with 12 points and Iwalani Rodrigues chipped in 10.
Long Beach State guard Alex Sanchez led the team with 13 points and a game-high six assists. Forward Ella Clark finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
The Utes have previously made six appearances in the WNIT (1979, 1984, 1999, 2007, 2010 and 2012). Utah is now 5-9 all-time in the tournament.
The Utes have gone 1-1 during each of their last three appearances in 2012, 2010 and 2007. Last season, Utah defeated Utah State in the first round of the tournament before falling at Washington in the second round.
Utah will wait to play the winner of Hawaii at San Diego which is set to tip Thursday at 9pm ET.
San Diego State 69, UCSB 46
San Diego State cruises past UCSB 69-46 in the opening round of the Postseason WNIT.
SDSU’s Courtney Clements scored a game-high 31 points hitting seven of 10 shots from behind the arc. Teammate Chelsea Hopkins finished with 13 points and a team-high six boards. The Aztecs never trailed in the game and led by as many as 26 points in the second half.
Sweets Underwood led UCSB with 23 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
This was the first meeting between the two teams since 1999 with the Aztecs holding a 15-6 all-time record against the Gauchos, including a 9-2 mark at home.
The Aztecs are making their fourth postseason appearance in the last five years and 12th in program history. The win gives SDSU a program-record 27 victories.
SDSU will travel to Provo, Utah, to take on the BYU Cougars in round-two action. The game is slated for Saturday, March 23, game time TBD.
BYU 69, Idaho State 54
BYU’s Jennifer Hamerson scored a game-high 25 points to help lead the Cougars to a first-round win over Idaho State, 69-54 in Provo, Utah.
BYU senior guard Haley Steed added 20 points for the Cougars who led by as much as 22 points in the second half. BYU is now 12-3 all-time against Idaho State.
ISU’s Ashleigh Vella finished with a team-high 15 points and four rebounds.
BYU outrebounded ISU 47-35 and scored 30 points in the paint compared to 14 by the Bengals.
This is the seventh time that the BYU women’s basketball team has competed in the Postseason WNIT. With the win, the Cougars have now compiled a 9-6 overall record.
BYU’s last appearance in the WNIT was during the 2010-11 campaign where they advanced to the third round with wins over Denver and Utah State before falling to runner-up USC.
The Cougars will host San Diego State in round two on Saturday, March 23, game time TBD.
Eastern Illinois 60, Missouri 58Â
Eastern Illinois (20-11) captured their first postseason win in program history and advanced to round two of the WNIT after knocking off Missouri (17-15) 60-58 at Mizzou Arena.
EIU’s Ta’Kenya Nixon led all scorers with 27 points on 13 of 17 shooting and dished out five assists. Mariah King added 11 points and five boards for the Panthers which shot 50 percent from the field as a team.
Sydney Crafton and Bri Kulas both finished in double figures for Mizzou with 12 points respectively.
This is the fourth consecutive year the Panthers have advanced to a postseason tournament and have played in the WNIT two previous times (2010, 2012).
EIU will take on the winner of Thursday night’s contest between Illinois and Miami (OH).
Auburn 80, UAB 57
Auburn (17-14) advances to the second round of the Postseason WNIT with an 80-57 victory over UAB (18-13).
Auburn’s Tyrese Tanner led all scorers and finished with a career-high 29 points in her 7th career 20-point game. Teammates Peyton Davis and Blanche Alverson each added 11 points. The Tigers outrebounded UAB 43-32 and had 22 more points in the paint.
UAB finished with three players in double figures; Chelsee Black led the team with 15 points on 5 of 9 from the field. Amber Jones and Karisma Chapman each chipped in 10.
The Tigers are now 30-4 all-time against UAB and 14-1 when playing them at home. Auburn moves to a 9-2 record in WNIT games, including winning the tournament in 2003.
Auburn will take on the winner of East Carolina vs. Western Kentucky which is slated to tip on Thursday, at 8 p.m. ET.
