| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Georgia noticed right away it had a big size advantage against North Carolina, and it didn't take the Lady Bulldogs long to exploit it.
Tawana McDonald scored 18 points and Coco Miller had 17 as top-seeded Georgia used a punishing inside game to beat North Carolina 83-57 Saturday night in the NCAA women's West Regional semifinals.
|  | | Georgia's Coco Miller and North Carolina's Nikki Teasley dive for a loose ball. Miller scored 17 points in the Bulldogs' win. |
"I think our wing players saw that (advantage) and tried to get me the ball," said McDonald, who also had 13 rebounds. "We came out and played and didn't come out scared."
Georgia (32-3) only trailed once, at 15-14, and led the rest of the way after going ahead 19-17 with 11:18 left in the first half.
Shala Crawford had 16 points and Deana Nolan added 13 and Miller's twin sister Kelly Miller had 12 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs, who are one victory away from their fourth Final Four appearance in six years.
"This game was real close until we deflected some balls and took them in for layups," said Georgia coach Andy Landers, seeking his first national title. "We can play better. It was as good as we have played defensively, but we can play better."
The Bulldogs play Rutgers in Monday's regional championship.
Juana Brown had 19 points and Jackie Higgins 14 to lead the fifth-seeded Tar Heels (20-13), who had won eight of nine.
North Carolina's leading scorers, LaQuanda Barksdale and Nikki Teasley, scored just six points each -- a combined 21 below their season averages. Barksdale averaged 25 in the first two tournament games but shot just 3-of-13.
Teasley, her confidence shaken by missing a couple layups early, missed 16 of 19 shots -- including all eight from 3-point range. The Tar Heels shot 36 percent, their lowest since a 32-percent effort
against Clemson on Feb. 10.
"I didn't come out and expect to play like this," Teasley said. "I've been overly anxious to play. I was too hyped up and missed some easy layups and committed some turnovers. That's not like me."
"Not to take anything away from Georgia -- they're a great team -- but they didn't do anything to stop me. I just had an off night."
The Tar Heels also had no one to stop McDonald and Crawford, both 6-foot-4. North Carolina has only one player taller than 6-1 -- 6-5 LaShonda Allen, a sophomore who was overmatched inside.
Georgia led by 13 at halftime and needed less than six minutes of the second half to push it to 20. Coco Miller hit a 3-pointer and a jumper, Kelly Miller hit two jumpers and McDonald sank four free throws to make it 56-35 with 14:07 left.
North Carolina is known for its athletic guards, Teasley and Brown, who like to push the ball and disrupt passing lanes. But hard-working Georgia beat the Heels at their own game, getting 11 steals -- four by Nolan -- to North Carolina's seven.
"We're really comfortable playing with each other, and you see that confidence out there," Coco Miller said.
Georgia took an 11-4 lead on a pass breakup by Kelly Miller and a layup by Coco Miller. The Tar Heels came back to tie it at 17 on a jumper by Barksdale, but it went downhill for North Carolina after that.
A putback by Higgins pulled the Heels within 25-21, but Georgia went on a 9-0 run, all the points coming from inside.
North Carolina got within 11 on a 3-pointer by Coretta Brown and a fast-break layup by Teasley, but Coco Miller's short jumper with three seconds left gave the Lady Bulldogs a 41-28 halftime lead.
| |
ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
North Carolina NCAA Team Report
Georgia NCAA Team Report
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coco Miller flies in for the layup.
avi: 801 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Deana Nolan scores with the layup.
avi: 643 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
|
