STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Uche Izoje had 16 of her 23 points in the first half as ninth-seeded topped No. 8 Iowa State 72-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday despite 37 points from Cyclones All-American Audi Crooks.
Olivia Schmitt added a season-high 15 points for the Orange, who will face reigning national champion UConn in the second round of March Madness on Monday.
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Laila Phelia had 18 points and Sophie Burrows added 13 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse (24-8). Jada Williams had 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Iowa State (22-10).
Syracuse was playing in the Storrs subregional for the second time in three years. They also faced UConn in the second round two years ago. Sophie Burrows was one of three Syracuse players to score in double figures with 18 points in that 72-64 loss.
Iowa State missed its first five 3-point attempts. Syracuse also struggled shooting the ball early on. However, the Orange made eight shots in a row to turn a two-point deficit into a 37-24 advantage. Schmitt had four 3-pointers and Izoje added a pair of baskets to give the Orange control of the game.
Schmitt came into the game averaging 1.3 points per game and shooting 25.6% from 3-point range.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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