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The 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament is underway with Baylor, UConn, Stanford and Tennessee claiming the No. 1 seeds, in that order. The Huskies cruised past Hartford, 75-39, in first-round play on Sunday. Read more at The UConn Blog.
Tiffany Hayes scored 12 points and had five rebounds and five assists as No. 1 seed Connecticut cruised past No. 16 seed Hartford, 75-39, in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon in Storrs, CT.
Connecticut (33-1) will face the winner of No. 8 seed Kansas State and No. 9 seed Purdue on Tuesday night.
The Huskies jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead with 16:14 left in the opening half and built their lead to 40-17 entering halftime. UConn continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Hartford, 35-22.
Maya Moore (seven rebounds), Stefanie Dolson (seven rebounds) and Bria Hartley (four rebounds) all scored 12 points for UConn, which was very efficient from the field, shooting 49.2% (30-for-61 FG). Kelly Faris scored 10 points and Lorin Dixon added seven points off the bench.
UConn collected 43 rebounds (12 offensive), 20 assists, six steals, one block and turned the ball over 11 times.
Alex Hall scored 10 points to lead the way for Hartford (17-16), which was held to 31.5% shooting (17-for-54). Ruthanne Doherty had seven points, Nikkia Smith added six points and both Amanda Weaver and Alyssa Englert finished with four points off the bench for the Hawks.
With Sunday's loss, Hartford has now lost all 12 meetings with the Connecticut Huskies.
The first day of the 2011 Women's NCAA Tournament is in the books, and it featured its fair share of landslide victories and shocking updates, as any good March Madness day should.
In the day's biggest blowout, No. 1 seed Tennessee obliterated No. 16 seed Stetson, 99-34, in Knoxville, TN. Shekinna Stricklen scored 15 points to lead the Volunteers (32-2), who held a 55-20 lead entering halftime and outscored the Hatters 44-14 in the final twenty minutes. Victoria McGowan had even points and seven rebounds for Stetson (20-13).
Another blowout came in Stanford, CA where the top-seeded Cardinal trounced No. 16 seed UC Davis, 86-59. Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 22 points and seven rebounds for Stanford (30-2), which led 42-30 at the intermission and outscored the Aggies (24-9) in the final half, 44-29. Paige Mintun had 17 points and seven boards for UC Davis.
One of the day's biggest upsets came in Spokane, WA where No. 11 seed Gonzaga topped No. 6 seed Iowa, 92-86. Courtney Vandersloot scored 34 points and had seven assists for the Bulldogs (29-4), who trailed 44-27 at the break but outscored the Hawkeyes 55-42 in the second half to preserve the win. Jaime Print had 25 points for Iowa.
No. 10 seed Temple upset No. seed 7 Arizona State, 63-45, in Salt Lake City, UT. Victoria Macauley finished with 12 points to lead Temple (24-8). Kimberly Brandon had 11 points to lead the way for Arizona State (20-11).
In University Park, PA, No. 6 seed Penn State took care of business against No. 11 seed Dayton, winning 75-66. Alex Bentley scored 25 points and had four assists for the Lady Lions (25-9). Patrice Lalor scored 18 points and had 11 assists in the loss for the Flyers (21-12).
No. 10 seed Marist upset No. 7 seed Iowa State, 74-64, in Durham, N.C. Kate Oliver had 16 points to pace Marist (31-2). Anna Prins scored 25 points to lead the way for the Cyclones (22-11).
No. 5 seed Georgia Tech downed No. 12 seed Bowling Green, 69-58. Sasha Goodlett scored 19 to led the Yellow Jackets (24-10) while Lauren Prochaska also had 19 points to lead the Falcons (28-5).
In Knoxville, No. 8 seed Marquette held off No. 9 seed Texas, 68-65. Angel Robinson totaled 19 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles (24-8). Kristen Nash scored 19 points to lead the Longhorns (19-14).
Back in University Park, PA, No. 3 seed DePaul fended off No. 14 seed Navy, 56-43. Felicia Chester had a solid all-around game for DePaul (28-6), amassing 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Jade Geif had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Midshipmen (20-12).
No. 2 seed Duke toppled No. 15 seed Tennessee-Martin, 90-45. Jasmine Thomas scored 18 for Duke (30-3) and Heather Butler scored 15 points to lead the way for the Skyhawks (21-11).
Ohio State, the No. 4 seed, beat No. 13 UCF, 80-69. Jantel Lavender collected 30 points and 11 boards for the Buckeyes (23-9). D'Nay Daniels had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights (22-11).
No. 5 seed North Carolina bested No. 12 seed Fresno State, 82-68. Italee Lucas scored 22 points to lead UNC (27-8) while Hayley Munro scored 15 points and dished out four assists for the Bulldogs (25-8).
In another upset, No. 9 seed St. John's topped No. 8 seed Texas Tech, 55-50. Nadirah McKenith finished with 14 points and seven rebounds to pace the Red Storm (22-10). Casey Morris scored 10 for the Lady Raiders (22-11).
No. 4 seed Kentucky escaped No. 13 seed Hampton, 66-62, in overtime. Keyla Snowden scored 19 points for the Wildcats (25-8) and Choicetta McMillan finished with 19 points for the Pirates (26-7), who were held to just six points in the day's only overtime game.
In Spokane, No. 3 seed UCLA posted a 55-47 win over No. 14 seed Montana. Jasmine Dixon had 15 points for UCLA (28-4). Alyssa Smith totaled 14 points in the loss for the Lady Griz (18-15).
Last but certainly not least, No. 2 seed Notre Dame took care of business against No. 15 seed Utah, topping the Utes 67-54. Natalie Novosel and Skylar Diggins both scored 20 points for the Fighting Irish (27-7). Iwalani Rodrigues scored 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Utes (18-17).
