NEW YORK – NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament action concluded on Sunday for BIG EAST teams as No. 5 seed Marquette fell at No. 4 seed Texas A&M, 78-76, in the Second Round. The BIG EAST regular-season champion Golden Eagles finish the year with a 27-8 record. In WNIT Second Round play, Providence and Georgetown marched on with victories, earning the right to play each other on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET in the Ocean State. The Friars defeated Penn, 64-54, while the Hoyas won at Harvard, 70-65. Villanova bowed out of the WNIT with its 64-57 Second Round loss at West Virginia. Additionally, Butler learned its WNIT Third Round opponent as the Bulldogs will travel to Cincinnati on Thursday, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. The BIG EAST has three teams in the WNIT Third Round for the first time since 2012.
No. 4 seed Texas A&M 78, No. 5 seed Marquette 76 – NCAA Tournament Second Round
A jump shot by Allazia Blockton tied it with a minute left and Amani Wilborn made 1 of 2 free throws with 36 seconds remaining, but a lane violation by A&M gave her one more shot and she made it to put Marquette up 76-74. Chennedy Carter found Shambria Washington on A&M's next possession and she made the 3-pointer to put the Aggies up 77-76 with 23 seconds left. Carter stole an inbounds pass from Danielle King after a timeout with five seconds left and she was fouled by King. The Golden Eagles had to foul two more times to get in the bonus, leaving just 0.9 seconds left when Carter made 1 of 2 free throws to secure the win. Natisha Hiedeman had 18 points to lead Marquette (27-8), which was looking for its first trip to the Sweet 16.
Full Recap
Providence 64, Penn 54 - WNIT Second Round
The Friars are headed to the WNIT Round of 16 for the second time and first since 2010 as Providence bounced co-Ivy League champion Penn on Sunday afternoon. Mary Baskerville recorded her sixth double-double of the season on 20 points and 15 rebounds. It marked the second-straight 20-point game and just the second of her career. Jovana Nogic finished with 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. PC led for nearly 35 minutes of the contest, with Penn getting as close as two, 47-45, in the fourth quarter before the Friars responded with an 8-0 run to build up a double-digit advantage. Providence scored 23 points off 18 Quaker turnovers and outscored Penn in the paint, 34-18.
Full Recap
Georgetown 70, Harvard 65 - WNIT Second Round
Georgetown saw a career-high 38-point effort from Dionna White lead the Hoyas past Harvard 70-65 Sunday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 18-15 on the season and advance to the third round of the tournament for the first time since 2009. Trailing by one with 2:47 remaining, Georgetown scored the game’s final six points, including four points from White. Georgetown outrebounded Harvard 42-38 and shot 39.3 percent (22 of 56) from the field. The defense forced 10 Crimson turnovers on six steals and allowed Harvard 36.8 percent (25 of 68) shooting from the field.
Full Recap
West Virginia 64, Villanova 57 - WNIT Second Round
Jannah Tucker scored 21 points off 5-of-11 shooting from deep and Villanova mounted a comeback in Morgantown, but the host Mountaineers held on for the WNIT Second Round win. VU trimmed a 15-point deficit to one with 5:36 left in regulation, but WVU went on a 9-2 run to pull away. Villanova outscored WVU 38-33 over the final 20 minutes but was doomed by a seven-point second quarter. Emily Esposito added 10 points for the Wildcats, who finish the year 19-13. Adrianna Hahn finishes her career ranked seventh on Villanova’s all-time scoring list with 1,503 points.
Full Recap