WACO, Texas -- Kalani Brown had 17 points and 11 rebounds while playing only 18 minutes and top-seeded Baylor overwhelmed women's NCAA Tournament first-timer Abilene Christian 95-38 in a first-round game Saturday.
Brown, a 6-foot-7 senior center, had 10 of her points as Baylor (32-1) scored the game's first 20 points.
The perennial Big 12 champion Lady Bears, the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team field, won their 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament game on their home court since 2011. This season, their 24-game winning streak is the nation's longest and they have won 38 in a row at home.
Lauren Cox, Baylor's 6-4 post, had 14 points in 17 minutes and was on the bench with Brown and other starters throughout the fourth quarter.
Juicy Landrum, another starter, had 14 points with three 3-pointers in 19 minutes.
Coach Kim Mulkey freely substituted during the game, with five freshmen on the court together at times and all of them playing at least 14 minutes.
That included NaLyssa Smith with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes, and Aquira DeCosta making three 3s and scoring 11 points in 16 minutes.
Abilene Christian had four players who entered the game averaging double figures in scoring.
Lexi Kirgan, not part of that quartet, had a team-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting for the Wildcats, who shot only 25 percent (15 of 61) and were outrebounded 61-25.
KENTUCKY 82, PRINCETON 77
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Taylor Murray scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half, and Kentucky beat Princeton.
Kentucky, one of the nation's leaders in turnover margin, turned Princeton's 16 turnovers into 22 points and shot 50 percent but could never get comfortable against the 11th-seeded Tigers.
CALIFORNIA 92,
NORTH CAROLINA 72
WACO, Texas -- Kristine Anigwe extended her season-long streak of double-doubles with 18 points and 22 rebounds as California rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half to beat North Carolina.
Anigwe scored all but two of her points after halftime for the Golden Bears (20-12), the No. 8 seed in the Greensboro Regional.
Paris Kea had 22 points to lead North Carolina (18-15).
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 63, MAINE 51
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Kiara Leslie scored 20 points as North Carolina State beat Maine. Freshman Elissa Cunane added 16 points in her first tournament game and Kai Crutchfield had 14 points to help the third-seeded Wolfpack (27-5). N.C. State shot 46 percent, raced out to a big halftime lead and spent the second half holding onto it.
ALBANY REGIONAL
UCLA 89,
TENNESSEE 77
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- UCLA put a rapid end to Tennessee's 38th consecutive appearance in the women's NCAA Tournament, blunting a second-half comeback bid and using an impressive performance by Michaela Onyenwere to secure a opening-round victory.
After going up by 16 early in the third quarter, UCLA fell behind 65-62 with 5 minutes left in the game and forged a tie at 70 with 3:34 remaining before rattling off 10 consecutive points.
OREGON STATE 80,
BOISE STATE 75, OT
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Mikayla Pivec had 20 points and 12 rebounds and No. 4 seed Oregon State withstood a major scare from No. 13 seed Boise State for an overtime victory.
Aleah Goodman added 20 points for the Beavers (25-7).
Marta Hermida had 22 points for the Broncos (21-12), vying to become the first No. 13 seed to beat a No. 4 since Marist topped Georgia in 2012.
MARYLAND 73,
RADFORD 51
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Taylor Mikesell scored 16 points, Kaila Charles had 14 points and nine rebounds, and No. 3 seed Maryland used a relentless defensive effort to overpower Radford.
Stephanie Jones added 12 points and Shakira Austin tallied 11 for the Terrapins, who advanced to the second round for the 15th time in 15 tries under Coach Brenda Frese.
Sports on 03/24/2019