Kansas City Region Round of 32 Game Breakdowns
#1 Mississippi State vs. #9 Oklahoma State
Mississippi State got their offense back rolling on Saturday against Nicholls State as they routed the Colonels 95-50. Victoria Vivians recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and collecting 13 rebounds. Blair Schaefer and Teaira McCowan also had strong performances as they both scored 18 points for the Bulldogs.
Oklahoma State heads into their rematch with Mississippi State with plenty of confidence after dismantling Syracuse 84-57. Jaden Hobbs scored 27 points to lead the Cowgirls, shooting 8 of 9 from behind the three-point arc. Defense is going to be key for both teams as it will be important for Mississippi State to find a way to go on a 12-0 type of run against Oklahoma State to get a comfortable win. For the Cowgirls, they need to make the Bulldogs work for everything they get and force turnovers. Look for a competitive game that will decided by around 10-12 points.
#4 North Carolina State vs. #5 Maryland
North Carolina State was tremendous defensively in their 62-35 win over Elon. The Wolfpack limited the Phoenix to a 23.5 percent field goal percentage and caused 17 turnovers. Offensively, Kiara Leslie and Aislinn Konig combined for 25 points to pace a steady, methodical North Carolina State attack on Friday.
Maryland pulled away in the second half for a comfortable win over Princeton 77-57. Eleanna Christinaki scored 16 points and gathered eight rebounds to compliment the backcourt play of the Terrapins. Kaila Charles and Kristen Confroy controlled the tempo nicely for Maryland as they combined for 34 points against Princeton. The Terrapins are going to have to find a way to get the tempo of the game into the 70’s to win. The Wolfpack will need a big performance from Chelsea Nelson and play great team defense to move on to the Sweet 16. This game should be a tight one and go down to the wire with the game decided by single digits.
Monique Billings set the tone with her 20 point and ten rebounds performance to propel UCLA to a 71-60 win over American in the first round on Saturday. Jordin Canada didn’t have her best game shooting the basketball, but dished out 11 assists as the Bruins raced out to a 27-12 lead after one quarter.
Jaylyn Agnew and Sydney Lamberty scored 24 and 20 points, respectively, to lead Creighton to a 76-70 victory over Iowa in the 6-11 matchup. The Blue Jays are playing with a bit of house money now as they were on the bubble heading into the NCAA Tournament and will be able to play with nothing to lose against UCLA. Meanwhile, the Bruins will have to put the hammer down early and not let the Blue Jays stay in the game well into the second half. This should be an intriguing game on Monday night.
#2 Texas vs. #7 Arizona State
Texas was very efficient at the offensive end of the court and had little trouble with Maine, beating the Black Bears 83-54. The Longhorns knocked down 61.8 percent of their shots and were led by Jatarie White and Ariel Atkins, who created a nice inside-out presence all day long.
Arizona State beat Nebraska 73-62 to earn an opportunity to take on Texas. Robbi Ryan scored 16 points and Kianna Ibis added 14 points to lead the Sun Devils offensively. Rebounding was also critical for Arizona State as they outrebounded the Cornhuskers 49-27. This game is going to come down to how well either team can consistently execute at the offensive end of the court. The tempo of the game should be a bit low as 70 points should be enough to win for either team. Texas is at home and is a bit deeper and should do enough to move on to the Sweet 16, but it won’t be easy.
