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

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Bridget Carleton led four players in double figures with 23 points and third-seeded Iowa State throttled New Mexico State 97-61 for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2013. Alexa Middleton had 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Cyclones (26-8), who were one-and-done in their last three trips to the Big Dance.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Alexa Willard and Danielle Gitzen each scored 20 points and 11th-seeded Missouri State stunned DePaul 89-78, snapping the Blue Demon’s five-game winning streak in opening-round NCAA Tournament games. Freshman Elle Ruffridge had a career-high 15 points for the surprisingly stout Lady Bears (24-9).

UNDATED (AP) — The point guard for Mike Krzyzewski’s first Final Four team now is trying to lead Central Florida to its first Sweet 16 berth. Standing in Johnny Dawkins’ way is his former coach and boss. Dawkins will match up with Krzyzewski on Sunday as No. 9 seed UCF attempts to upset No. 1 seed Duke in an East Region matchup.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bryce Brown scored 25 points and hit seven 3-pointers, leading Auburn to an 89-75 takedown of mighty Kanas in the Midwest Region. Auburn had a 17-point lead before the midpoint of the first half and kept pouring in shots, hitting 13 3-pointers while shooting 53 percent against one of the college basketball’s premier programs.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference showed conference supremacy in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The two power conferences combined to go 13-1 in the first two days.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Looking for a team that could carry Loyola-Chicago’s mantle deep into the NCAA Tournament? Check out the South Region, which has three double-digit seeds still standing. That includes those 13th-seeded Anteaters, who have some parallels with last year’s Ramblers.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt wanted to stay in St. Louis, just like Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds and Matt Holliday. Acquired in December from Arizona, Goldschmidt gave up a chance to become a free agent after this season when he finalized a new contract with the Cardinals that guarantees an additional $130 million from 2020-24.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State cruised to its first NCAA Tournament win in six years on Saturday — and moved a step closer to its first Sweet 16 in nearly a decade.
Bridget Carleton led four players in double figures with 23 points and third-seeded Iowa State routed New Mexico State 97-61 on Saturday for its first victory in the tournament since 2013.

Alexa Middleton had 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Cyclones (26-8), who were one-and-done in their last three trips to the Big Dance. On Monday, they’ll face 11th-seeded Missouri State — which stunned DePaul 89-78 earlier Saturday — in search of the program’s first regional semifinal appearance since 2010.

“The NCAA is supposed to be fun, and today was fun,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “The best part of it is that we get to play again.” Iowa State never trailed — and it never let the Aggies’ explosive offense breathe, either.

After seeing the rival Hawkeyes struggle mightily with a No. 15 seed on Friday, the Cyclones eased any fears over a possible upset with a stirring start. Iowa State will likely find buckets much tougher to come by on Monday when they host the Bears — who picked up their first NCAA win since superstar Jackie Stiles led them to the Final Four in 2001.

Iowa State senior Meredith Burkhall, who had seen her role diminish with sophomore Kristin Scott emerging as a star in the post, hit back-to-back shots in the fourth quarter that brought the Cyclones bench to its feet. It might have been the last extended action in Hilton Coliseum for Burkhall, as Iowa State closes out home play on Monday.

