Bridgeport Region Round of 32 Game Breakdowns
#1 Connecticut vs. #9 Duquesne
Not surprisingly, Connecticut crushed poor Robert Morris. The Huskies were up 41-4 at the end of the first quarter and cruised from there. Katie Lou Samuelson scored a game high 22 points and Breanna Stewart scored 18 points with five rebounds, four assists, eight steals and three blocks in just 20 minutes of action. Duquesne had a tougher game in the first round, but still dominated Seton Hall in an impressive 97-76 victory. April Robinson struggled shooting from the floor, but the Dukes got 25 points from DevaNyar Workman and 20 from Kadri-Ann Lass.
Of course, scoring that much against Connecticut is not going to happen. Robinson went just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the team went 7-of-13. And seven different players hit a three-pointer. For the Dukes to hang around with Connecticut, Robinson will need to be as hot from long range as the rest of the team. But even if that does happen, Duquesne must find a way to stop Stewart, Samuelson, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck. At this point, Duquesne winning an NCAA Tournament game is a great accomplishment and they should head into the Connecticut game with nothing to lose. But they will lose the game.
#4 Mississippi State vs. #5 Michigan State
A strong second quarter set the tone for Mississippi State in their 60-50 first round win over Chattanooga. The Lady Bulldogs were led by Victoria Vivians’ 19 points and got 12 points and nine rebounds for center Chinwe Okorie. Okorie will have more trouble scoring in the paint against Michigan State. The Spartans pulled away from 13-seed Belmont in the fourth quarter, winning 74-60. Forward Aerial Powers and center Jasmine Hines combined for 51 points and will be a tough matchup for Mississippi State.
The play of the backcourt could be the difference maker in this contest. Michigan State averages nearly 17 turnovers per game. They only committed ten against Belmont, but Mississippi State will try and force that issue. The Spartans also need to get Tori Jankoska going offensively. She averaged 15.3 points per game heading into the NCAA Tournament, but was unable to find her shot in the first round. Mississippi State’s backcourt duo of Dominique Dillingham and Morgan William did not shoot very well either and whichever backcourt starts scoring and takes better care of the ball, should win this game.
#3 UCLA vs. #6 South Florida
Nirra Fields led the way for UCLA in their 66-50 win over Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She tallied 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The Bruins played tough defense and did not let Hawaii get going at all offensively. They will play South Florida in the second round after the Bulls held on to slip past Colorado State. The Rams played exactly how they wanted to play and were able to successfully slow down the Bulls. South Florida averages nearly 75 points per game, while Colorado State gives up just 52 points per game. With a final score of 48-45, it was definitely Colorado State’s type of game, but give USF credit for fighting through it and winning.
Most of the credit goes to Courtney Williams though, who scored 31 of the team’s 48 points. Containing Williams will be UCLA’s toughest test against South Florida, but do not expect this game to end up in the 40’s. Both teams score about 75 points per game and UCLA should be able to put the pressure on their opponents by working through Monique Billings in the paint. South Florida is used to relying heavily on Williams, but they need others to step up offensively. Williams can score against anybody, but UCLA has some good defenders who can stay with Williams a little better than Colorado State was able to do. There should be some openings for guard Shalet Stringfield and forwards Laura Ferreira and Alisia Jenkins, but they have to make the most of their shooting opportunities if South Florida wants to pull off an upset at UCLA and reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Missouri picked up their first NCAA Tournament win since their Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2001 after beating BYU 78-69. The inside/outside duo of Jordan Frericks and Sophie Cunningham once again led the way as though two combined for 39 points and 14 rebounds. In order for the Tigers to get back to the Sweet Sixteen, they will have to pull off a big upset against Texas. The Longhorns crushed Alabama State and were able to rest their starters after outscoring the Lady Hornets 26-5 in the third quarter.
The good news for Texas is that they shot the ball pretty well against Alabama State. It is Texas’ outside shooting that could be a problem moving forward, but it was not an issue for Texas on Saturday, especially for the starters. Empress Davenport and Brooke McCarty connected on five three-pointers and Ariel Atkins was money from inside the arc. For Missouri, they need to take care of the basketball. Committing 19 turnovers against BYU was something they could deal with thanks to some easy buckets and 28 trips to the free-throw line, but the Longhorns will make Mizzou pay if they commit 19 turnovers against them.
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