March Madness is officially here and it's been as wild as the name implies. Although we're just through the first round, there have been upsets, massive comebacks, and history made on the women's side of the tournament. In case you missed it, here's a rundown of the action so far.

March 17

Georgia vs. Florida State

The Georgia Bulldogs (22-11) defeated the Florida State Seminoles (23-10) 66-54 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region, and the Bulldogs might have had a little help. Florida State announced Thursday morning that they had only eight players available for the tournament. Freshman guard Ta'Niya Latson and sophomore guard O'Mariah Gordon would not be able to play for the remainder of the season due to injuries.

In the first round, Georgia's senior guard Diamond Battles scored 21 points, while her teammate, senior guard Audrey Warren, added 11. The team made 28.6% of their shots in the first quarter. 

Although Florida State took an early lead, they couldn't hold onto it as they missed shots in the second half. They struggled offensively, shooting 26.9% from the field for the game, and only 22.9% in the second half. Senior guard Taylor O'Brien tallied 15 points while senior forward Erin Howard posted an impressive 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Florida State.

After Georgia took a 43-40 lead with 2:03 left in the third quarter, they went on a 14-0 run that put them up by 10 points early in the fourth quarter. Florida State was not be able to catch up for the rest of the game. 

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The 10th-seeded Bulldogs (22-11) progressed to Sunday's second round where they lost to compete against 2nd-seed Iowa. However, Friday's victory ensured that Georgia advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row.

Iowa vs. Southeastern Louisiana (SLU)

The Iowa Hawkeyes (27-6) set the standard high by defeating the Southeastern Louisiana Lions (21-10) by a score of 95-43 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region. Junior Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark began the game by sinking her first four shots and kept the Hawkeyes ahead with 12 early points and Senior forward Monika Czinano added 22 points to the victory. Iowa was ahead 28-17 at the end of the first quarter and 54-32 by halftime. Iowa shot 60% for the game, with an impressive 60.6% accuracy in the first half alone.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Czinano and Clark accounting for the first 7 points. Iowa's defense shined, keeping the Lady Lions to a mere 25.4% shooting for the game, including 3 of 32 from the field in the second half. Czinano, who ranked third in the nation for field-goal percentage after leading the country in that category for two consecutive seasons, made 10 of her 12 shots. She also had eight rebounds. Although the Lions only made 3-of-22 shots in the second half, they were led by Cierria Cunningham, who scored a respectable 15 points. 

While Iowa played exceptionally well, the Lady Lions put up a fight and never looked shaken. The 2nd-ranked Hawkeyes advanced on to play in Sunday's second round against the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs where the Hawkeyes won decisively 74-66.

Ole Miss vs. Gonzaga

In their first NCAA Tournament win in 16 years, the Ole Miss Rebels (24-8) defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-5) 71-48 in a resounding win on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region. This game was the eighth time this season the Rebels have held an opponent to under 50 points, breaking a program NCAA Tournament record of fewest points allowed by holding the Bulldogs to 48.

In the process, Ole Miss dismantled one of the nation's most efficient offenses. Gonzaga, which boasts the nation's best 3-point shooting percentage, went 0-for-17 from beyond the arc in Wednesday's game. The Bulldogs also struggled from the field, shooting 29.3%, their lowest scoring output of the season.

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Ole Miss Junior guard Snudda Collins helped the Rebels take control of Friday's game. Collins tallied 10 points in the second quarter, including a spectacular four-point play, which helped Ole Miss go on a 17-5 run and take a 34-21 lead into the halftime break. The Rebels only extended their lead after that. Ole Miss had a 25-10 scoring edge over Gonzaga in the third quarter. Collins led the team with 15 points. Junior forward Madison Scott (11) and senior guard Angel Baker (11) also scored in double digits. Senior guard Myah Taylor led Ole Miss with four assists, while Scott notched her 11th double-double of the season by finishing with 10 rebounds.

Southern California vs. South Dakota State

Having not won a March Madness game since 2006, USC has yet to taste victory in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament–South Dakota State (29-5) won in overtime against USC (21-10), 62-57 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region. Despite this loss, USC's season ends with a 21-10 record, which is nine wins more than last year. 

