Collier paces Texas women in win over NCAA 1st-timer Bradley

Charli Collier had 23 factors and 15 rebounds, and No. 6 seed Texas beat Bradley 81-62 in the primary spherical of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday night time.

Collier swished a 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing to finish the primary quarter, capping a 13-0 run that put the Longhorns (19-9) forward to remain after the Braves took their solely lead in their first-ever NCAA tourney recreation.

It was the 18th double-double this season for Collier, a junior who has already declared herself obtainable for subsequent month’s WNBA draft. Audrey Warren added 19 factors, Joanne Allen-Taylor had 12 and Ashley Chevalier 10.

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Lasha Petree scored a season-high 33 factors and Gabi Haack had 16 factors and eight rebounds for the mid-major Braves (17-12), who like Texas completed fifth in their convention in the course of the common season.

The personal faculty in Peoria, Illinois, that performs in the Missouri Valley Conference has an enrollment of just below 5,900 college students. Texas of the Big 12 is a state faculty with greater than 50,000 college students.

The Longhorns jumped forward 6-0 even whereas lacking 12 of their first 15 photographs. Bradley then had its solely go-ahead run, with Petree twisting and turning for a layup excessive off the glass, earlier than Haack hit a 3-pointer and Tatum Koenig transformed a Texas turnover right into a breakaway layup.

Texas performed its first NCAA Tournament recreation for coach Vic Schaefer, who returned to his hometown when he took the job final yr after a profitable run at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs from the SEC performed in back-to-back NCAA championship video games in 2017 and 2018.

RUN OF HER OWN

Petree had a 7-0 run all by herself in a span of lower than a minute in the second quarter. After a layup with 3:46 left in the primary half, Warren missed a 3-pointer and Petree then had one other layup. She then made a fast-break 3-pointer with 2:51 left after a turnover by Warren, although the Braves have been nonetheless down 42-24 on the time.

NOT FAR FROM HOME

The Longhorns have been enjoying solely about 30 miles from their dwelling area in Austin, Texas, the place three NCAA Tournament video games have been being performed every of the primary two rounds. They really needed to journey 50 miles to get to the sport on the Texas State campus since each tourney workforce is staying in San Antonio, the place the remainder of the video games might be performed.

UP NEXT

The Longhorns play their second-round recreation on Wednesday in opposition to third-seeded UCLA or 14th-seeded Wyoming, who performed later Monday night time.