The first day of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in San Antonio is in the book. Here are some quick takeaways from Sunday’s action:
Tipping off
Chalk holds: While the men’s tournament has been ripe with upsets, the start of the women’s competition was void of any stunners. The higher seeds went 16-0, either dominating from the start in games or using strong second halves to gain control. The lone exception was No. 5 seed Georgia Tech in the Hemisfair region, which rallied from a 17-point deficit at halftime to outlast Stephen F. Austin 54-52 in overtime at St. Mary’s University’s Greehey Arena.
A bad twist: Connecticut freshman guard Nika Muhl sprained her right ankle nearly midway through the second quarter when she came down on an opponent’s foot. The 5-foot-10 Muhl was helped off the court by the Huskies’ training staff and didn’t return to the contest. Connecticut had little trouble with High Point without Muhl, but her absence – especially if she misses significant time – could be something to keep tabs on moving forward.
Shooting stars
Leigha Brown, Michigan: 28 points, 5 rebounds
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State: 27 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists
Kysre Gondrezick, West Virginia: 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Rennia Davis, Tennessee: 24 points, 14 rebounds
Paige Bueckers, Connecticut: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists.
Aleah Goodman, Oregon State: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Caitlin Clark, Iowa: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina: 20 points, 18 rebounds
Emily Engstler, Syracuse: 18 points, 12 rebounds
By the numbers
500: Career wins for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who reached the milestone with Sunday’s 79-53 victory vs. Mercer. Staley is in her 12th season at South Carolina and 20th overall. She previously spent eight seasons at Temple.
Staley was an All-American guard at Virginia, leading the Cavaliers to three Final Fours and a 110-21 record in four seasons. She then played for nine seasons in the WNBA with Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets and two seasons with the Richmond/Philadelphia Rage of the defunct ABL. Staley helped the U.S. win gold medals at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
300: Career 3-pointers made by Stanford guard Kiana Williams, a former Wagner standout. Williams, a senior, reached the mark with six 3-pointers during the Cardinal’s 87-44 triumph Sunday over Utah Valley. Candice Wiggins held the previously mark with 295 3-pointers.
Quotable quotes
“It’s like when you put those horses in the Kentucky Derby and they’re in those gates and they’re kind of chomping at the bit to get out of it. I think having been here since Tuesday night, our kids were just ready to play. I was ready to be on that sideline. It’s been a long time.” – Baylor coach Kim Mulkey on team’s urgency in 101-52 victory vs. Jackson State
“That makes me a little star-struck in a way. She’s somebody I grew up watching, modeling my game after, so to have somebody like her say that about my game, it means a lot. And I think women that watch the women’s basketball game appreciate the young players, appreciate the game more than anything, and they just love watching it. So, it’s special that she says that to me and I think that’s one of the biggest compliments that you can receive.” — Iowa freshman guard Caitlin Clark being called “most exciting player” in college basketball by legendary Sue Bird
“We’d rather play High Point.” — Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman about his team’s second-round game vs. either Connecticut or High Point
“It was just a good game for us to kind of get the kinks out. We’ve been off for a week, and I think that first quarter we were able to get some of those mistakes (out) that we made, on both offensive and defensive ends.” – West Virginia guard Kysre Gondrezick
Twitter: @sa_terrence1
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