University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina Takes On Georgia
March 22, 2000 | Women's Basketball
March 22, 2000
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Complete NCAA Tournament Coverage
GAME: No. 5 North Carolina (20-12) vs. No. 1 Georgia (31-3), West Regional,
Semifinal Round.
TIME: Saturday, 10 p.m. EST.
SITE: Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Ore.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Continuing its quest for its first NCAA championship, Georgia will have to get by one of the hottest teams in the country in North Carolina.
Neither team is a stranger to the round of 16. The Lady Bulldogs are 0-2 in NCAA championship games, but have been to the regional semifinals in 11 of 16 seasons. They have made seven trips to the round of eight.
The Tar Heels won the national title in 1994 and have now reached the round of 16 seven times in eight years. They come into Saturday's game having won eight of nine.
"There was a time when we were 12-11," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "This team's come a long way, I'm very proud of them. Our defense gets better each game, we're playing our best basketball."
LaQuanda Barksdale scored seven of her 27 points during a decisive 15-0 first-half run in the Tar Heels' 83-50 win over Rice in the second round on Monday. Barksdale is averaging 25.0 points in two tournament games.
Georgia, which is coming off an 83-64 win over Stanford on Monday, is led by the Miller twins, Kelly and Coco, and an impressive inside game.
Georgia center Tawana McDonald is one of the best shot blockers in the country and forward Shala Crawford has emerged as a force off the bench.
McDonald, despite foul trouble in the first half, had three blocks against Stanford to give her 88 for the year, breaking Katrina McClain's school record. The 6-foot-4 sophomore averaged more blocks during the regular season than four other Southeastern Conference teams.
Crawford, a 6-4 junior college transfer, struggled through an inconsistent season but finally seems to be making an impact. She had 15 points, six rebounds and four steals in only 16 minutes against Montana in the first round, followed by a 14-point, eight- rebound and two-block performance in just 17 minutes against Stanford.
Georgia has won all four meetings with North Carolina.
Saturday's winner will take on either Alabama-Birmingham or Rutgers on Monday in Portland, with that winner advancing to the Final Four.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: North Carolina - At-large bid, Atlantic Coast Conference, defeated Maine 62-57 in first round, defeated Rice 83-50 in second round. Georgia - At-large bid, Southeastern Conference, defeated Montana 74-46 in first round, defeated Stanford 83-64 in second round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: North Carolina - 21-11, 13 appearances. Georgia - 34-16, 17th appearance.
