Washington beats South Dakota State 72-54 for 1st women’s NCAA Tournament win since 2017

By Canadian Press on March 20, 2026.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Avery Howell had 30 points and nine rebounds to lead Washington to its first women’s NCAA Tournament victory since 2017, beating South Dakota State 72-54 on Friday.

South Dakota State jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first five minutes, but the game was tied at 15 when Howell made a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Howell made another 3 only 55 seconds into the second quarter to break that tie and put Washington (22-10) ahead to stay.

Howell, the transfer from Southern Cal who as a freshman last season was part of the Trojan’s run to the Elite Eight, finished with seven 3s.

Brynn McGaughy added 14 points in 18 minutes for the sixth-seeded Huskies, whose last NCAA tourney win came on their way to the Sweet 16 nine years ago. They lost a First Four game to Columbia last season in what had been their only other appearance since then.

Brooklyn Meyer had 29 points and seven rebounds for South Dakota State (27-7), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped. Emilee Fox had 14 points.

The Jackrabbits ended their 15th consecutive 20-win season, matching schools like No. 1 overall seed UConn, Baylor, Louisville and South Carolina with that kind of active streak.

Up next

The Huskies on Sunday play host and third-seeded TCU (30-5), an Elite Eight team last season that has won 43 consecutive home games since February 2023. The Horned Frogs beat UC San Diego 86-40 in their first-round game earlier Friday.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press