NEW YORK – BIG EAST teams went 3-0 on Friday, sparked by No. 5 seed Marquette’s 58-54 overtime win over No. 12 seed Rice in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The Golden Eagles advance to face No. 4 seed Texas A&M on Sunday at the Aggies’ Reed Arena, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. WNIT First Round action concluded for BIG EAST squads on Friday as Villanova outlasted Old Dominion, 86-81 in overtime, while Georgetown cruised by Sacred Heart, 90-59. The Wildcats will visit West Virginia and the Hoyas travel to Harvard for their respective WNIT Second Round matchups, with both games set for 3 p.m. on Sunday. Additionally, Providence learned its WNIT Second Round foe as the Friars will host Penn on Sunday at 4 p.m. NCAA First-Round play concludes for BIG EAST teams on Saturday when No. 6 seed DePaul faces No. 11 seed Missouri State in Ames, Iowa, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Butler also plays Saturday when it hosts Kent State in the WNIT Second Round at 7 p.m.
No. 5 seed Marquette 58, No. 12 seed Rice 54 OT – NCAA FIRST ROUND
When Marquette was down by nine points with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter against Rice in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Natisha Hiedeman had just one message for her team. "We're not losing this game," the senior barked at her teammates. The experienced Golden Eagles turned things around after that, scoring 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and overtime to go on top and hold on for a 58-54 win. Hiedeman scored 13 points and Allazia Blockton had 12 as the seniors led five-seed Marquette to a victory in the first round of the tournament for the second straight year. MU improved to 27-7 on the year, marking a program record for wins in a season.
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Villanova 86, Old Dominion 81 OT – WNIT FIRST ROUND
Career highs by Emily Esposito (27 points) and Brianna Herlihy (20 points, 11 rebounds) sparked the Wildcats to Friday’s overtime win over Old Dominion at Finneran Pavilion in the WNIT First Round. Junior Mary Gedaka eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark on the night as well, finishing with 18 points, a career-high nine assists and eight rebounds. Gedaka joins her mother, Lisa Angelotti, as 1,000-point club members at Villanova. The narrow contest featured 13 lead changes and seven ties, but the Wildcats opened overtime on an 11-1 run to pull away.
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Georgetown 90, Sacred Heart 59 WNIT FIRST ROUND
Dionna White became just the second player in Georgetown program history to reach the 2,000-career point mark, scoring a game-high 21 points off 9-of-16 shooting as the Hoyas cruised to the 31-point win over Sacred Heart. Dorothy Adomako matched White’s game high with 21 points, while Adomako pulled down eight boards to lead the team, and White managed six to go along with seven assists and three steals. Georgetown outrebounded Sacred Heart 41-32 and shot an impressive 54.2 percent (39 of 72) from the field. The defense forced 15 SHU turnovers on seven steals and allowed the Pioneers 30.8 percent (16 of 52) shooting from the field. GU advances to the WNIT Second Round for the second straight year.
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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. 6 seed DePaul vs. No. 11 seed Missouri State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
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.
Kent State at Butler, 7 p.m.
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