NCAA WOMEN’S MIDWEST REGIONAL : Youth Is Served When Georgia Beats Colorado

With the youngest starting lineup in the NCAA tournament, Georgia Coach Andy Landers said his team didn’t have the usual pressures felt this time of the season.

That may explain why the Bulldogs didn’t seem surprised by a late run that propelled them to an 82-79 victory over Colorado in the Midwest Regional final Saturday before 5,561 at Drake University.

Although all of Georgia’s starters--four sophomores and a junior--scored in double figures, Kedra Holland stole the spotlight. The 5-foot-8 guard hit three three-point baskets in the final 3:30 to help erase a seven-point Colorado lead.

“The whole game I kept thinking something had to happen to help us,” said Holland, whose final three-point shot with 1:20 to play put the Bulldogs ahead for good, 78-75. “I didn’t expect to get the open shots, but they were there.”

Georgia (27-4) advances to next weekend’s Final Four in Minneapolis, where it will play Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee in a semifinal Saturday. Tennessee defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season, 83-61.

It will be Georgia’s first trip to the Final Four since 1985, when it lost to Old Dominion for the title.

The loss was especially tough for top-seeded Colorado (30-3), whose 25-game winning streak was ended. The Buffaloes have never advanced to the Final Four in six tournament appearances since 1988.

“I am so disappointed right now that I think I am in denial,” Colorado Coach Ceal Barry said. “This is a definite low for me. I felt we were in control the whole game, and suddenly it slipped away. It’s hard to believe.”

Colorado led, 45-42, at halftime and appeared to be pulling away, 61-50, with 12 minutes to play. The Buffaloes were dominating inside with 6-5 center Isabelle Fijalkowski, who scored a season-high 35 points and had nine rebounds.

Fijalkowski, a senior from France, scored 16 of those points in the second half, but she watched helplessly down the stretch when Georgia got the hot hand.

The Bulldogs turned it around with six minutes to play and the team trailing, 66-58. Saudia Roundtree and Holland took over, scoring 18 of the their next 24 points.

Roundtree finished with a team-high 21 points and nine assists. She effectively shut down Colorado’s team leader, Shelley Sheetz, who hit only four of 10 shots.

But Holland proved the biggest difference. Her three-point baskets and two free throws in the final minutes fueled a 10-1 run to a 78-75 Georgia lead.

Colorado had a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds, but three-point attempts by DeCelle Thomas and Sheetz fell short.

Turnovers also proved pivotal for Georgia, which only had seven to Colorado’s 18.

“Credit our coach, who kept telling us in the huddle that we weren’t out of it,” Roundtree said. “There were times we could have folded, but he made up believe it wasn’t over.”

Georgia, which maintained a slim lead most of the first half, got into foul trouble early, with 10 in the first nine minutes and 16 fouls by halftime.

Center Tracy Henderson played sparingly after picking up two quick fouls, forward La’Keshia Frett exited late in the first half with three and substitute forward Dororthy Sanders had four before halftime.

The Buffaloes took advantage by converting 15 of 17 free throws to turn a six-point deficit into a 45-42 halftime lead.