Four games to cover from yesterday’s opening first-round salvo of March Madness games in Portland. No real surprises, except perhaps one.
Virginia Tech faced Marshall to open March Madness in Portland
The question in the Regional 3 in Portland has been, what would the Hokies of Virginia Tech do without star Elizabeth Kitley? In this game, they answered that question. The tandem of Clara Strack and Carleigh Wenzel took over Kitley’s duties admirably, scoring 30 of VT’s 92 points. Georgia Amoore was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble and came away with only 9 points. But everyone contributed, particularly Matilda Ekh, who had been on an extended cold shooting streak.
Ekh led the Hokies with 21 points, shooting 5-7 from three. The crowd gave a mighty cheer after her first three-pointer, welcoming back a performance they had been waiting for. While Marshall never led, their full-court press got Amoore into foul trouble, they managed to get within seven at the 2:12 mark, but VT went on a 10-0 run to close the half 42-25. In the third quarter, Ekh scored 13 of her 21 points, Wenzel added 8, and the Hokies outscored the Thundering Herd 36-9.
The Hokies controlled the game versus the Thundering Herd
The fourth quarter saw the teams essentially trade buckets, with Marshall taking it 15-14, and the game ended 92-49 in favor of Virginia Tech. The passion of VT’s game was twofold; first, it was to prove to themselves that even without their star, they could get the job done. Second, the Hokies played a full team game, assisting on 23 of 28 made shots, holding turnovers to 15, and going 10-23 from deep. There was never a moment of “what do we do without Liz?” They knew what to do.
Marching on ‼️#Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/dY5b7YTxLk
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) March 22, 2024
Marshall got outplayed, never finding a hot streak, and never building momentum. Marshall also couldn’t match VT’s size, which significantly hurt their offense. Virginia Tech also got a meaningful contribution from the bench, which will have to be sustained to move forward in the tournament. The Hokies meet Baylor in the next round on Sunday.
Ohio State squared against the Black Bears of Maine in Round One
Ohio State, entering the tournament on a two-game losing streak, needed to find the juice that sustains their offense. That they did, but not without a fight from Maine. After a 21-point loss to Maryland in the BIG TEN Tournament, they came out focused and determined. But so did Maine, who grabbed a 3-point lead in the first quarter 14-11, but then the Buckeyes went on an 11-2 run and ended the quarter up 22-16. The second quarter was really the dagger for Maine, being outscored 21-8.
The Buckeyes, known for its full-court pressure, used it often, but it never seemed quite as effective as it had in the past. Maine fought through it but never managed to find consistency or rhythm, particularly on offense. At the half, it was 43-24, and even though Maine played a more consistent second half, they couldn’t get any closer than 17 for the duration of the game. Maine was led by senior Anne Simon, who netted 25 points, Olivia Rockwood with 15, and Adrianna Smith with 11.
Perhaps the real albatross for Maine was the bench. With nine players, they had an aggregate of two points. Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 19 points, Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry each had 12, and Cotie McMahon scored 13. Ohio State’s bench could also use some work, contributing only 15 points between eight players. Up next for Ohio State is Duke as their road in March Madness rolls on.
Duke avoids the upset against Richmond
The Richmond Spiders rolled into Columbus, Ohio to face the Duke Blue Devils with no intention of having a one-and-done. Although Duke got off to an early lead, Richmond came out of an official TV timeout with Siobhan Ryan making a three, putting Richmond up 16-15. Holding the lead, they ended the quarter 26-23. The second quarter was a dismal display of shooting for both teams, and Richmond went into halftime leading 37-28. Duke opened the third quarter on a 9-point run, tying the game at 37 all.
Richmond then went up on a Grace Townsend jumper, matched by a Kennedy Brown layup for Duke. Townsend hit another jumper, which was answered by a Reigan Richardson trey for Duke. The Blue Devils then finished the quarter outscoring Richmond 9-6 and finally took the lead at 51-47. They then found a way in the fourth quarter to maintain their lead, with Richmond never getting closer than five points. Duke ended the game winning 72-61. Richmond shot 58% in the first half, but only 38% in the second.
DUKE WINS 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 pic.twitter.com/jGPFpRSfOb
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 22, 2024
Duke only went 1-9 from three in the first half, but 6-11 in the second half. Richardson led the Blue Devils with 25 points, Ashlon Jackson added 14, and Brown scored 10. Townsend led Richmond with 18, Addie Budnik scored 17, and Maggie Doogan 15. Duke is going to have to bulk up their opening play, find a way to get around OSU’s full-court pressure, and put the stops on Sheldon. Does Duke have that in them? If yes, that will be a true March Madness upset.
Baylor and Vanderbilt wrapped up Day 1 of March Madness in Portland
And finally, Baylor met Vanderbilt, and after the first quarter, they looked very much in control. Vanderbilt had other ideas. In the second quarter, they pulled within three of Baylor on a Khamil Pierre layup, but Baylor answered with a jumper by Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, then a layup for Jordyn Oliver for Vandy, and then a trey from Jana Van Gytenbeek for Baylor. Vanderbilt managed to close the gap to 41-34 by the end of the half.
The third quarter saw Baylor pull ahead with a strong team effort, outscoring Vanderbilt 28-15, and going into the fourth quarter up 69-49. Baylor only scored 11 points in the fourth, but Vanderbilt’s effort got them no closer than 17, and the game ended 80-63 Baylor. Vanderbilt looked worn out in the second half, perhaps due to a tough battle with Columbia on Wednesday night.
Baylor has been playing quite well as of late, but they’re going to need everyone to step up and play a tough 40 minutes when they face Virginia Tech on Sunday. Even without Kitley, VT has found some good shooting, and if Amoore can stay out of foul trouble, this will be a tough match for Baylor.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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