Oregon guard Katie Fiso (2) reacts to a score against Virginia Tech during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026.
Eric Gay / AP
Katie Fiso scored 22 points and Oregon used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Virginia Tech for a 70-60 win Friday to open the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Ehis Etute added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 8-seed Ducks (23-12) who took control of the game with an 18-0 run in the third and advance to the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive season. They earned a matchup with the winner of Friday’s game between No. 1 Texas (31-3) and No. 16 Missouri State (23-12).
Mia Jacobs added 13 points for Oregon. Carys Baker scored 21 to lead the No. 9-seed Hokies (23-10), who shot under 30 percent over the first three quarters.
Fiso and Oregon started the game by making nine of their first 11 shots and led 22-11 by the end of the first quarter. The Hokies went more than six minutes without a field goal, and leading scorer Carleigh Wenzel went to the bench with two early fouls.
Wenzel stayed out the entire second quarter, but Virginia Tech rallied to within 32-29 before Oregon closed the half with a 3-pointer by Jacobs.
Etute scored seven points in the Ducks’ big run in the third and Fiso hit a step-back 3-pointer when she was left at the top of the arc. Oregon stretched the lead as high as 22 in the quarter.
Wenzel, who averaged 15.3 points, finished with nine on 2-of-12 shooting. Virginia Tech, a Final Four program as recently as 2023, had missed the tournament last year in coach Megan Duffy’s first season.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
