SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sonia Citron scored 29 points and Hannah Hidalgo added a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists to help No. 2-seed Notre Dame beat 15th-seeded Kent State 81-67 on Saturday in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Citron was 13 of 20 from the field. Hidalgo had six steals, and Anna DeWolfe of Cumberland scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting for the Irish (27-6), who play Monday in the second round.

Katie Shumate led Kent State (21-11) with 20 points, while Janae Tyler scored 18.

A relentless defensive effort in the first quarter set a dominating tone for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish used an 18-0 run on the way to building a 22-5 lead, harassing Kent State into a stretch of 0-for-13 shooting.

Notre Dame built the advantage to 49-30 at halftime. The Flashes closed the deficit to 67-55 with 5:30 left in the game, but Citron countered with a 3, then cashed in on the next possession with a baseline cut to the hoop, scoring off a stunning dish from Hidalgo.

IOWA 91, HOLY CROSS 65: Caitlin Clark struggled to make shots early, but finished with 27 points and 10 assists as the top-seeded Hawkeyes (30-4) defeated the 16th-seeded Crusaders (21-13) in Iowa City, Iowa.

Kate Martin also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader, was just 8 of 19 from the field – 3 of 9 on 3-pointers – and showed her frustration with missed shots multiple times. But she finished with her 65th career double-double, and added eight rebounds.

“I should probably smile more. I’m a competitor,” said Clark, who even head-butted the basketball during the game in frustration. “I love this game. I’m a perfectionist. But hey, I’m competitive. I want to win and I want our team to play our best basketball.”

Holy Cross, which won a First Four game over UT-Martin on Thursday, was within 22-21 after one quarter. But Iowa outscored the Crusaders 25-9 in the second quarter, holding them to 1-of-12 shooting. Clark finally got her first 3-pointer with 3:26 left in the first half, shaking her head and rolling her eyes after making the shot.

UCONN 86, JACKSON STATE 64: Paige Bueckers scored 28 points and freshman Ashlynn Shade added 26 as the Huskies (30-5) celebrated Coach Geno Auriemma’s 70th birthday with a win over the Tigers (26-7) in the first round in Storrs, Connecticut.

Aaliyah Edwards, wearing a mask after missing two games with a broken nose, had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, who won in the opening round of the tournament for a 30th straight time.

Ti’Ian Boler scored 25 points and Angel Jackson had 13 for 14th seeded Jackson State, which lost for the first time in 22 games.

TENNESSEE 92, GREEN BAY 63: Rickea Jackson scored 26 points and the Vols (20-12) rolled past the Phoenix (27-7) in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Sarah Puckett added 14 points and Jewel Spear had 13 for the sixth-seeded Vols, who are the only team to participate in all 42 women’s NCAA Tournaments. It was the first game in Raleigh for Tennessee Coach Kellie Harper, who coached North Carolina State for four seasons from 2009-13.

KANSAS 81, MICHIGAN 72: Zakiyah Franklin scored 22 points, including a tying 3-pointer that bounced on the rim and dropped with 12 seconds left in regulation, and the eighth-seeded Jayhawks (20-12) beat the ninth-seeded Wolverines (20-14) in overtime in Los Angeles.

Wyvette Mayberry and S’Mya Nichols added 15 points each, and Taiyanna Jackson had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks, who overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

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