MINNEAPOLIS — Kelsey Griffin had 22 points and nine rebounds Sunday for Nebraska, which forced 17 turnovers and outscored Northern Iowa 22-7 in the first nine minutes of the second half to win 83-44.
Dominique Kelley added 11 points for the Cornhuskers (31-1).
Lizzie Boeck had 10 points and eight rebounds for Northern Iowa (17-16), one day after the Panthers men’s team busted brackets across the country by beating No. 1 Kansas.
On a day when two 11 seeds and a 12th seed scored upsets, Nebraska wasn’t about to become the second No. 1 seed in women’s tourney history to lose in the opening round.
“I definitely think it helps with our nerves,” guard Lindsey Moore said. “We got that first one under our belts.”
Arkansas-Little Rock 63, Georgia Tech 53
NORMAN, Okla. — Kim Sitzmann scored a season-high 21 points — all but three in the first half — and 11th-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock (27-6) won in its tournament debut.
Arkansas-Little Rock never had a winning record until the 2006-07 season and went without a program from 1988-99.
“It’s kind of like winning a national championship,” Trojans coach Joe Foley said. “It really is.”
Ohio State 93, Saint Francis, Pa. 59
PITTSBURGH — Jantel Lavender dominated inside for Ohio State with 23 points and 16 rebounds against smaller Saint Francis, Pa., and the Buckeyes (31-4) opened up a 27-point lead before halftime.
Mississippi State 68, Middle Tennessee State 64
PITTSBURGH — Alexis Rack and Chanel Mokango teamed for all but six of the Bulldogs’ (20-12) 40 points in the second half.
Temple 65, James Madison 53
NORFOLK, Va. — Qwedia Wallace scored 21 points, and Kristen McCarthy and LaKeisha Eaddy added 15 points each for Temple (25-8), which led almost throughout.
Xavier 94, East Tennessee State 82
CINCINNATI — Xavier (28-3) avoided an unprecedented upset on its home court behind the inside domination by Amber Harris (31 points) and Ta’Shia Phillips (23).
San Diego State 74, Texas 63
AUSTIN, Texas — Jene Morris scored 32 points as the 11th-seeded Aztecs (22-10) stunned the sixth-seeded Longhorns (22-11).
Morris put on a dazzling display of 3-point shooting and quick-burst drives. She made four 3-pointers as the Aztecs built a 19-point first-half lead.
Vanderbilt 83, DePaul 76 (OT)
CINCINNATI — Merideth Marsh scored nine of her 26 points in overtime for the Commodores (23-10).
Notre Dame 86, Cleveland State 58
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Becca Bruszewski scored 14 points and Ashley Barlow added 13 for the Fighting Irish (28-5).
Vermont 64, Wisconsin 55
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Courtnay Pilypaitis scored 25 points and May Kotsopoulos added 14 for the Catamounts (27-6), who survived squandering a 14-point lead in the first half.
Wisconsin-Green Bay 69, Virginia 67
AMES, Iowa — Celeste Hoewisch scored 23 points for the Phoenix (28-4).
Iowa State 79, Lehigh 42
AMES, Iowa — Broomfield High School graduate Anna Prins scored 21 points to lead the Cyclones (24-7).
West Virginia 58, Lamar 43
AUSTIN, Texas — Liz Repella had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers (29-5).
UCLA 74, North Carolina State 54
MINNEAPOLIS — Jasmine Dixon led the Bruins (25-8) with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Oklahoma 68, South Dakota State 57
NORMAN, Okla. — Nyeshia Stevenson scored 17 points and Abi Olajuwon added 15 for the Sooners (24-10).
The Associated Press
