UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey instructs players during a 102-59 win Sunday against High Point in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament in San Antonio. Eric Gay/Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — UConn did just fine without Coach Geno Auriemma, with Paige Bueckers scoring 24 points to lead the top-seeded Huskies to a 102-59 victory over High Point on Sunday night in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Auriemma is recovering from the coronavirus and missed the game. Associate head coach Chris Dailey filled in for the Hall of Famer, who is also going to miss the second-round game against Syracuse on Tuesday in the River Walk Region.
Dailey is 11-0 filling in for Auriemma over their time together at UConn (25-1).
(2) BAYLOR 101, (15) JACKSON STATE 52: Moon Ursin scored a career-high 24 points, All-American NaLyssa Smith had a double-double and second-seeded Baylor (26-2) had no problem in its tournament opener against Jackson State (19-6) in San Antonio.
(3) TENNESSEE 87, (14) MIDDLE TENNESSEE 62: Rennia Davis scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Tennessee (17-8) used a dominant second half to beat 14th-seeded Middle Tennessee (17-8) in Austin, Texas.
(4) KENTUCKY 71, (13) IDAHO STATE 63: Rhyne Howard and Chasity Patterson scored 14 points apiece and Kentucky (18-8) grinded out a win over Idaho State (22-4) in San Antonio.
(5) IOWA 87, (12) CENTRAL MICHIGAN 72: Freshman Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer, had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Monika Czinano also scored 23 points as No. 5 seed Iowa (19-9) beat 12th-seeded Central Michigan (18-9) in San Antonio.
Micaela Kelly finished with 23 points and four 3-pointers for Central Michigan.
(6) MICHIGAN 87, (11) FLORIDA GULF COAST 66: Leigha Brown scored 28 points, including 17 straight for sixth-seeded Michigan at one point, and the Wolverines (15-5) beat 11th-seed Florida Gulf Coast (26-3) in San Antonio.
(7) VIRGINIA TECH 70, (10) MARQUETTE 63: Elizabeth Kitley scored 23 points, and No. 7 Virginia Tech (15-9) built a big lead and held on for a win over Marquette (19-7) in San Marcos, Texas.
Kitley also had eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks to star for Virginia Tech, which is in the tournament for the first time since 2006.
(8) SYRACUSE 72, (9) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 55: Emily Engstler scored 18 points and made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as eighth-seeded Syracuse (15-8) pulled away from No. 9 South Dakota State (21-4) in Austin, Texas.
ALAMO REGION
(1) STANFORD 87, (16) UTAH VALLEY 44: Kiana Williams scored 20 points while becoming Stanford’s career leader in made 3-pointers, and six teammates also hit from long range as the top-seeded Cardinal (26-2) overwhelmed Utah Valley (13-7) in San Antonio.
(8) OKLAHOMA STATE 84, (9) WAKE FOREST 61: Natasha Mack scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead eighth-seeded Oklahoma State (19-8) past No. 9 Wake Forest (12-13) in San Antonio.
Mack collected her 18th double-double of the season to send Oklahoma State into a second-round matchup Tuesday against Stanford.
MERCADO REGION
(1) NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79, (16) NORTH CAROLINA A&T 58: Jada Boyd scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half to help top-seeded North Carolina State (21-2) overcome a slow start and coast past North Carolina A&T (14-3) in San Marcos, Texas.
(8) SOUTH FLORIDA 57, (9) WASHINGTON STATE 53: Elena Tsineke scored 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:32 remaining, to help South Florida (19-3) beat Washington State (12-12) in Austin, Texas.
HEMISFAIR REGION
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA 79, (16) MERCER 53: Dawn Staley got her 500th career victory when Aliyah Boston and the top-seeded Gamecocks (23-4) beat Mercer (19-7) in San Antonio.
Boston had 20 points and 18 rebounds. Victaria Saxton also scored 20 points.
(4) WEST VIRGINIA 77, (13) LEHIGH 53: Kysre Gondrezick scored 26 points, Esmery Martinez had a double-double and West Virginia (22-6) used a couple of big runs to race past Lehigh (11-5) in San Antonio.
(5) GEORGIA TECH 54, (12) STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 52: Lorela Cubaj recovered from a scary fall to score 14 points, including the go-ahead free throws in overtime, and fifth-seeded Georgia Tech (16-8) came back from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat No. 12-seed Stephen F. Austin (24-3) in San Antonio.
(8) OREGON STATE 83, (9) FLORIDA STATE 59: Aleah Goodman scored 24 points with five rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers, and No. 8-seed Oregon State (12-7) beat ninth-seeded Florida State (10-9) in San Antonio.
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