Emily Irwin's free throws helped Baldwin Wallace beat Trinity (Conn.) in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Photo by Kevin Wilker, Balwdin Wallace

Baldwin Wallace, Messiah and Mass-Dartmouth used late bursts to advance through the first round, while three ranked teams were sent packing in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament.

• First round scoreboard: Men | Women
• NCAA Tournament bracket: Men | Women
• NCAA Tournament coverage: Men | Women
• Game of the Night: Thunder struck
• More men’s headlines
• More women’s headlines 

Mass-Dartmouth turned a close game into a near double-digit win over New Jersey City, 78-69, thanks to a six-point possession in the final minute.  The Corsairs had the ball and a 70-69 lead with 50 seconds to play when the game-deciding series occurred. New Jersey City fouled Sarah Edmond and got called for a technical foul. Edmond made two free throws, Carly Whiteside added two more for the technical foul, and then Edmond scored a layup to give Mass-Dartmouth a six-point possession and the win.

Whiteside led Mass-Dartmouth with 32 points and 13 rebounds while NJCU All-American Damaris Rodriguez tallied 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Baldwin Wallace used a late 9-0 run to rally past Trinity (Conn.), 59-54, and into the Round of 32.

Trailing 51-46 late in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets turned the game around on two free throws from Emily Irwin, a three-pointer from Caely Ressler and a layup from Irwin on consecutive possessions. That 7-0 run put Baldwin Wallace in front, 53-51, and Ressler added two more free throws to take the Yellow Jackets’ lead to four. All-American Reilly Campbell responded for Trinity with three of her game-high 30 points, pulling the Bantams within one, but the Yellow Jackets made four free throws to seal the win.

Irwin finished with 19 points, including a 6-for-7 showing at the foul line for Baldwin Wallace, which will face No. 23 SUNY New Paltz next. The Hawks took care of Penn State-Harrisburg, 70-52.

Reese Harden came up big late for Messiah, and the Falcons edged Shenandoah, 58-57 at Smith’s regional.

After falling behind 50-42 midway through the fourth quarter, Messiah scored the next nine points and took a one-point lead on Morgan Adams jumper with 3:39 left. The Hornets and Falcons battled back and forth from there, with Shenandoah going in front 57-55 on Shawnise Campbell’s layup with 26 seconds left. After both teams had an empty possession, Messiah called time out with 19 seconds left and set up a play that sprung Harden for the game-tying layup. Shenandoah turned the ball over on its next possession and Harden was fouled with two seconds left. She split the two free throws and sent Messiah into the second round.

The Falcons will play regional host Smith tomorrow night. The Pioneers got 17 points from Ali Yamada and 13 from Hannah Martin in a 61-46 win over Maine Maritime.

Three ranked teams saw their Tournament runs end with losses to unranked foes on Friday night.

In addition to Trine's 61-58 double-overtime win over No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus, Puget Sound used a balanced attack to knock off No. 13 Carroll, 74-65. The Loggers had five players score double figures and outscored Carroll 24-12 from behind the arc. Paige Gerhart had a double-double (11 points, 10 assists) and Katie Minnehan just missed adding another (15 points, eight rebounds) for Puget Sound. 

St. John Fisher shut down the two top scorers for No. 21 Gettysburg and eliminated the Bullets, 55-46, at Rhode Island College's sectional. The Cardinals held Alayna Arnolie and Mackenzie Szlosek to 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting and advanced despite having more turnovers (18) than field goals (17) themselves. Claire Kruszka paced St. John Fisher with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

More than Pride was on the line in Lewiston, Maine where Widener held Springfield to 15 second-half points and advanced, 57-50. The Pride of Widener held the Pride of Springfield to 2-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter and three points in the final four minutes. Gianna Samuels and Mia Robbins combined for 29 points and 14 rebounds for Widener.

Trinity (Texas) started its season with a win over Mary Hardin-Baylor and the Tigers’ season will continue because they topped the Crusaders again in the teams’ Tournament opener, 75-71. After falling behind by 13 midway through the third quarter, Trinity went on a 13-2 run capped by Kylie Minter’s layup that pulled the Tigers within two entering the final period. Trinity gained the lead with an 8-0 fourth-quarter run and then Minter hit a three and added two free throws in the final two-plus minutes to put the game out of reach.

Minter finished with 23 points and Jamie Ruede added 21 more for Trinity, which earned a rematch with No. 10 Hardin-Simmons. The Cowgirls corralled Occidental, 65-53.

Super sophomore Mary Schleusner had another jaw-dropping performance for Washington and Lee in the Generals’ opening-round win over Vassar, 68-61. Schleusner posted 45 points, 29 rebounds and seven blocks for W&L. Her 29 rebounds shatters the Division III Tournament record of 24 held by Kylene Cullen of Ferrum.

Senior All-American Elyce Knudsen didn’t score quite as many points, but she was certainly as effective in Millikin’s 91-83 win over Willamette. She racked up 36 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Sophie Darden contributed 21 more points for the Big Blue.

Elsa Daulerio powered Bates to a 66-51 home win over Brooklyn in the Bobcats' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005. The sophomore center scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds as part of Bates' 56-33 rebounding advantage. Bates will face Widener in the second round.

Both sectional favorites that were sent on the road because their men’s programs are hosting Tournament games this weekend looked fine away from home.

No. 1 New York University led wire-to-wire with no player logging more than 21 minutes in a 78-51 win over Millsaps. Caroline Peper came off the Violets’ bench to score 17 points in 18 minutes and All-American Natalie Bruns just missed a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds). Millsaps first year guard Garin Freeman led all players with 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting.

After falling behind 7-0 early, No. 11 Catholic regrouped and ran away from Penn State-Behrend, 71-55. The Cardinals outrebounded Penn State-Behrend 57-33 and rode Carly Mulvaney’s 22 points to their first NCAA Tournament win in 11 seasons.

Super sophomore Mary Schleusner had another jaw-dropping performance for Washington and Lee in the Generals’ opening-round win over Vassar, 68-61. Schleusner posted 45 points, 29 rebounds and seven blocks for W&L. Her 29 rebounds breaks the Division III Tournament record of 24 held by Kylene Cullen of Ferrum.

Senior All-American Elyce Knudsen didn’t score quite as many points, but she was certainly as effective in Millikin’s 91-83 win over Willamette. She racked up 36 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Sophie Darden contributed 21 more points for the Big Blue.

It was a good night for the WIAC whose teams went 3-0 in the first round.

No. 18 UW-Oshkosh eliminated previously-unbeaten and 25^th-ranked Webster, 57-42. Three players scored double figures for the Titans, led by Bridget Froehlke with 15. Elsewhere, No. 23 UW-Stout topped Washington U. 71-61 behind 22 points apiece for Raegan Sorensen and Anna Mutch. No. 9 UW-Whitewater handled Minnesota-Morris, 86-47, thanks to 20 points from Aleah Grundahl and 54 percent shooting as a team.