2024 NCAA Women's Tournament scores, highlights, updates: Iowa, UConn, Notre Dame, USC roll in first round

The field now stands at 32 teams entering the start of second-round play on Sunday

The first round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament is now complete, with the brightest stars leading their schools to victories on Saturday. Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Rickea Jackson all led their teams to blowout wins, while Dyaisha Fair battled through injury to heroically deliver Syracuse its first tournament win since 2021. 

Saturday's win over Holy Cross didn't provide the typical Clark masterwork, however. Clark coughed up six turnovers and was 2 of 8 from the field along with catching an elbow to the face in the first half, and her frustrations led to a comical moment in which her father seemingly told her to "shut up" while she was negotiating with the referees. The NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer found her rhythm in the second half, scoring 27 points for the game to lead Iowa to a second-round matchup against West Virginia.   

Third-seeded UConn put together a brilliant offensive performance against No. 14 seed Jackson State. Ashlynn Shade scored a career-high 26 points, but the Huskies' free-flowing ball movement resulted in assists on 23 of their 34 field goal makes. Bueckers lived up to her elite billing as well, scoring 28 points while adding 11 rebounds and seven assists.  

No. 6 seed Tennessee also entered the win column Saturday, shaking off a slow start to throttle No. 11 seed Green Bay, 92-63. By virtue of their victories, Monday's games will feature UConn vs. Arizona and Tennessee vs. NC State. 

Out in South Bend, Ind., No. 2 seed Notre Dame pulled off a 81-67 win over No. 15 Kent State behind a season-high 29 points from Sonia Citron. Hidalgo recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists in her NCAA Women's Tournament debut. The Irish will next face No. 7 seed Ole Miss who eliminated No. 10 Marquette.

USC was the final No. 1 seed to see first-round action, and the Trojans easily dispatched of Texas A&M-CC as freshman sensation Watkins stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. Watkins established a new USC single-season scoring record with 833 points, passing Cheryl Miller's 1986 mark of 814 points. The Trojans will now face No. 8 seed Kansas who needed overtime to get by No. 9 seed Michigan.

Also hosting in Los Angeles, No. 2 seed UCLA routed No. 15 seed California Baptist, with the Bruins out-rebounding the Lancers, 50-30. UCLA advances to face No. 7 seed Creighton who beat No. 10 UNLV. 

Other Saturday winners were Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma and Utah. Second-round games, with eight on both Sunday and Monday will start with No. 2 seed Ohio State hosting No. 7 seed Duke at noon ET.

Keep it locked here all day for wall-to-wall women's hoops coverage, and print out our updated NCAA Women's Tournament bracket for your viewing pleasure. 

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(6) Tennessee 92,  (11) Green Bay 63	(3) UConn 86, (14) Jackson State 64
(4) Indiana 89, (13) Fairfield 56	(8) Kansas 81, (9) Michigan 72
(2) Notre Dame 81, (15) Kent State 67	(3) NC State 64, (14) Chattanooga 45
(1) Iowa 91, (16) Holy Cross 65	(6) Syracuse 74, (11) Arizona 69
(5) Oklahoma 73, (12) Florida Gulf Coast 70	(1) USC 87, (16) Texas A&M-CC 55
(7) Ole Miss 67, (10) Marquette 55	(8) West Virginia 63, (9) Princeton 53
(7) Creighton 87, (10) UNLV 73	(4) Gonzaga 73, (13) UC Irvine 56
(2) UCLA 84, (15) Cal Baptist, 55	(5) Utah 68, (12) South Dakota State 54

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every first round game on Saturday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights throughout the evening.

[Mar 24, 2024 at 12:07 am ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(5) Utah 68, (12) South Dakota State 54 | Final

Utah is going to the round of 32 for the third consecutive year, but it was not an easy task. The Jackrabbits had an excellent response after only scoring three points in the first 20 minutes. It was a one-possession game at halftime as SDSU held Utah to just seven points in the second quarter. Neither team scored for almost two minutes after the break, but Alissa Pili got things going for Utah while SDSU didn't get a field goal until halfway through the third period. 