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

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Ohio State upset sixth-seeded Iowa State in the opening round of the Midwest Region. The 62-59 victory earned the 11th-seeded Buckeyes a second-round game against Houston. Kaleb Wesson had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ohio State. Keyshawn Woods added 19 points. Iowa State led just once in the second half but had a chance to send the game into overtime when Nick Weiler-Babb missed an open 3.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jordan Roundtree hit a free throw after being fouled with 1.1 seconds left in overtime and seventh-seeded Missouri beat Drake 77-76 to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 for the third time in four years. Sophie Cunningham scored 21 points and Cierra Porter had 18 for the Tigers (24-10), who can advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001 with a win over second-seeded and host Iowa on Sunday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during Iowa’s closing surge, and the 10th-seeded Hawkeyes rallied for a 79-72 victory over No. 7 Cincinnati. The Big Ten sent eight teams into the field, the most in its history, and won seven of its first eight games, Wisconsin’s loss to Oregon the only blemish in the opening round.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Evan Leonard hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start a run of 12 straight points in the second half that sent No. 13 seed UC Irvine to a 70-64 upset over fourth-seeded Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters held on after that run and stunned the regular-season co-champions of the Big 12 for the first tournament win in school history.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Cardinals and slugging first baseman Paul Goldschmidt are nearing completion of a $130 million, five-year deal that will make him the highest-paid player in club history. The Cardinals acquired the 31-year-old Goldschmidt in a trade with Arizona. He had just one year left on his contract, though, and his new deal would keep him with St. Louis through 2024.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Ohio State went from barely making the NCAA Tournament to a spot in the second round. Kaleb Wesson had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the 11th-seeded Buckeyes to a 62-59 upset of sixth-seeded Iowa State in the Midwest Region on Friday night. Keyshawn Woods added 19 points for Ohio State (20-14), which will play No. 3 seed Houston on Sunday for a spot in the round of 16. Musa Jallow added 11 points for Ohio State.

Iowa State (23-12) led just once in the second half but had a chance to send the game into overtime when Nick Weiler-Babb had an open attempt at a game-tying 3. His shot missed and ended the season for the Cyclones, who won the Big 12 Tournament to earn a spot in the NCAAs.

“We just weren’t good enough tonight,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. “We still had opportunities down the stretch. We couldn’t get it done. I hate it for these guys because the finale came a lot quicker than I was thinking. I really thought we had a chance to do something.”

Marial Shayok scored 23 points and Lindell Wigginton added 14 for Iowa State. The Cyclones fell back into some of their inconsistency — they lost three straight heading into the Big 12 Tournament before winning it. It’s a disappointing finish for a team that started the season 12-2.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — For second-seeded Iowa, Friday’s win over 15th-seeded Mercer felt more like survival than vindication after nearly making the worst kind of history imaginable. Megan Gustafson scored 30 points with 16 rebounds and the second-seeded Hawkeyes narrowly avoided a monumental upset, holding off No. 15 Mercer 66-61 for their first NCAA Tournament win in four years.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder thought the idea that a Mercer team on a 17-game winning streak would be a 15 seed was “kind of crazy” — and the Bears proved her right.
“We personally liked our seed. We didn’t love our opponent,” Bluder said. “We played against somebody that was much more difficult than a 15 seed. Everybody can recognize and understand that.”

Makenzie Meyer added 16 for the Hawkeyes (27-6), who pushed the record for two seeds in the opening round since the field expanded to 64 teams to 101-0. This was the second time in three years that a No. 15 seed almost beat a 2 seed. Oregon State staved off Long Beach State 56-55 in 2017.

“There might have been a little (bit of) jitters collectively,” Gustafson said. “I feel like it was good to be able to get the win no matter how ugly it was.” UP NEXT:
Iowa will face seventh-seeded Missouri, which edged Drake 77-76 in OT.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Just moments after the worst foul of her career, Drake’s Becca Hittner got her chance for redemption. Hittner’s wide-open jumper as time expired instead clanked off the back of the rim, a cruel reminder that for every March buzzer-beater there’s a potential game winner that ends in anguish.

Jordan Roundtree hit a free throw after being fouled with 1.1 seconds left in overtime and seventh-seeded Missouri held off Drake 77-76 on Friday to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 for the third time in four years.

Sophie Cunningham scored 21 points and Cierra Porter had 18 for the Tigers (24-10), who can advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001 with a win over second-seeded and host Iowa on Sunday. Hittner had 19 and Rhine chipped in with 18 points for Drake (27-7), which bowed out of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row.

