First Four: Vanderbilt holds off Columbia while Presbyterian wins first women’s NCAA Tournament game

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Iyanna Moore scored 22 points, Sacha Washington had a double-double and Vanderbilt celebrated its return to the NCAA Tournament with a 72-68 win over Columbia in a battle of 12-seeds in the First Four on Wednesday night.

The Commodores (23-9), who are in their 28th NCAA Tournament but first since 2014, face fifth-seeded Baylor on Friday.
Washington had 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 15 rebounds for Vanderbilt. Khamil Pierre added 11 points for Vanderbilt and Justine Pissott had 10.

Moore delivered the big shot, hitting a 3-pointer that made it 69-62 with 24.4 seconds to play but the win wasn’t secure until Pissott made two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.

Presbyterian 49, Sacred Heart 42

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mara Neira made sure Presbyterian’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game was memorable, scoring 14 points, including two free throws with 26.1 seconds left, as the Blue Hose beat Sacred Heart.

The Big South Tournament champions earned a Friday rematch with top-ranked South Carolina, which administered a 99-29 beatdown on this same floor on Dec. 16. Presbyterian is the smallest school in the tournament with 955 undergraduates in 2022-23.

Last year, Sacred Heart won the first NCAA Tournament game for a Northeast Athletic Conference team with a 57-47 win over Southern.

The Blue Hose won the battle of 16-seeds with defense, limiting Sacred Heart, which had won 15 straight games, to 25% shooting, including 3 of 23 from 3-point range.

Bryanna Brady added 12 points for Presbyterian (21-14), which had to beat three higher seeds in the Big South tourney to extend its season. Tilda Sjokvist, the Big South tourney MVP, had eight points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block. Although Sjokvist was 3-of-13 shooting, she had a clutch jumper with 1:18 to play for a 45-40 lead.