Pili finished the night with a game-high 26 points. Kennady McQueen added 17 more points for the Utes. Tori Nelson led South Dakota State with 14 points. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 11:49 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(2) UCLA 84, (15) California Baptist 55 | Final

UCLA's leading scorer Lauren Betts was not available tonight as she is dealing with an ankle injury, but the Bruins did just fine without her. Six Bruins scored at least eight points in the 29-point victory. Sophomore guard Kiki Rice led the way with 20 points, and forward Gabriela Jaquez followed closely with 19. Charisma Osborne played like a true veteran and showed off with 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. 

This was Cal Baptist's first ever NCAA Tournament, and the Lancers gave a performance they should be proud of. They hung around for a while and kept their deficit to mostly single digits in the first half. Kinsley Barrington and Nae Nae Calhoun led CBU with 16 and 12 points, respectively. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 9:42 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(4) Gonzaga 75, (7) UC Irvine 56 | Final

UC Irvine finished the first quarter with a 17-10 lead, but the Bulldogs took over the next two quarters. The Anteaters had their highest scoring period in the last 10 minutes, but their efforts were not enough to hold back Gonzaga.

Gonzaga senior forward Yvonne Ejim was her team's key to success. She dominated with a double-double of 25 points and a season-high14 rebounds. Neveah Parkinson came off the bench to give UC Irvine a team-high 18 points. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 9:06 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(7) Creighton 87, (10) UNLV 73 | Final

After an Elite Eight run in 2022, Creighton struggled to advance to the second round last year. They earned their ticket back to the round of 32 after a solid performance against UNLV. 

Desi-Rae Young was fantastic for the Lady Rebels with 30 points by going 15-for-19 from the field, while also adding nine rebounds. However, her efforts were not enough to get past Creighton's outstanding 3-point shooting. As a team, the Bluejays registered a total of 15 3-pointers, with Lauren Jensen being responsible for five of them on her way to a team-high 25 points. Emma Ronsiek was also a top contributor on the offense with 23 points.

[Mar 23, 2024 at 8:01 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(8) West Virginia 63, (9) Princeton 53  | Final

West Virginia trailed the entire first half but the team bounced back to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. The Mountaineers were led by JJ Quinerly's 29 points and seven rebounds. 

West Virginia won the battle in the paint 34-16 and shot over 52% from the field. Princeton shot under 35% but the Tigers kept it competitive the entire game. Sophomore guard Madison St. Rose led Princeton's offense with 22 points. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 7:00 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(7) Ole Miss 67, (10) Marquette 55  | Final

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is taking Ole Miss to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive year. Senior forward Madison Scott was shinning bright with a game-high 20 points by going 10-for-17 from the field. The Rebels out rebounded their opponents 43-33 and held them to under 35% from the field. 

Ole Miss was a cinderella team that made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen last year. In order to make it back there, the Rebels will have to take down Notre Dame in the next round. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 6:51 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(1) USC 87, (7) Texas A&M-CC 55 | Final

JuJu Watkins and Mckenzie Forbes put up 23 points each to lift the Trojans to a dominant victory. This was Watkins' first ever NCAA Tournament game, and it was a special one as she officially passed Cheryl Miller for most points in a single season in USC women's basketball history. 

The Trojans looked solid all around with Kayla Padilla and Rayah Marshall also registering double digits. The USC offense held Texas A&M-CC to just 33.3% from the field. 

Up next, USC will be facing the Kansas Jayhawks on Monday.

[Mar 23, 2024 at 6:25 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(5) Oklahoma 73, (12) FGCU 70 | Final

Everyone in the arena held their breath as FGCU's Uju Ezeudu took a 3-point attempt with less than a second remaining. The ball hit the rim but it didn't actually go in.

It was a good representation of how tight the contest was. Oklahoma didn't have a good start but the Sooners seemed to have taken control late in the game. They were up 67-61 with three minutes left until FGCU went on a 7-0 run to make them sweat. The teams went back and forth and FGCU's Emani Jefferson made sure the game was tied at 70-70 with a little over a minute remaining. However, Oklahoma survived and is now advancing to its third consecutive second round. 

