South Dakota records first NCAA tourney win in day of upsets

The NCAA Tournament is officially underway, and the first-round matchups Friday provided plenty of drama to kick off March Madness.

No. 1 South Carolina charged to a staggering 79-21 win over Howard, holding the Bison to the fewest points ever in a women’s NCAA Tournament game. As the Gamecocks dominated, other top teams wavered, with early upsets shaking up tournament brackets.

No. 10 Creighton stunned No. 7 Colorado, downing the Buffaloes 84-74 in their first-round matchup. Morgan Maly led the Bluejays with 20 points, while Molly Mogensen and Lauren Jensen added 16 points each. Creighton moves on to face No. 2 Iowa in the second round Sunday in Iowa City.

No. 10 South Dakota recorded the first Division I NCAA Tournament win in program history on Friday, defeating No. 7 Ole Miss 75-61. Hannah Sjerven and Chloe Lamb each notched 20 points in the victory, while South Dakota as a team outshot Ole Miss 55.8 to 39 percent. The Coyotes will take on No. 2 Baylor at the Ferrell Center on Sunday.

No. 12 FGCU took down No. 5 Virginia Tech, 84-81, in a tight first-round matchup. Four Eagles players finished in double digits to overcome Elizabeth Kitley’s 42 points for the Hokies, and FGCU gave up just three turnovers to Virginia Tech’s 10. No. 4 Maryland awaits FGCU in College Park on Sunday.

No. 9 Gonzaga rounded out Friday’s series of upsets, bouncing No. 8 Nebraska 68-55 in the first round. Kayleigh Truong led the Bulldogs with 20 points, while Melody Kempton and Yvonne Ejim added 14 points each. Gonzaga outshot Nebraska 46.4 to 32.1 percent and out-rebounded the Cornhuskers 40-33. The Bulldogs will face No. 1 Louisville on Sunday.

The first round of the NCAA Tournament continues Saturday, with second-round action tipping off Sunday.