Spokane Region Round of 32 Game Breakdowns
#1 Maryland vs. #8 Princeton (College Park, Maryland)
Maryland got off to a nice start in the first round with a 75-57 win over New Mexico State. The Terrapins dominated the rebounding battle against the Aggies as they out-rebounded New Mexico State 45-20. Sophomore Brionna Jones led the way for Maryland scoring 22 points and collecting 12 rebounds as the Aggies did not have anyone physically that could slow her down. Red-shirt senior Laurin Mincy stepped up as well with 19 points. The Terrapins are going to have to a better job of taking care of the basketball moving forward as they turned the ball over 20 times on Saturday. Princeton moved to 31-0 with an 80-70 win over Green Bay in the first round on Saturday. The Tigers were led by Michelle Miller’s 20 points and a pair of double-doubles from Annie Tarakchian and Alex Wheatley as well. The performances by Tarakachian and Wheatley are a great sign heading into this battle with Maryland as the ability to contain Brionna Jones on the glass is going to be very important for Princeton. Bottom line, the Tigers won’t be afraid of the Terrapins and vice versa and this will be a Sweet 16 caliber of match-up in the second round on Monday night.
#4 Duke vs. #5 Mississippi State (Durham, North Carolina)
Duke turned the basketball over 27 times, but thanks to a red-hot shooting performance from Rebecca Greenwell, the Blue Devils defeated Albany 54-52 on Friday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was a game that quite frankly the Great Danes should have won as they outplayed the Blue Devils for the majority of the contest. Mississippi State got the job done in a 57-47 first round win over Tulane in a game that, as expected, points were at a bit of a premium. Forward Breanna Richardson led the way for the Bulldogs with a double-double as she scored 15 points and gathered 12 rebounds. Richardson is going to need a similar performance against Duke and Elizabeth Williams down in the post. Victoria Vivians will also need to rebound from a tough 2 of 14 shooting performance against the Green Wave. This game should be tightly contested and be decided in the final minute
#3 Oregon State vs. #11 Gonzaga (Corvallis, Oregon)
The pressure of being an NCAA Tournament host did not deter Oregon State in their first round game against South Dakota State as the Beavers won 74-62. It was not easy for Oregon State but the team pulled away in the second half to get the win over the Jackrabbits. Now the Beavers have another opportunity to win their first second round game in school history and move on to the Sweet 16. Sydney Wiese led Oregon State with 23 points along with Ruth Hamblin and Ali Gibson scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. Deven Hunter was an unsung hero with 12 rebounds. Gonzaga upset George Washington in the 6-11 matchup in Corvallis as the Bulldogs found a way to always make a play when they needed to in order to move on. Forward Sunny Greinacher returned home to her native state of Oregon and did not disappoint as she scored 19 points and collected eight rebounds to pace the Bulldogs in an 82-69 victory. Gonzaga will need to be better on the boards against the Beavers in this matchup as they were rebounded 51-39. If they can keep that rebounding battle even and take care of the basketball, they have a chance to spring the upset.
#2 Tennessee vs. #10 Pittsburgh (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Tennessee continued its run of excellence in the first round in the NCAA Tournament with a 72-61 win over Boise State, moving the Volunteers to a 27-1 all-time record in the first round. The duo of Bashaara Graves and Ariel Massengale combined for 42 of the 72 points against the Broncos. This win was not easy for Tennessee as Boise State was within five points with 2:51 left. But, in the end, the defense stepped up and Tennessee rattled off eight straight points to seal the victory. Pittsburgh stepped up and upset Chattanooga 51-40 thanks to an outstanding defensive effort by the Panthers in which they limited the Mocs to a 26.2 percent shooting percentage from the field. Stasha Carey scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds. Brianna Kiesel scored 13 points and had four assists to lead a Pittsburgh team that has overachieved this season as they were picked to finish dead last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Volunteers have a tremendous track record at home in the NCAA Tournament as they are 55-0 at Thompson Boling Arena. However, the Panthers have that look of a team that will keep this game closer than expected but fall just short and the Volunteers will punch their ticket to Spokane for the Sweet 16.