The 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament begins on Saturday with 16 first-round games. Baylor, UConn, Stanford and Tennessee are the No. 1 seeds, in that order, entering play on Saturday.
The Huskies (32-1) do not play until Sunday when they face No. 16 seed Hartford (17-15) at 12:05 p.m. EDT.
While UConn is the only local team in the Big Dance, there is plenty of action going on around the league. The complete bracket for the 2011 Women's NCAA Tournament is viewable below.
Left Bracket
Philadelphia Region
No. 1 Connecticut Huskies vs. No. 16 Hartford, Sun., noon in Storrs
No. 8 Kansas St. Wildcats vs. No. 9 Purdue Boilermakers, Sun., 2:30 in Storrs
No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas vs. No. 12 Princeton, Sun., 2:30 in College Park
No. 4 Maryland Terrapins vs. No. 13 St. Francis, Sun. noon in College Park
No. 6 Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. No. 11 Dayton, Sat., 11 am in University Park
No. 3 DePaul vs. No. 14 Navy, Sat., 1:30 in University Park
No. 7 Iowa St. Cyclones vs. No. 10 Marist, Sat., 11 am in Durham
No. 2 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 15 Tennessee-Martin, Sat., 1:30 in Durham
Dayton Region
No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers vs. No. 16 Stetson, Sat.,11 am, Knoxville
No. 8 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. No. 9 Texas Longhorns, Sat., 1:30, Knoxville
No. 5 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. No. 12 Bowling Green, Sat.,11 am, Columbus
No. 4 Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. No. 13 UCF, Sat., 1:30, Columbus
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 11 James Madison, Sun., 2:30, Charlottesville
No. 3 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 14 Gardner-Webb, Sun, noon, Charlottesville
No. 7 Arizona St. Sun Devils vs. No. 10 Temple Owls, Sat., 4, Salt Lake City
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 15 Utah Utes, Sat., 6:30, Salt Lake City
Right Bracket
Dallas Region
No. 1 Baylor Bears vs. No. 16 Prairie View, Sun., 7:30 in Waco
No. 8 Houston Cougars vs. No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers, Sun., 5 in Waco
No. 5 Green Bay vs. No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock, Sun., 5 in Wichita
No. 4 Michigan St. Spartans vs. No. 13 Northern Iowa, Sun., 7:30 in Wichita
No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 11 MTSU, Sun., 7:30 in Auburn
No. 3 Florida St. Seminoles vs. No. 14 Samford, Sun., 5 in Auburn
No. 7 Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. No. 10 Louisiana Tech, Sun., 7:30 in Shreveport
No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 15 McNeese State, Sun., 5 in Shreveport
Spokane Region
No. 1 Stanford Cardinal vs. No. 16 UC-Davis, Sat., 6:30 in Stanford
No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 9 St. John's Red Storm, Sat., 4 in Stanford
No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. No. 12 Fresno State, Sat., 4 in Albuquerque
No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 13 Hampton, Sat., 6:30 in Albuquerque
No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs, Sat., 4 in Spokane
No. 3 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 14 Montana, Sat., 6:30, in Spokane
No. 7 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores, Sun., noon, Cincinnati
No. 2 Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 15 South Dakota State, Sun., 2:30, Cincinnati
Looking for a printable bracket for the 2011 Women's NCAA Tournament? SB Nation has you covered. For more on March Madness, visit SB Nation's NCAA Basketball hub.
Women's NCAA Tournament 2011: UConn, Baylor, Michigan State Among Sunday's Winners
The second day of the 2011 Women's NCAA Tournament is over, and just like on day one, there was a plethora of games. The two No. 1 seeds in action advanced while No. 4 seed Michigan State survived a scare. Here's a brief look at all of the day's action.
Top-seed Connecticut steamrolled No. 16 seed Hartford, 75-39. The Huskies (33-1) were led by 12-point performances from Maya Moore, Tiffany Hayes, Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson. Alex Hall scored 10 points in the losing effort for the Hawks (17-16).
No. 1 seed Baylor bested No. 16 seed Prairie Seed A&M, 66-30. Brittney Griner and Brooklyn Pope both scored 17 points for the Bears (32-2). Siarra Soliz led the way with 12 points for the Panthers (21-12).
In Wichita, Kansas, No. 4 seed Michigan State edged No. 13 seed Northern Iowa, winning 69-66. Kalisha Keane scored 17 points and had six assists for the Spartans (27-5). Jacqui Kalin finished with 21 points for the Panthers (27-6).
More Women's NCAA Tournament Scores
No. 7 Louisville defeats No. 10 Vanderbilt, 81-62.
No. 3 Miami defeats No. 14 Gardner-Webb, 80-62.
No. 4 Maryland defeats No. 13 St. Francis (PA), 70-48.
No. 9 Purdue defeats No. 8 Kansas State, 53-45.
No. 2 Xavier defeats No. 15 South Dakota State, 72-56.
No. 6 Oklahoma defeats No. 11 James Madison, 86-72.
No. 5 Georgetown defeats No. 12 Princeton, 65-49.
No. 2 Texas A&M defeats No. 15 McNeese State, 87-47.
No. 9 West Virginia defeats No. 8 Houston, 79-73.
No. 3 Florida State defeats No. 14 Samford, 76-46.
No. 5 Green Bay defeats No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock, 59-55.
No. 7 Rutgers defeats No. 10 Louisiana Tech, 76-51.
No. 6 Georgia defeats No. 11 Mid Tennessee, 56-41.
Mar 20 11:00p by Gethin Coolbaugh