“This one is really painful,” Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “This is a tough one. It’s a really tough one.” The Bulldogs were given an at-large bid after getting upset by Missouri State in the Valley final. They can argue about being under-seeded despite being ranked 21st before that defeat, but at some point Drake has to come through and win an NCAA Tournament game. The Bulldogs were within an inch of doing so at the overtime buzzer though.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during Iowa’s closing surge, and the 10th-seeded Hawkeyes kept the Big Ten perfect in the NCAA Tournament by rallying for a 79-72 victory over No. 7 seed Cincinnati on Friday. Make it 6-0 for the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes (23-11) got their first NCAA Tournament win in four years despite what amounted to a home crowd for the Bearcats, who couldn’t overcome a subpar game by Jarron Cumberland. Bohannon’s big play with 1:07 left put Iowa up 73-64. Then Bohannon, who has missed only nine free throws all season, made one of two with 18 seconds left to help finish off another Big Ten win.

The league sent eight teams into the field, the most in its history, and five of them won their opening games Thursday. Iowa was the first of three Big Ten teams playing Friday, along with Ohio State and Wisconsin. For Cincinnati (28-7), it was another early flameout. The Bearcats haven’t made it past the opening weekend for seven straight years.

The Hawkeyes were second in the league in scoring but prone to getting blown out when their shots weren’t falling. They had three losses of at least 20 points this season. This one started down that path, too. A trip to the Sweet 16 is up for grabs, as Iowa and #2 seed Tennessee are now set to clash. Tennessee earned a 77-70 win over Colgate in its most recent game, while Iowa won 79-72 against Cincinnati in its last outing. Tennessee beat Colgate 77-70. They’re 2-2 all-time, with Tennessee winning their most recent game, 78-65 in the 2014 First Four in Dayton. Tip-time for Sunday’s game is 11:10-a.m.

CAM star basketball forward Madison Gettler signed on Thursday to continue her academic and basketball career at Morningside College in Sioux City. Gettler is coming off a stellar senior season in which she led the Cougars to the State Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1997.

Gettler announced the signing on social media and said, “Excited to announce that I’m officially a Mustang! Can’t wait to continue my academic and athletic career at Morningside!!”

Gettler finished her CAM career with 1,480 points. She dropped in 467 points this season and averaged 19.5 per contest to lead the team.

Gettler will join a Mustangs team coached by Jamie Sale that went 19-13 during the 2018-19 season. Gettler will join a couple of other area athletes on the Mustangs roster with Exira-EHK alum Sophia Peppers and Harlan alum Jordyn Moser.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior Megan Gustafson has been named one of four finalists for the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday. The award recognizes the most outstanding women’s college basketball player.

Louisville’s Asia Durr, Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, and Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale round out the four finalists.

Gustafson has led the Hawkeyes to a 26-6 overall record. Iowa captured its first Big Ten Tournament Title since 2001 on March 10 behind Gustafson’s 45 point and 10 rebound performance against top-seeded Maryland. The tournament title secured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the Hawkeyes, marking Iowa’s highest seed since 1996.

The ESPNW Player of the Year ranks in the top-four nationally in eight categories. She leads the country in field goal percentage (69.6), points per game (28.0), total points (897), and field goals made (369), ranks second in double-doubles (30) and defensive rebounds per game (10), third in total rebounds (424), and fourth in rebounds per game (13.3).

A native of Port Wing, Wisconsin, Gustafson is the only Hawkeye in program history to win the Big Ten Conference’s Player of the Year award twice. She is the ninth two-time recipient in conference history.

Gustafson looks to become the first from the Big Ten to win the Naismith Trophy.

Beginning today, fans will have a chance to vote for their favorite finalist through April 3, by visiting naismithfanvote.com to cast their ballot. The fan vote will account for five percent of the overall vote. The 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year will be announced on April 6, and the winner will be honored at her school on a later date.

Gustafson and the No. 8/8 Hawkeyes open NCAA Tournament action today, hosting 15th-seeded Mercer at 1 p.m. (CT). The game will be broadcast locally on ESPN2 and streamed nationwide on WatchESPN.