South Dakota State won the game in overtime after USC senior guard Destiny Littleton missed a three-pointer with 14 seconds left. The Trojans have had a strong defensive campaign this season, however the team has repeatedly failed to produce on offense – as was evident in the loss against South Dakota State. Overall, USC's shooting percentage was 31%, and they had 20 turnovers.

South Dakota State's senior forward Myah Selland had a game-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting. The only other Jackrabbit to score 10 or more points was sophomore guard Paige Meyer, with 16. Littleton added 18 points to USC's scoreboard. USC Sophomore guard Rayah Marshall had an impressive game, scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks.

With the opportunity to tie the game if they scored, USC had the ball with 16 seconds left and were down by three points. USC guard Okako Adika missed a three-point shot, but Marshall got the offensive rebound and passed it to Littleton who made a left-wing three-pointer, tying the game and sending it into overtime.

South Dakota State lost  against No. 1 seed Virginia Tech in the next round. Virginia Tech will play the winner of Tennessee/Toledo in the Sweet 16.

Stanford vs. Sacred Heart

The Stanford Cardinals (29-5) end the Sacred Heart Pioneers (19-14) historic season just two days after the Pioneers won their first NCAA tournament game, with a First Four win of 92-49 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region.

Stanford was missing one of its two All-Americans for one of their most crucial games of the season–junior forward Cameron Brink sat out due to an illness. But the Cardinal still started the game strong, leading 23-18 after the first quarter. They then went on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and never looked back, outscoring SHU 69-31 over the next three quarters combined. However, the Pioneers put up much of a fight during the first quarter with multiple leads. “That will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Sacred Heart freshman guard Ny'Ceara Pryor told the Washington Post. “We stayed with Stanford in the first quarter.” 

Pryor was a top scorer for SHU with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists. Fellow freshman guard Amelia Wood and junior center Kelsey Wood added eight points each.

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Five Cardinal players achieved double digits in scoring, with senior guard Haley Jones leading the way at 17 points. Senior forward Fran Bilibi and senior guard Hannah Jump both achieved double-doubles–Bilibi with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jump with 12 points and 10 assists.

However, in the next round, Stanford lost against No. 8 Ole Miss in a thriller of a game.

Virginia Tech vs. Chattanooga

The Virginia Tech Hokies (28-4) defeated the Chattanooga Moccasins (20-13) 58-33 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Seattle Region.

Virginia Tech, who are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third year running, were never behind in scoring–the Hokies were ahead by one point late in the first quarter, but used a 17-0 run to pull away and extend their lead in the second quarter. Chattanooga, which was appearing in its first NCAA Tournament since 2017, had difficulty competing against Virginia Tech's assertive defense. In the first half, the Moccasins only made six field goals and shot 28.6% (14 out of 49) for the entire game.

Hokie Junior guard Georgia Amoore scored 22 points, while Senior center Elizabeth Kitley added 12. The Hokies scored 23 of their 48 shots, equating to a 47.9% success rate. Senior guard Kayana Traylor put up 12 points and Senior forward Taylor Soule added 10.

Amoore's five 3-pointers give her 99 on the season, surpassing Aisha Sheppard's school record of 96.

March 18

Baylor v. Alabama

The Alabama women's basketball team (20-10) jumped out to a double-digit lead against Baylor, but they faltered during the next three quarters and ended up losing 78-74 to the Bears (19-12).

No. 10 seed Alabama had an early lead over Baylor as senior guard Brittany Davis put up 10 points and led by 18 points in the first quarter. Alabama was up in the half, but Baylor jumped ahead for a 16-4 run to lead in the third quarter. With 1:30 left, the score was tied at 71 between both teams, but Alabama ended up taking the lead with a layup by senior center Jada Rice. However, Baylor was able to escape with a last-minute win on the foul line.

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Baylor tallied 50 points in the second and third quarters, making 17 out of 29 shots from the field. This included a streak of 11 successful 3-pointers out of 13 attempts.

This season, Alabama's success has often been determined by Davis' performance and this past Saturday was no different as she tied her career high at 33 points. Davis delivered a strong performance on the biggest stage this season, scoring 15 of the Crimson Tide's first 22 points. At the end of the first half, she had 22 points from 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-or-5 on 3-point attempts.

