Women's March Madness Day 1: First-round scores, analysis

Washington defeated South Dakota State 72-54 in the first round of the 2026 women's NCAA tournament, erasing an early 10-point deficit and never trailing by more than that again.

“The first round of the 2026 women's NCAA tournament is underway as teams look to advance in the bracket”

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They led by as much as 24 in the fourth quarter.

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Avery Howell scored 30 points, hit seven 3-pointers, and had 9 assists, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 30 in an NCAA tournament game and the first Washington player with 30 points and no turnovers since Kelsey Plum in 2016.

Washington's turnaround was historic, with a 14-point halftime lead—the Huskies' biggest in an NCAA tournament game since 2001—and a 35-8 run over the final 15 minutes of the first half that keyed the win.

Brooklyn Meyer led SDSU with 29 points and 7 rebounds, and Emilee Fox knocked down four 3-pointers, but Washington limited others.

Washington will face No. 3 seed TCU in the second round, a matchup that pits Olivia Miles as a triple-double threat; the Huskies must ensure their defense is clicking early to avoid an opening hole.

Oregon cruised past Virginia Tech 70-60 in the 8-9 seed matchup, a result not as close as the final score suggests.

The Ducks led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.

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Katie Fiso scored 22 points and added four assists, one of only nine players this season to average more than 15 points and five assists.

In Megan Duffy's first NCAA tournament game as Oregon's coach, the Hokies never looked comfortable and Oregon controlled the game after an early 11-9 lead; a Virginia Tech spurt near the end of the second quarter was erased when Oregon went on an 18-0 run in the third.

Etibe Etute tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Mia Jacobs added 13 points, including 3-of-4 from three.

The Ducks have won three of their last four, their best stretch since late January, and their likely next opponent is Texas.

This was the 23rd win of the season for the Ducks, their most successful campaign since Sabrina Ionescu's senior year in 2020 when the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olivia Miles fueled TCU's win with a triple-double: 12 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists.

“The first round of the 2026 women's NCAA tournament is underway as teams look to advance in the bracket”

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Miles becomes the third player to record multiple triple-doubles in NCAA tournament play, joining Sabrina Ionescu and Nicole Powell.

The Horned Frogs shot 14-of-20 for 36 points off Miles' passes, the most points produced by one player's passes in an NCAA tournament game since 2021.

They jumped out to a 15-4 early lead and were never threatened by the Tritons, who shot just 23.0% from the field.

With Miles doing most of the setting up, three other Horned Frogs finished in double figures, led by Taylor Bigbys 27 points on 7-of-9 3-point shooting.

Clara Silva had 13 points and Marta Suarez had 11, all in the first half.

The Horned Frogs' 23 assists on their 32 field goals and 13 3-pointers marked a sharp offensive night; having that shooting stroke against either Georgia or South Dakota State in the second round will be important.

Duke defeated Charleston 81-64, setting the tone early by making it difficult for Charleston to get into any rhythm offensively.

The Cougars shot just 19% in the first half and trailed 45-26, while Charleston outscored Duke 38-36 in the second half.

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At one point, Duke coach Kara Lawson tossed her dry erase board in frustration because the Blue Devils weren't playing with the precision she knows they will need for the rest of the tournament.

That said, a lot of credit should go to Charleston junior guard Taryn Barbot, the Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year.

She had 36 points, the fourth 30-plus game this season and 10th of her career, the most Duke has allowed to any player this season.

It's the most points the Blue Devils have allowed to any player this season -- and they have played a difficult schedule.

Ultimately, the ACC champion Blue Devils had too much offense of their own, led by Toby Fournier's 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, Delaney Thomas's 19, and Jordan Wood's 17 off the bench.

How the Blue Devils can advance to the Sweet 16: The Blue Devils have had one of the best defenses in the country, and that showed more in the first half Friday than the second.

That's something Duke needs to be more consistent about in the second round.

The Blue Devils moved the ball well with 25 assists, but part of Lawson's irritation was turnovers, as Duke had 20.

The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 47-39, but Lawson wants more dominance in that category as well.