NCAA Women's Tournament Top Moments: Round of 64 begins
For basketball fans, Sunday's schedule was pure hoops heaven.
With the men's NCAA Tournament already in action, the women got into the mix as well, tipping off their first round with 16 games.
Even better: All four No. 1 seeds were on the schedule, capped off by top overall seed Stanford taking on Utah Valley in the final game of the day.
It was exciting from the start. No. 1 seeds Stanford, NC State and South Carolina all moved on with easy wins, but two teams were more impressive than the rest.
One was No. 1 seed UConn, which defeated High Point 102-59 without coach Geno Auriemma, who is out due to COVID-19 protocols. The other was No. 2 seed Baylor, which overwhelmed Jackson State 101-52.
There also was very nearly a big upset on the first day, as fifth-seeded Georgia Tech had to rally from a 34-17 halftime deficit to beat No. 12 Stephen F. Austin in overtime.
Let's take a look at the top moments from Sunday's action.
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No. 12 Central Michigan vs. No. 5 Iowa
Result: Iowa wins 87-72
And away they went! The Chippewas and Hawkeyes tipped off the tournament.
McKenna Warnock looked strong on the drive.
Freshman phenom Caitlin Clark displayed shades of Magic Johnson right here.
Clark and Monika Czinano scored 23 points each to lead the Hawkeyes to victory.
No. 10 Marquette vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech
Result: Virginia Tech wins 70-63
Check out the Hokies' ball movement.
Marquette made a game of it late ...
... but the Hokies held on to advance, thanks to 23 points from Elizabeth Kitley.
No. 9 Wake Forest vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State
Result: Oklahoma State wins 84-61
Natasha Mack had her own version of the Dream Shake, helping the Cowboys start strong.
The court vision from Wake Forest was impressive.
But the Cowboys cruised to victory.
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Idaho State
Result: Kentucky wins 71-63
The Bengals found gaps in the defense, hanging tight early.
Idaho State continued to keep the Wildcats on their heels.
But Kentucky tightened up its defense in the second half on the way to an eight-point victory.
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Middle Tennessee
Result: Tennessee wins 87-62
The Volunteers had little trouble in their first-round matchup, getting 24 points from Rennia Davis and 22 from Rae Burrell in an easy victory.
No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast
Result: Michigan wins 87-66
The Wolverines showed off some fine shooting range.
But some sloppiness with the ball kept things close.
In the end, it was easy for Michigan, and Leigha Brown scored 28 points.
No. 1 NC State vs. No. 16 North Carolina A&T
Result: NC State wins 79-58
The underdog Aggies showed some serious shooting touch.
But the Wolfpack took control with a 13-0 run to end the first half.
NC State had four players in double figures, led by Jada Boyd's 18, in the victory.
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 15 Jackson State
Result: Baylor wins 101-52
Talk about range. The Bears were making shots from NBA distance.
Baylor proved unstoppable. Moon Ursin scored 24, and NaLyssa Smith added 20 as the No. 2 seed almost doubled up Jackson State.
No. 5 Georgia Tech vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin
Results: Georgia Tech wins 54-52 in OT
The Ladyjacks, who entered the tournament 24-2, had seven assists on their first seven field goals in building a strong early lead.
Avery Brittingham kept pouring it on with an and-1.
But Tech stormed back in the second half, erasing a 34-17 deficit to force overtime.
Anaya Boyd gave the Jackets an edge in the extra period, with a strong drive to the basket.
The Jackets held on for their first tournament victory in nine years.
No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 9 South Dakota State
Results: Syracuse wins 72-55
The footwork of Syracuse's Kiara Lewis was a sight to behold.
The Orange's Digna Strautmane made it look easy shooting from long range.
Emily Engstler had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Syracuse advanced.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Mercer
Results: South Carolina wins 79-53
Mercer came into the game as a huge underdog but kept it close early, thanks to a strong inside move by Sierra Votaw.
But there is a reason the Gamecocks are a top seed, and the talent disparity eventually started to show.
Aliya Boston led the way with 20 points and 18 rebounds as South Carolina moved on. But her best play of the day might have come after the final whistle.
No. 8 Oregon State vs. No. 9 Florida State
Results: Oregon State wins 83-59
The Beavers didn't have anyone who could keep up with the Seminoles' Tiana England on this early drive.
But Oregon State had a nifty move of its own from freshman Talia Von Oelhoffen.
The Beavers' defense proved pretty stingy as well on the way to a 24-point victory.
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 High Point
Results: Connecticut wins 102-59
Was High Point nervous facing the mighty Huskies? It didn't seem like it on this play.
UConn's do-it-all star, Paige Bueckers, had enough of that, clamping down on defense.
Things got out of hand in the second half, as the Huskies didn't seem to miss Auriemma one bit. Bueckers chatted about it after the game.
No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Lehigh
Results: West Virginia wins 77-53
The Mountaineers were in control in the first half, but Lehigh wasn't about to go down easy
Kysre Gondrezick wasn't going to let the Mountaineers falter, scoring 26 points to surpass 1,000 for her career.
No. 8 South Florida vs. No. 9 Washington State
Results: South Florida wins 57-53
The Cougars flexed their muscles from downtown in the early going.
But the Bulls established control with their defense.
South Florida moved on as Elena Tsineke scored 18 points.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 16 Utah Valley
Results: Stanford wins 87-44
The Cardinals, the No. 1 overall seed, came out firing, making four 3-pointers in the first five minutes.
Stanford was just having fun out there.
Kiana Williams looked comfortable playing in her hometown of San Antonio, making six of Stanford's 15 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 20 points.
Check back for more action Monday!