Colorado vs. Middle Tennessee

The Colorado Buffaloes (25-8) defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (28-6) 82-60 in the first round. Colorado went on a 12-0 first-quarter run to take an early 17-6 lead with 3-pointers from senior guard Tayanna Jones and junior guard Frida Formann, followed by one from freshman forward Brianna McLeod. The Lady Raiders struggled from the field, shooting just 25-of-64.

The Buffaloes followed up by ending the quarter with a three-point play, putting them ahead 22-11. Colorado made 5 out of 9 3-point shots in the first 10 minutes.The advantage remained at 11 for much of the second quarter until senior guard Savannah Wheeler's three-point play followed by two free throws from sophomore center Anastasiia Boldyreva reduced it to 28-22.

MTSU was down by just 5 points at the end of the quarter, but watched Colorado go on a 9-0 run to extend their lead. The Buffaloes had a four-point possession and Kindyll Wetta made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the final 45 seconds.

Colorado was up by 31 at one point in the fourth quarter. Formann ended with 21 points, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range.

Duke vs. Iona

The Iona Gaels (26-8) fell to the Duke Blue Devils (27-6) 89-49 in the first round. The Gaels struggled to get going and allowed their opponents to rack up the most first-half points of the season–this was also their second lowest scoring half of the season. The Blue Devils hadn't been scoring very well in their last three games, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them find their shooting touch again. Duke has defeated five teams this season by 40 or more points.

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Blue Devils senior guard Celeste Taylor and senior forward Elizabeth Balogun were both leading scorers with 13 points each in Saturday night's game. Junior center Kennedy Brown and junior guard Jordyn Oliver both contributed 10 points as the Blue Devils sank 57.1% of their shots from the field. 

At halftime, Duke was leading 47-16. The team had shot 60.6% from the field and ten players had scored in the first half. Iona had only gone for 20 shots from the field in the first half, with one free throw.

Iowa St. vs. Toledo

The Toledo Rockets (30-4) upended the Iowa State Cyclones (22-11) 80-73. The victory over the Cyclones was the Rocket's 17th-straight win. 

Toledo's Khera Goss put the team on the board early with a three-pointer just 31 seconds into the first quarter. Emily Ryan and Ashley Joens scored nine of the next eleven points to put Iowa State in the lead, 9-5. But Toledo took the lead at 13-11 with a three-pointer from Sophia Wiard, but Iowa State evened the score with a basket just seconds later. The Cyclones pulled ahead of the Rockets in the last five minutes of the quarter and took a 23-20 lead into halftime.

Quinesha Lockett tallied 24 points and 13 rebounds as 12th-seeded Toledo beat No. 5 seed Iowa State 80-73 for Saturday's second major upset of the women's NCAA Tournament. 

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Toledo remained ahead when Garcia scored a layup with 7:52 left in the second, outscoring Iowa State 23-13 in the second for a 43-36 lead into halftime. Going into the fourth, Toledo led 61-53.

With 29.4 seconds left, Denae Fritz hit a three to bring Iowa State within 78-73. The Rockets didn't score after Lockett's layup with 3:35 remaining, but sealed the victory by sinking its final eight free throws in the last 63 seconds.

Toledo made 30 of 62 shots (48.4%) overall and made 18 of 32 shots (56.3%) in the first half.

Louisville vs Drake

The Louisville Cardinals (25-11) triumphed over the Drake Bulldogs (22-11) with a final score of 83-81.

Louisville senior forward Liz Dixon made a basket as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, putting the Cardinals  ahead 56-54. Louisville led for the entirety of the game but Drake scored to tie it at 75 with 1:22 left. Then, junior guard Hailey Van Lith hit a jumper to make it 77-75.

Senior guard Mykasa Robinson made 1 of 2 free throws at 0:20, and the Cardinals got a stop afterwards. After Drake hit two free throws, Van Lith made a layup and was fouled after Louisville called two timeouts. She hit the free throw to put her team up 81-77 with 16.5 seconds left on the clock.

