Iowa State Advances;
Fresno St. and Wyoming Fall
www.aussiehoopsamerica.com
23 Mar 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Alison Lacey came through when Iowa State needed her the most.
Lacey hit a running shot in the lane with 47.4 seconds left and added two free throws to lift Iowa State past Georgia Tech 58-55 Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the Greensboro Regional.
Freshman Kelsey Bolte's long-range shooting helped the seventh-seeded Cyclones (21-12) build a 13-point lead, and they hung on at the end to advance to a second-round game Monday night against Rutgers.
"Today was a microcosm of our season," Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. "We don't look fancy, but we get the job done."
Jill Ingram hit two 3-pointers in an 11-2 run that drew 10th-seeded Georgia Tech (22-10) to 52-50, and the Yellow Jackets trailed 54-53 when Jacqua Williams scored on a follow shot with 2:43 to play.
Tech then misfired on two chances to take the lead, Williams getting her shot blocked by Jocelyn Anderson and Alex Montgomery missing an open 3-point attempt.
That's when Lacey delivered, spinning in the lane for a basket with 1 second on the shot clock to put ISU up 56-53. After Ingram scored on an easy drive down the lane to make it a one-point game again, Williams fouled Lacey going for a steal with 12 seconds left and the sophomore from Canberra, Australia, made both free throws. She finished with nine points. Full Story
Fresno State Falls To Baylor
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) - Baylor's imposing frontline was the perfect complement for the Bears' biggest weapon: point guard Angela Tisdale.
The 5-foot-7 Tisdale scored 26 points and her taller teammates dominated on the boards in Baylor's 88-67 victory over Fresno State on Saturday in the opening round of the women's NCAA tournament.
"She's the key to our offense," said Baylor junior forward Rachel Allison of Tisdale's floor leadership.
Baylor (25-6), the 2005 national champion, never trailed against the Bulldogs (22-11), who were first- and short-time visitors to the tournament.
The No. 3-seeded Bears, with Tisdale scoring seven points, took control with a 17-2 run that put Baylor up 27-11 with just under 9 minutes left in the first half. The closest the No. 14 seeded Bulldogs got after that was 27-21 on the heels of a 10-1 run.
Senior guard Tierre Wilson scored 23 points to lead Fresno State, and freshman Emma Andrews added 15. But the Bulldogs never got their 3-point reliant offense untracked against Baylor's defense.
"The difference in the game was we guarded them," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "They only made three 3s and they'd been averaging eight a game. We weren't going to let them get any open looks."
Defensively, the Bulldogs, winners of 20 of their last 22 games during their run to the WAC regular season and tournament titles, couldn't stay with the taller Bears inside and couldn't slow the speedy Tisdale, who added six assists.
She consistently broke down the Bulldogs' defense with her drives into the lane.
"She can shoot the 3s and they have to get out and guard her, but she is quick off the bounce too, so they have to stay down," said Allison, who finished with 21 points. "She's got both options available to her and when she does get to the paint, it opens up everybody else."
Baylor, making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament, had a 49-40 edge in rebounding, but the final margin was not indicative of the Bears' dominance inside, which included 23 offensive rebounds.
Fresno State's Hayley Munro finished with 4 points and 6 boards. Full Story
Pitt Defeats Wyoming
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) - Shavonte Zellous scored 21 points, Sophronia Sallard had 15 and Mallorie Winn hit a huge 3-pointer with 2:27 remaining to help Pittsburgh beat Wyoming 63-58 on Saturday in the NCAA's first round.
Winn's shot put Pittsburgh (23-10) ahead for good in a seesaw contest that featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
"I was rushing my shots," said Winn, who missed her first four 3-point tries. "I felt that was the first good one I got off. I think people know I'm a 3-point shooter, so they know not to leave me open."
The No. 6 seeded Panthers (23-10) held on despite a sluggish performance by standout center Marcedes Walker, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half but was slowed by foul trouble.
"I was pretty frustrated," Walker said. "But I knew my team was playing well, so I didn't show any emotion. It's not just about me."
Pitt will meet No. 3 Baylor in the second round.
Justyna Podziemska led the No. 11 seeded Cowgirls (24-7) with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting. But Wyoming, making its first NCAA tournament appearance, just couldn't take over.
Podziemska put the Cowgirls ahead 54-53 on a 3-pointer with 4:03 remaining, but no lead held much value in this nail-biter until Winn broke free at the other end and made a shot from the left corner.
"They always say if you're a shooter you keep putting it up," Winn said.
Winn let it fly, despite an 0-for-5 effort from the floor up to that point.
"Mallorie really has a lot of confidence, and the team has a lot of confidence in her," Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said. "She could miss 10 in a row and I guarantee you that if she's open, she's still going to shoot the next one."
From there, Pitt tightened the defense and held the Cowgirls without a field goal for 3 1/2 minutes down the stretch. Walker, Winn and Zellous made 5-of-6 down the stretch from the free throw line to put it away.
Senior Hanna Zavecz had 10 points and 5 boards for the Cowgirls, finishing her stellar career at Wyoming. Rebecca Vanderjagt had 3 points for UW, also playing in her final collegiate game. Full Story
The women's tournament continues tomorrow.
Oral Roberts and Rachel Watman, a #16 seed, get the honor of playing #1 seed Tennessee in the Oklahoma City Bracket. That game takes place in West Lafayette, Indiana on Monday March 24th (Australia) at Noon time Sydney.
In the Greensboro Bracket is Minnesota and Zoe Harper. Minnesota is the #9 seed, facing #8 seed Texas in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Monday March 24th (Australia) at Noon Sydney time.
Gabby Fage and Arizona State are the #6 seed in the Oklahoma City Bracket. They take on the #11 seed Temple in College Park, Maryland on Monday March 24th (Australia) at Noon Sydney time.
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