March Madness 2022: NCAA Women's Tournament first round scores as UConn, NC State roll and LSU survives

UConn and NC State took care of business early, as expected, in the Bridgeport region

The First Round of the 2022 Women's NCAA Tournament wrapped up on Saturday night. There were some upsets and some near-upsets that made the day exciting. No. 12 seed Belmont was the biggest surprise, dragging No. 5 seed Oregon to double-overtime and winning 73-70. No. 11 seeds Princeton and Villanova won their respective games against No. 6 seed teams Kentucky and BYU.

Higher up the seeding line, the usual suspects took care of business, with all four No. 1 seeds and all four No. 2 seeds cruising to double-digit wins in the first round. 

The Bridgeport region took center stage with all eight of the first round matchups there, along with each of the other three regions wrapping up the round of 64.

• No. 14 seed Jackson State had No. 3 seed LSU on the verge of what would've been the first 14-3 upset in the women's NCAA Tournament history, leading by 10 with only 4:54 remaining. Coach Kim Mulkey's LSU squad responded with a 13-0 run, however, to sneak by the Lady Tigers with a 83-77 win. If the results were flipped, it would've been Mulkey's first opening-round loss since 2001, her first year at Baylor, and Jackson State's first ever NCAA Tournament victory. 
• No. 12 seed Belmont stunned No. 5 seed Oregon 73-70 in a double-overtime thriller, the women's tournament's first double-overtime game since 2013. Belmont guard Tuti Jones was sensational in the upset, scoring 22 points to go along with four steals and six rebounds. 
• No. 2 seed UConn opened the first round with a confident 83-38 victory over No. 15 seed Mercer. The Huskies had four players in double digits and made 44% of their 3-pointers.
• NC State, the final No. 1 seed to play in this year's tournament, put on an offensive masterclass against No. 16 seed Longwood. The Wolfpack had five players reach double figures in scoring in their 96-68 win, and senior guard Raina Perez led the way with 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting. 
• Tennessee -- a No. 4 seed in the Wichita Region this year -- extended its run as the only school to appear in every Women's NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols opened their 40th straight tourney against Buffalo, winning 80-67 behind an 18-point, 11-rebound performance from senior forward Alexus Dye. 
• No. 4 seed Arizona battled a close game against No. 13 seed UNLV. The Wildcats came out on top thanks to a  30-point performance by senior guard Shaina Pellington.

2022 Women's NCAA Tournament TV schedule

(All times eastern)

(9) Kansas State 50, (8) Washington State 40 | Bridgeport Region	(7) UCF 69, (10) Florida 52 | Bridgeport Region
(2) UConn 83, (15) Mercer 38 | Bridgeport Region	(11) Princeton 69, (6) Kentucky 62 | Bridgeport Region
(11) Villanova 61, (6) BYU 57 | Wichita Region	(3) LSU 83, (14) Jackson State 77 | Spokane Region
(3) Indiana 85, (14) Charlotte 51 | Bridgeport Region	(12) Belmont 73, (5) Oregon 70 | Wichita Region
(1) NC State 96 (16) Longwood 68 | Bridgeport Region	(5) North Carolina 79, (12) Stephen F. Austin 66 | Greensboro Region
(6) Ohio State 63, (11) Missouri State 56 | Spokane Region	(5) Notre Dame 89, (12) UMass 78 | Bridgeport Region
(4) Tennessee 80, (13) Buffalo 67 | Wichita Region	(4) Arizona 72, (13) UNLV 67 | Greensboro Region
(3) Michigan 74, (14) American 39 | Wichita Region	(4) Oklahoma 78, (13) IUPUI 72 | Bridgeport Region

[Mar 20, 2022 at 12:12 am ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Final Arizona 72, UNLV 67

No. 4 seed Arizona showed the importance of experience in a tight game against No. 13 seed UNLV. The Wildcats outscored the Lady Rebels 24-14 in the fourth quarter to move on to the Second Round. By the end of the night, UNLV had outshot Arizona 53.1% - 44.6% from the field and outrebounded the Wildcats 31-23. However, Arizona senior guard Shaina Pellington was unstoppable with a 30-point game going 10-of-19 from the field. Arizona will take on No. 5 seed North Carolina on Monday.

[Mar 20, 2022 at 12:02 am ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Final: Oklahoma 78, IUPUI 72

It wasn't the prettiest game for No. 4 seed Oklahoma, but the Sooners' stingy defense and efficient scoring from senior guard Madi Williams led to a 78-72 victory over No. 13 seed IUPUI. Oklahoma held IUPUI to 36.6% from the field and was especially pesky defending the 3-point line, as the Jaguars made only 7 of their 33 shots from deep. Williams led Oklahoma in scoring with 21 points on 9-14 shooting. 

[Mar 19, 2022 at 10:56 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: Arizona 31, UNLV 29

The No. 13 seed Lady Rebels came out strong and took an early lead. However, the No. 4 seed Wildcats pushed harder at the end of the second quarter with Shaina Pellington leading the offense with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. As a team, UNLV outshot Arizona 53.8% to 42.9%, while also outrebounding the Wildcats 17-11 in the first two periods. 

[Mar 19, 2022 at 10:54 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Halftime: Oklahoma 41, IUPUI 37

Sophomore guard Skylar Vann is providing a much-needed spark off the bench for No. 4 seed Oklahoma, helping the Sooners grab a 41-37 halftime lead over No. 13 seed IUPUI. An impactful presence on both ends of the floor, Vann has 10 points and two steals through the opening 20 minutes. IUPUI center Macee Williams has also impressed thus far with 14 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block. 

[Mar 19, 2022 at 10:09 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Arizona football showing support for the women's basketball team as the No. 4 seed Wildcats take on No. 13 seed UNLV tonight. 

[Mar 19, 2022 at 9:34 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Final: North Carolina 79, Stephen F. Austin 66

No. 5 seed North Carolina had a strong fourth quarter to push past No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin. The Tar Heels had been down by double digits, but a 28-point performance by sophomore guard Deja Kelly helped light up the offense. North Carolina had not won a First Round game in the NCAA Tournament since 2015.