With 13 seconds left and the score at 81-80, the Bulldogs hit a three-pointer. Van Lith's two free throws then put them ahead 83-80. Louisville then committed a foul with three seconds left and Drake hit 1 of 2 free throws. Robinson grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock.

Van Lith racked up 13 points and two key assists in the final 10 minutes, nailing several clutch baskets late as the Cardinals survived 83-81 over Drake in the first round.

North Carolina vs. St. John's (NY)

No. 6 seed North Carolina (21-10) barely clinched a 61-59 victory over 11th-seeded St. John's (23-10) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, with North Carolina junior guard Deja Kelly sinking a go-ahead three-point play 2 seconds before the buzzer.

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St. John's senior forward Danielle Patterson hit a 3-pointer with 6:39 left on the clock, putting the Tar Heels down by their first points of the game. Senior guard Mimi Reid made a layup with 6 seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at 58, preventing either team from taking the lead.

Kelly drove down the left lane and made a free throw to finish the game-winning score. After a timeout, Patterson was shooting a 3-pointer with less than 2 seconds left. This gave the Red Storm one more chance as Patterson was fouled–she missed the first two free throws, but then made the third, dashing any hopes the Red Storm had of tying the game. Kelly's 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting led North Carolina, with junior guard Kennedy Todd-Williams adding 14 points and junior guard Alyssa Ustby totaling 13. The Tar Heels had a shooting percentage of 42.1%.

St. John's opened the game by making 1-of-14 from the field, quickly falling behind 12-3 against their opponents. However, senior guard Jayla Everett led a 7-0 run late in the first quarter with five of her team-leading 17 points, evening up the score. Patterson racked up 13 points and Reid scored 10.

Ohio St. vs. James Madison

No. 3 seed Ohio State (25-7)held off a upset bid by No. 14 James Madison (26-7), winning 80-66 behind 18 points from freshman forward Cotie McMahon. Ohio State took the lead when McMahon made a 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the third quarter and the Buckeyes held onto the lead from that point onwards. They found themselves down by 16 at halftime, but then went on a 12-0 run to erase the deficit. 

Senior Ohio State guard, Jacy Sheldon, tallied 8 points in the fourth quarter, 3 of which came during an 8-0 run. Sophomore forward Taylor Thierry shot 7 of 8, scoring 15 points before fouling out. Senior guard Taylor Mikesell scored 14 points. At halftime, the Buckeyes were behind 37-34 and shot 31.3% from the field.

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James Madison had a 26-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and was shooting 50% from the field. However, the Dukes struggled in the second half, shooting only 37.9% and turning it over a season-high 21 times. Senior guard Kiki Jefferson was the top scorer for the Dukes with 17 points and junior guard Jamia Hazell added 10. 

Texas vs. East Carolina

The East Carolina Pirates were defeated by the Texas Longhorns 79-40. Shaylee Gonzales was the  top scorer for Texas with 20 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, and also had six rebounds. Rori Harmon tallied 12 assists and six points while DeYona Gaston posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Texas made 50% of their 3-point shots, sinking 5 out of 10 attempts and Gonzales surpassed the 2,000 career points mark during the victory.

ECU's 16 turnovers coupled with a tough Longhorn defense allowed Texas to win the game while only shooting 54%. The Longhorns defense was strong, holding the Pirates to 18% shooting and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. East Carolina had 10% of their field goals assisted while Texas had 74% of their field goals assisted. The Pirates were equally successful from the foul line as they were from the field, sinking 20 of 26 free throws.

UConn vs. Vermont

The second-seeded Huskies  (29-5) cruised to a 95-52 victory over the 15th-seeded Vermont Catamounts (25-8) on Saturday, thanks in large part to Aaliyah Edwards' career-high 28 points and a double-double from Dorka Juhasz. With the win, Connecticut extends its streak of first round wins in the tournament to 29.

Juhasz tallied 15 points and hauled in 10 rebounds for the Hungarian's 13th double-double this season. Caroline Ducharme's 12 points assisted Connecticut in achieving its 26th 30-win season during Geno Auriemma's 38 years as coach. 

