Women’s NCAA Spokane 1 roundup: No. 2 NC State subdues No. 15 Vermont

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Zoe Brooks scored 19 points Saturday and second-seeded North Carolina State pulled away in the fourth quarter to eliminate 15th-seeded Vermont 75-55 in the first round of the Spokane 1 region of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.

Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers added 15 points each, with Rivers grabbing 12 rebounds. Madison Hayes also collected 12 rebounds, helping the Wolfpack (27-6) to a 45-34 advantage on the boards. They turned 18 offensive boards into 21 points.

Keira Hanson came off the bench to hit 5 of 8 from 3-point range and score a game-high 21 points for the Catamounts (21-13), while Catherine Gilwee added 13. Nikola Priede chipped in 11 points for Vermont, which made 8 of 19 3-pointers.

NC State led 52-46 after three quarters but dominated the fourth period 23-9. The Wolfpack made 17 of 21 foul shots on the day, while the Catamounts were 3 for 3.

NC State next takes on No. 7 Michigan State.

No. 7 Michigan State 64, No. 10 Harvard 50

Grace VanSlooten scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday as the Spartans survived a turnover-ridden performance to knock off the Crimson in Raleigh, N.C.

Jocelyn Tate added 13 points and Theryn Hallock hit for 10 for the Spartans (22-9). Michigan State won despite committing 23 turnovers, offsetting that with 22 of 27 foul shooting and a good defensive performance.

Harmoni Turner scored a game-high 24 points for Harvard (24-5), which was one of three Ivy League teams in the field. But she made just 7 of 22 shots from the field and had six of the Crimson’s 20 turnovers. Harvard shot just 27.7 percent from the field, including 4 of 26 on 3-pointers.

The Spartans led for all but 49 seconds but never really put the game away until the final couple of minutes.

–Field Level Media