NEW YORK – No. 6 seed DePaul’s season came to a close with an 89-78 setback to No. 11 seed Missouri State on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The BIG EAST Tournament champion Blue Demons close out the 2018-19 season with a 26-8 mark. Butler remained alive in the WNIT as the Bulldogs cruised by visiting Kent State, 70-52, in Saturday’s Second Round contest at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will face the winner of Sunday’s tilt between Minnesota and Cincinnati. Postseason play continues for four more BIG EAST teams on Sunday, including an NCAA Tournament Second Round contest for No. 5 seed Marquette, which faces No. 4 seed Texas A&M on the Aggies’ home court at Reed Arena. Tipoff on ESPN2 is set for 2 p.m. ET. WNIT Second Round play sees Georgetown visit Harvard (3 p.m.), Villanova travel to West Virginia (3 p.m.) and Providence host Penn (4 p.m.).
No. 11 seed Missouri State 89, No. 6 seed DePaul 78 – NCAA First Round
DePaul (26-8) was victimized by a Lady Bears team that shot 55 percent from three-point range and seemed to hit one from deep each time the Blue Demons tried to mount a comeback. Ashton Millender hit consecutive threes down the stretch and rallied DePaul to within 87-78, but that was the closest the Blue Demons would get. Millender finished with 17 points, while Chante Stonewall posted the double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. The First Round setback was the first since 2013 for No. 24/21 DePaul which qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 17
th consecutive season.
Full Recap
Butler 70, Kent State 52 – WNIT Second Round
The Bulldogs march on to the Round of 16 in the WNIT thanks to a combined 45 points from Whitney Jennings and Kristen Spolyar. Tori Schickel added her 14
th double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 boards. Both teams got out to a slow start as Kent State led just 6-5 after the first quarter, but the Bulldogs scored 49 points over the next two quarters to lead by as many as 24 down the stretch. At least one BIG EAST team is headed to the Round of 16 for the third consecutive year after St. John’s in 2018 and Villanova in 2017.
Full Recap
BIG EAST In The NCAAs
First Round - Friday - College Station, Texas
No. 5 seed Marquette 58, No. 12 seed Rice 54 OT
First Round - Saturday - Ames, Iowa
No. 11 seed Missouri State 89, No. 6 seed DePaul 78
Second Round - Sunday - College Station, Texas
No. 5 seed Marquette at No. 4 seed Texas A&M, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
BIG EAST In The WNIT
First Round - Thursday - Indianapolis, Ind.
Butler 89, Northeastern 72
First Round - Thursday - Providence, R.I.
Providence 71, Hartford 54
First Round - Thursday - Toledo, Ohio
Toledo 71, Seton Hall 65
First Round - Friday - Washington, D.C.
Georgetown 90, Sacred Heart 59
First Round - Friday - Villanova, Pa.
Villanova 86, Old Dominion 81
Second Round - Saturday - Indianapolis, Ind.
Butler 70, Kent State 52
Second Round - Sunday - Providence, R.I.
Penn at Providence, 4 p.m.
Second Round - Sunday - Cambridge, Mass.
Georgetown at Harvard, 3 p.m.
Second Round - Sunday - Morgantown, W.Va.
Villanova at West Virginia, 3 p.m.
All times Eastern