03/20/26 11:43:00
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03/20 23:42 CDT Maupin's 17 points leads Texas Tech past Villanova in the first
round of March Madness
Maupin's 17 points leads Texas Tech past Villanova in the first round of March
Madness
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) --- Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the
final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed
Villanova 57-52 on Friday night in the first round of March Madness.
"Everyone on this team knows if it's their time, it's their time, and they get
to the basket," said Maupin, who averaged a team-high 15.1 points per game this
season. "Just happened to be me tonight."
Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech (26-7), which went 7 of 15 from
3-point range, outshot Villanova, 44% (18 of 41) to 37% (20 of 54) and made 14
of 15 foul shots.
The NCAA tournament victory was the first since 2005 for Texas Tech, a
once-proud program that won a national championship in 1993 when their coach,
Krista Gerlich, played for the Lady Raiders.
"This one is pretty special, just because it's been a long time coming,"
Gerlich said.
Fritz and Maupin both hit 3-pointers in the final 4:22 to help Tech carry a
53-47 lead into the final two minutes.
"Shooters have to have a short memory," Maupin said. "If I'm open, I have to be
the one to shoot and just have that confidence that it's going to go in."
Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe's jumper cut the Wildcats' deficit to four with
52 seconds left. But Bascoe, a slashing point guard who led all scorers with 21
points, turned the ball over when she lost her dribble off her leg with 21
seconds left.
"It was, I would say, a tragic moment for me," Bascoe said. "Trying to put it
behind my back and we'd talked about how that's not always the best thing to do
in those situations, and it definitely won't be happening again."
After Maupin hit two free throws, Bascoe hit a 3 to make it a one possession
game again with 14 seconds left.
A Texas Tech turnover on an offensive foul by Maupin gave the Wildcats (25-8) a
chance to tie it, but Denae Carter's 3-point attempt missed, Maupin rebounded
and hit two more free throws to seal it.
Gerlich felt having four senior starters and the four seniors among her key
reserves made a difference.
They have "a little bit more of a desperation I think when they play, a little
bit more fortitude when it comes to making big plays and leaving it all out on
the floor," Gerlich said.
Neither team led by more than seven points in what was a physical,
defensive-oriented game.
Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds
for Villanova.
But Tech's depth and experience made them challenging to play, Villanova coach
Denise Dillon said.
"The full-court pressure, for them to be able to sustain that the entire
contest is impressive," she said. "They showed it for 40 minutes tonight.
"They get up on you. Their rotation's big," Dillon added. "They're constantly
running different people into the game and they stayed with that pressure
throughout."
The first half ended tied at 26, with both teams shooting below 42%
With Tech defenders swarming Bascoe early, Joens took shots decisively, hitting
five of her first six shots, including her first four 3-point shots. But Joens
attempted just two shots in the second half --- both missed 3s.
"You get worn down a little bit and teams take you out of that rhythm, they
have the advantage," Dillon said. "And then, we were just forcing some
individual plays."
Up next
Texas Tech moves into the second round on Sunday against LSU, the site host and
No. 2 seed in the Sacramento 2 region, which routed Jacksonville 116-58 on
Friday. The winner advances to the Sweet 16.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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