Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — Several freshmen showed no jitters on the opening day of the women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, they embraced the bright lights of the Big Dance. It came as no surprise that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark began a run of impressive performances in the first game of the tournament. She was the nation’s leading scorer during the regular season. There were others. Anaya Boyd averaged only eight minutes a game for Georgia Tech. She made major contributions down the stretch to help the Yellow Jackets avoid being upset in the first round.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Freshman Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer, had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Monika Czinano also scored 23 points, and No. 5 seed Iowa beat 12th-seeded Central Michigan 87-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Clark was held to two points in the third quarter but teammate McKenna Warnock, who was scoreless in the first half, scored 11 straight Iowa points — capped by a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a 63-52 lead. Clark scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to start Iowa’s 8-3 run to build an 18-point lead. Micaela Kelly finished with 23 points in 27 minutes for Central Michigan.

UNDATED (AP) — The Oregon Ducks moved on to the next round in a way they didn’t wish for, want or expect when positive COVID-19 tests bounced VCU from the NCAA Tournament before the teams’ first-round game in the West Region. Now it’s on to face No. 2 seed Iowa. By the time No. 7 seed Oregon takes the floor for the second round, it will have been 10 days since the Ducks played a game. The Ducks straddle a fine line between rested and rusty. The Hawkeyes are now tournament-tested after an 86-74 win over Grand Canyon. Elsewhere in the West, top-seeded Gonzaga takes on Oklahoma.

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have given six-time All-Star catcher Salvador Pérez the richest contract in club history, an $82 million, four-year deal that begins in 2022. The contract includes a club option worth an additional $13.5 million and has a $2 million buyout for 2026. The deal surpasses the four-year, $72 million contract the Royals gave to outfielder Alex Gordon in 2016. That deal wound up being a disappointment and Gordon retired after last season. Pérez is coming off a season in which he won his third Silver Slugger. He is also a five-time Gold Glove winner.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Zion Webb threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Jacksonville State handled Southeast Missouri State 21-3. Webb’s 9-yard run finished a nine-play, 75-yard drive to start the game for a 7-0 Gamecocks lead. Webb wrapped it up with a 54-yard scoring pass to Josh Samuel as part of a six-play, 78-yard drive with 1:44 left in the third for the game’s final score. Andrew Bunch threw for 120 yards for the Redhawks. Kenny Doak’s 33-yard field reduced Southeast Missouri State’s deficit to 7-3 with 2:44 left in the first.