The No. 6 seed University of Washington women's basketball team upended No. 11 South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon in Forth Worth, Texas. 

Now 22-10 on the season, the Huskies will play No. 3 TCU on Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Washington shooting guard Avery Howell led the way, scoring a game-high 30 points in the victory. The slick shooting guard was 7-of-13 from three-point range while also pulling down nine rebounds to lead the team.

Her performance paired her with Huskies legend Kelsey Plum in program history over the last decade.

Per ESPN:

She's the first Washington player with 20 PTS and five 3-PT FG in an NCAA tournament game since Kelsey Plum in 2017

Considering how prolific Plum was as a college player, it's impressive to be linked with her in any way.

The most decorated scorer in college basketball history until Caitlin Clark came around, Plum starred for four seasons on Montlake. A starter in all 139 of her collegiate games, she averaged 25.4 ppg for her career. 

Plum led the Pac-12 in scoring from each of her sophomore through senior years and led the nation in scoring as a senior at 31.7 ppg. She led the Pac-12 in free-throw percentage each of her four seasons, shooting at 88 percent lifetime.

She helped UW reach the Final Four in 2015-16 where they were beaten by Syracuse. She won National Player of the Year in her senior year and was a first-team All-American. She was a four-time All-Pac 12 selection.

As a result of her great college career, she was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars. She also won a gold medal with Team USA in 3x3 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and with the 5-on-5 team in Paris in 2024.

A transfer from Southern California (USC), Howell averages 14.2 ppg and 8.3 rebounds. She also shoots 42.7 percent from three-point range and has the ability to single-handedly stretch the defense.

Washington needed her scoring in a big way on Friday, as star guard Sayvia Sellers had just four points, though she did contribute 10 assists.

TCU went 30-5 in the regular season, finishing atop the Big 12 Conference. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 14 UC San Diego 86-40 in the Round of 64 and feature Big 12 Player of the Year Olivia Miles. She had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists on Friday, registering a rare triple-double.

Washington native Hailey Van Lith won Big 12 Player of the Year in 2024-25, meaning TCU has had back-to-back winners.

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