LEXINGTON REGION
FLORIDA GULF COAST 80, MISSOURI 70
STANFORD, Calif. -- China Dow scored 21 points and played stingy defense in the paint against Missouri star Sophie Cunningham, and Florida Gulf Coast pulled off a 80-70 upset in the Lexington Regional.
Cunningham took over on the low block to get Missouri (24-8) going and scored a season-high 35 points -- most by a Tigers player in an NCAA tournament game -- and made 14 of 16 free throws. But she didn't get much help.
Dow made two free throws with 1:12 left as the Eagles kept pushing until the final buzzer to run their winning streak to 11 games with a 21st victory in the last 22 games.
Florida Gulf Coast (31-4) will play Monday against No. 4 seed Stanford (23-10), an 82-68 winner against 13th-seeded Gonzaga in Saturday's second game. Hall of Fame Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer will face Eagles coach Karl Smesko after VanDerveer won her 900th career game against him at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in November 2013.
Leading scorer Rose Julien -- averaging 13.4 points -- added 12 points for Florida Gulf Coast, which is in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in seven years with Division I postseason eligibility and won an NCAA game for the first time since beating Oklahoma State in 2015.
The scrappy Eagles stayed within 36-32 on rebounds to Missouri without having a single 6-footer on the roster.
STANFORD 82, GONZAGA 68
STANFORD, Calif. -- Alanna Smith scored 20 points, freshman Kiana Williams made a sensational women's NCAA Tournament debut, and Stanford beat cold-shooting Gonzaga.
Williams scored 21 points and calmly pushed the pace on offense as the Cardinal created opportunities in transition. Early in the third, she stole the ball from Gonzaga's Emma Stach and drove it the length of the court for a layup.
Stanford (23-10) used a 9-0 run late in the third to pull away and overcame a tough shooting performance by Brittany McPhee, who had 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting. She also contributed 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Jill Barta scored 21 points for the Zags (27-6).
Sports on 03/18/2018