Jefferson was outstanding with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Oklahoma senior forward Skylar Vann led all scorers with 24 points. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 5:50 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(6) Syracuse 74, (11) Arizona 69 | Final

Dyaisha Fair powered through an apparent injury to lead Syracuse to its first NCAA Women's Tournament win since 2021. Late in the third quarter, Fair went down hard and had to be assisted off the floor, unable to put any weight on her leg. But Fair returned in the fourth quarter and single-handedly delivered the Orange the win. Fair scored the last 13 points for Syracuse, helping her team pull away from an Arizona squad that seemed likely to pull of the upset. Fair -- who finished with 32 points, six steals and four assists -- and Syracuse will take on UConn in the second round. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 5:21 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(1) Iowa 91, (16) Holy Cross 65 | Final

The Hawkeyes are off to the second round after cruising by Holy Cross. Caitlin Clark had a sloppy first half but excelled in the second, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Kate Martin added 15 points and 14 rebounds, yet her toughness is what shined brightest Saturday: the senior returned to the game and didn't skip a beat after falling hard on her head in the second quarter. Next up for Iowa is either West Virginia or Princeton. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 4:28 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(3) NC State 64, (14) Chattanooga 45 | Final

The Wolfpack are off to the second round after handily defeating Chattanooga in Raleigh, N.C. It was a tremendous defensive effort for NC State, which held the Mocs to under 10 points in each of the first three quarters. Offense is where NC State struggled, however. Aziaha James (19 points, 6-12 FG, 5-10 3PT) was superb, yet her team shot under 35% from the field and under 28% from 3 against a team it was expected to trounce. Things won't get any easier against Tennessee, NC State's second-round opponent, which suffocated Green Bay defensively earlier Saturday. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 4:22 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(8) Kansas 81, (9) Michigan 72 | Final (OT)

Michigan has exited the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament in heartbreaking fashion. The Wolverines led with less than 15 seconds remaining, but a Zakiyah Franklin 3-point attempt rattled all around the rim and backboard before eventually falling in to tie the game and force overtime. Kansas then raced by Michigan, with both S'Mya Nichols and Taiyanna Jackson scoring four points apiece over the extra period. Kansas will almost assuredly play JuJu Watkins and USC in the second round. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 4:16 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(2) Notre Dame 81, (15) Kent State 67 | Final

Sonia Citron scored a season-high 29 points to power Notre Dame to a double-digit win and a second-round berth. The junior guard did it all for Notre Dame, making 13 of her 20 shots -- including three of her seven 3s -- while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Star freshman Hannah Hidalgo notched a double-double in her NCAA Women's Tournament debut, scoring 14 points and dishing out 11 assists. The Fighting Irish will now face either Ole Miss or Marquette in the second round. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 3:36 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(4) Indiana 89, (13) Fairfield 56 | Final

The Stags kept it close in the first half, then the Hoosiers ran away with it over the final 20 minutes to punch their ticket to the second round. Sara Scalia had her second-best scoring game of the season with 27 points, as the senior guard made five of her 10 3-point attempts. Mackenzie Holmes, Yarden Garzon and Chloe Moore-McNeil each added 13 points apiece. The Hoosiers will now take on either Oklahoma or Florida Gulf Coast in Round 2. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 3:05 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

(3) UConn 86, (14) Jackson State 64 | Final

UConn's offense fired on all cylinders in its dominant opening-round win over Jackson State. Freshman Ashlynn Shade shined on her biggest stage yet, scoring a career-high 26 points while drilling five 3 pointers. Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards added 28 and 20 points, respectively. UConn's ball movement was particularly impressive this afternoon: 23 of the Huskies' 34 makes were assisted. The Huskies hope to keep the good times rolling against either Syracuse or Arizona in Round 2. 

[Mar 23, 2024 at 11:06 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: (5) Utah 27, (12) South Dakota State 24

These were two very different quarters for the Jackrabbits. South Dakota State was shooting at 8.3% from the field in the first 10 minutes and allowed Utah to get a 20-3 advantage. However, the Jackrabbits turned it around with a 15-0 run late in the second quarter and now it's a one possession game. SDSU senior forward Tori Nelson is leading all scorers with 11 points. Alissa Pili has 10 points and seven rebounds for Utah.