Imani Tate scored 28 points and Tiana-Jo Carter’s put back with eight seconds left helped 12th-seeded Albany upset fifth-seeded Florida 61-59 in the first-round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon in Syracuse, N.Y.
Carter, a sophomore, is a former Lake Region of Naples standout.
It was the first NCAA Tournament win for the Great Danes (28-4), the America East champs who were making their fifth appearance.
Albany overcame a 17-point second-quarter deficit and was behind by 11 with 7:49 remaining in the game. The Great Danes made the comeback despite playing most of the game without their top scorer, Shereesha Richards, who was in foul trouble. Richards finished with 14 points in just 22 minutes, and fouled out with 6:18 remaining.
Eleanna Christinaki led Florida with 11 points. Ronnie Williams scored 10 points and seven rebounds.
Tatel also had eight rebounds, five steals and four assists, with 11 points coming in the fourth quarter.
“I think our defense led to our offense and we started playing harder,” said Tate. “They didn’t shoot as many threes as they would have liked to and as they kept missing shots we got rebounds. The offense carried over and things started opening up for us.”
During the game, Florida was awarded an extra point because the official scorer counted a missed free throw as a point in the first half.
The NCAA admitted to the mistake, but the score won’t change and could only have been corrected before the game ended.
A Syracuse official said they were aware of the problem but were unable to resolve it before the game ended.
The NCAA said in a statement after the game that “the score remains 61-59 because Rule 2-4.3 states: ‘When all three officials leave the visual confines of the playing area at the end of the game, the officials’ jurisdiction has ended and the score has been approved.’”
Louisville 87, Central Arkansas 60
Myisha Hines-Allen scored 25 points to help third-seeded Louisville overcame a slow start and top 14th-seeded Central Arkansas in Louisville, Ky.
Louisville trailed 25-22 after 10 minutes. The Cardinals’ 17-0 run in the second quarter put them ahead for good.
Ohio State 88, Buffalo 69
Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points to help No. 3-seeded Ohio State rout 14th-seeded Buffalo in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes were still without guard Ameryst Alston because of a wrist injury, but it did not matter. Buffalo scored the first five points of the game, then was overwhelmed.
Syracuse 73, Army 56
Alexis Peterson scored 24 points to help fourth-seeded Syracuse roll past 13th-seeded Army in Syracuse, N.Y.
Briana Day scored 11 points and added 12 rebounds for the Orange (26-7), who matched a program record for victories. Syracuse plays Albany next.
The loss ended a 19-game winning streak for Army.
Mississippi St. 60, Chattanooga 50
Victoria Vivians scored 19 points and Chinwe Okorie added 12 to help fifth-seeded Mississippi State win its opener in Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State used an 18-5 run in the second quarter to take control.
Chattanooga (24-8) was led by Jasmine Joyner’s 17 points even though she played just three minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.
Michigan State 74, Belmont 60
Aerial Powers scored 27 points, including 19 in the second half, and Jasmine Hines added 24 to lead fourth-seeded Michigan State to victory in Starkville, Miss.
Belmont was led by Frankie Jourban’s 17 points while Kylee Smith added 16.
DePaul 97, James Madison 67
Sixth-seeded DePaul made 11 three-point shots on its way to an easy victory in Louisville, Ky.
Jessica January had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Jacqui Grant added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Demons.
Ashley Perez led James Madison with 20 points and Jazmon Gwathmey added 19. The loss ended a 20-game winning streak for the Dukes.
West Virginia 74, Princeton 65
Bria Holmes scored 26 points for sixth-seeded West Virginia, which trailed by eight points in the first half before rallying for the win in Columbus, Ohio.
Annie Tarakchian paced Princeton with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Tennessee 59, Wis.-Green Bay 53
Te’a Cooper scored 15 points and Diamond DeShields added 14 as seventh-seeded Tennessee pulled away in the final six minutes in Tempe, Ariz.
Green Bay led 49-48 with 6:11 left, but the Lady Vols used a 10-0 run to take control.
Allie LeClaire scored 14 points for the Green Bay, which led by eight points in the first half and by five in the second half.
Kansas State 56, George Washington 51
Ninth-seeded Kansas State did not take its first lead into 37 remained in the third quarter, then hit four of six free throws in the closing moments of the fourth quarter to get the win in Columbia, S.C.
Megan Daines scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half for the Wildcats, and Jonquel Jones had 20 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Colonials.