TOLEDO, Ohio - Every now and then, Notre Dame Coach Muffet McGraw will let her team practice without any fouls being called.
“We want to make them tougher,” McGraw said. “We don’t want them listening to the whistle, we don’t want them complaining to the referees. We do that pretty frequently.”
It’s not easy for a team like the Fighting Irish to stay sharp when so many of their games turn quickly into routs, but top-seeded Notre Dame showed no sign of any real weakness Saturday in its NCAA Tournament opener by beating 16th-seeded Robert Morris 93-42. The unbeaten Irish led 50-15 at halftime.
Michaela Mabrey scored 11 of her 16 points in the first half for Notre Dame (33-0), and Jewell Loyd and Natalie Achonwa finished with 15 each. The Irish are trying for their fourth consecutive Final Four appearance this year. They’ll take on ninth-seeded Arizona State in the second round Monday.
“In the tournament, you can’t take anyone lightly,” said Ariel Braker, who had 10 points and eight rebounds. “Upsets happen all the time.”
Maybe so, but the Irish will have to wait at least one more game - and possibly longer - for a significant challenge in this tournament.
Notre Dame won its previous two first-round games at the NCAA Tournament by 31 and 33 points. The margin was wider than that at halftime of this one, with the Irish up by 35. Mabrey made back to-back three-pointers during a 25-4 run that made the score 32-8.
Robert Morris (21-12) shot 27 percent from the field. Artemis Spanou, one of the top players in Northeast Conference history, was held to seven points and attempted only four shots from the field.
After the game, Coach Sal Buscaglia let loose with an emotional opening statement at his news conference, his voice choking up as he went on for about three minutes about his team.
“Notre Dame’s great, and all these other people are great, but they do the same thing that they do. They work their tail off for me,” Buscaglia said. “Just because we’re not Notre Dame - and they’re great - because we’re Robert Morris doesn’t mean that these young ladies don’t do everything that they do. Everything they do!
“Did you ever go and work so hard for two-and-a half hours, and then have to take an ice bath? Try it. That’s what they do. That’s what they do for me, and they do for their school.”
ARIZONA STATE 69, VANDERBILT 61
TOLEDO, Ohio - Katie Hempen scored 16 points as ninth-seeded Arizona State handed eighth-seeded Vanderbilt a rare first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils (23-9) shot 62 percent to win a match up between two teams who struggled coming into this tournament. Arizona State had lost three in a row and six of eight. Vanderbilt’s loss Saturday was its fifth in a row and 10th in 12 games.
Marqu’es Webb scored 18 points for the Commodores (18-13), overpowering Arizona State inside, and senior star Christina Foggie added 16.
Deja Mann, Arizona State’s leading scorer, did not attempt a shot in the first half and finished with only eight points, but the Sun Devils had enough balance and depth.
KENTUCKY 106, WRIGHT STATE 60
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Jennifer O’Neill scored 21 points, Samarie Walker added 12 with 14 rebounds and third-seeded Kentucky crushed No. 14 Wright State.
Hosting their first NCAA women’s postseason game, the Wildcats (25-8) used home court and other advantages to overwhelm an undersized Raiders team making its tournament debut. Kentucky shot 55 percent from the field, grabbed a school-record 67 rebounds and recorded a season-high 12 blocks.
The Wildcats will face No. 6 Syracuse in Monday night’s second round of the Notre Dame Regional.
Ivory James had 16 points to lead Wright State (26-9).
BAYLOR 87, WESTERN KENTUCKY 74
WACO, Texas - Nina Davis had 32 points and 10 rebounds in her NCAA Tournament debut and Odyssey Sims scored 31 points for Baylor in a victory over Western Kentucky.
With Coach Kim Mulkey watching the game from her house while serving an NCAA suspension, the Lady Bears (30-4) advanced to play California after the big scoring games by the Big 12’s top freshman and their most-experienced player.
Western Kentucky (24-9) led once, but that was for less than a half-minute in the first half before Davis and Sims combined for all the Baylor points in a 14-4 run.
CALIFORNIA 64, FORDHAM 63
WACO, Texas - Brittany Boyd scored 22 points, including the game-winning jumper with 14 seconds left, and California (22-9) survived for a victory over Fordham (25-8).
California (22-9), a Final Four team last season, held on when Erin Rooney’s final shot for the Rams came up short.
There were eight ties and nine lead changes in the second half, including lead changes three times in the final 32 seconds.
SYRACUSE 59, CHATTANOOGA 53
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Syracuse guard Brittney Sykes had 13 points and 12 rebounds before injuring her right knee midway through the second half as the sixth-seeded Orange (23-9) beat Chattanooga (29-4) for its first NCAA Tournament victory.
Taylor Hall led the Lady Mocs with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
PURDUE 84, AKRON 55
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Whitney Bays scored 20 points and Courtney Moses added 12 as Purdue (22-8) routed Akron (23-10).
Akron was led by Rachel Tecca with 18 points.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, FLORIDA GULF COAST 60, OT
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Tiffany Bias’ driving layup with 41 seconds remaining in overtime lifted No. 5 seed Oklahoma State (24-8) to a victory over No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast (26-8).
Sports, Pages 29 on 03/23/2014