The Huskies also snapped Vermont's 17-game winning streak, with Catherine Gilwee 14 points, Emma Utterback's 13 points and Maria Myklebust's 13 points falling short of a win for the Catamounts.

UConn's first 20-point lead came at 32-12, and then Aubrey Griffin extended it with a fast break layup to make the score 48-18. The Huskies were red-hot in the first half, shooting 67% from the field (62% for the game). They took a commanding 53-20 lead into halftime. The Huskies increased their lead to as much as 46 in the second half.

March 19

Stanford vs. Ole Miss

In what was possibly the game of the year, top-seeded Stanford lost to Ole Miss 54-49 in the second round of the tournament.

Stanford was never ahead in the game, while Ole Miss led by as many as 13 points midway through the third quarter. The Cardinal offense hit a new low, managing just 20 first-half points behind missed layups and 12 turnovers and shooting just 33% from the field.

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The upset was possible because of Ole Miss's trademark defense–the Rebels were aggressive yet still managed to maintain discipline. Ole Miss defended 43 of the Cardinal's 52 field goal attempts while also grabbing more rebounds than Stanford.

Ole Miss was led by three double-digit scorers: senior guard Angel Baker with 13, senior guard Marquesha Davis with 12 and junior forward Madison Scott with 11, as well as senior center Rita Igbokwe's eight rebounds. On the Cardinal side, junior forward Cameron Brink was the player of the game, tallying 20 points 13 rebounds and seven blocks in spite of recovering from an illness. Stanford guard Haley Jones ended her collegiate career with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Ole Miss would finish the game on a 5-0 run, while Stanford made three turnovers in the final 23 seconds.

Georgia vs. Iowa 

Iowa advances to the Sweet 16 with a win over Georgia, 74-66. Junior Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark had a quiet first half, scoring zero points in 13 minutes, but came alive in the second half with 14 points. She wasn't particularly accurate, only sinking 6 of 17 shots, but she was still a powerhouse on offense–Clark was responsible for 30 of Iowa's 33 second-half points, either scoring or assisting on them.

Hawkeye senior forward Monika Czinano tallied 20 points, junior guard Gabbie Marshall scored 15 and senior forward McKenna Warnock had 14. Georgia closed the gap to 68-66 on a 3-pointer from senior guard Audrey Warren with 2:17 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs then went scoreless, committing three straight turnovers and missing a layup. Iowa built a 10-point lead in the first half, powered by Marshall and Warnock who hit five 3-pointers between them to start the second quarter. But the Bulldogs went on a 14-3 run to take a 35-34 lead, and it took a late surge by the Hawkeyes to give them a 41-40 halftime lead. Georgia was led in scoring by senior forward Brittney Smith and senior forward Javyn Nicholson, who each had 12 points. Even so, the Hawkeyes advance to the Sweet 16 where they will take on the winner of Duke/Colorado.

Virginia Tech vs. South Dakota State

Virginia Tech topped South Dakota State 72-60, advancing to the Sweet 16. 

The Hokies began the game with a flurry of activity, nailing four out of their first five three-point shots. Junior guard Georgia Amoore had two scores early on, with two senior guards, Cayla King and Kayana Traylor, each scoring one. The team surged ahead of the Jackrabbits 19-7 after the first quarter. 

The Jackrabbits outscored the Hokies 20-13 in the third quarter, despite Virginia Tech leading 46-23 at halftime. South Dakota State reduced the lead to as little as 11 in the fourth quarter. The Hokie's three-point shooting also declined in the third quarter, going 1-for-6.

On South Dakota State's side, sophomore guards Paige Meyer and Haleigh Timmer, as well as senior forward Myah Selland each scored 10 or more points. Senior forward Taylor Soule, Traylor, senior center Elizabeth Kitley and Amoore all scored over ten points for Virginia Tech. Amoore made 7 three pointers and finished with 21 total points. Kitley also registered 4 blocks and, as a result, became the program's all-time leading shot blocker by surpassing Ieva Kublina's 256 mark. 

This win propels Virginia Tech into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Tournament for only the second time ever. Second-round coverage of the women's tournament continues today with Ohio State taking on North Carolina at 4:00 EST.

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* Originally published on March 20, 2023, by Kelly Wick