Women’s NCAA Tournament Spokane Region Elite 8 Game Breakdown
Well, so much for a 1-2 punch in Spokane. While California lived up to its end of the bargain when it beat LSU to reach the Elite Eight, Georgia’s women’s basketball team prevented Stanford from reaching the regional finals when it upset the Cardinal by two points to move on to the finals in Spokane. Instead of getting a challenging matchup between two Pac-12 schools, we have the Southeastern Conference meeting the Pac-12, with the winner moving on to New Orleans. Here is a look at the Spokane Regional’s final game:
#2 California vs. #4 Georgia (9:30 p.m. Monday in Spokane, Washington)
Stanford’s shocking loss to Georgia, 61-59, in the regional semifinals injected some new blood into the tournament. There are far too many people that believe Stanford, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Baylor are the only teams that exist in women’s college basketball, but Georgia overcame a 26-point outburst by Chiney Ogwumike and won in the final seconds thanks to timely free throws. The scent of Jasmine was in the air for Georgia, thanks to Jasmine Hassell scoring six of her 13 points in the final three minutes and Jasmine James sinking two free-throws with 23.5 seconds to go to keep the Bulldogs up for good. Although this is Georgia’s 11th trip to the regional finals in the long and storied career of Coach Andy Landers, it is Georgia’s first visit to the Elite Eight since 2004. Georgia (28-6) also defeated Montana 70-50 and Iowa State 65-60 to reach the Sweet 16. The Bulldogs get California (31-3), which outlasted LSU 73-63 in its regional semifinal. Layshia Clarendon led California with 19 points, Gennifer Brandon had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Brittany Boyd added 14 points in the victory. California defeated Fresno State 90-76 and outlasted South Florida 82-78 in overtime in its previous contests. This is California’s first trip to the Elite Eight in school history. Should Georgia win this game, it would go to the Final Four for the first time since 1999, and we already know California has never been here. Georgia had not played a Pac-12 squad before facing Stanford, and it is not inconceivable the Bulldogs could win this game. California has three major scoring weapons, however, so it has the slight edge.
Projection: California 68, Georgia 63
Oklahoma City Regional Overview
Oklahoma City Region Elite 8 Game Breakdown
Norfolk Region Elite 8 Game Breakdown
Bridgeport Region Elite 8 Game Breakdown
