TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – There will be no return trip to the Sweet 16 for the Georgia women’s basketball team.
The Bulldogs erased an 11-point deficit in the second half but Georgia couldn’t overcome the loss of senior Meredith Mitchell, who fouled out with 7:01 left in the game.
No. 13 seed Marist took over after Mitchell’s exit and pulled away with a 76-70 win over No. 4 seed Georgia on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Georgia’s Khaalidah Miller scored 21 points – knocking down five 3-pointers – and Mitchell added 15 points. Krista Donald added eight points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (22-8), who reached the Sweet 16 the past two seasons.
“You’re never prepared for that loss,” Georgia coach Andy Landers said. “I’m always at a loss of what to say to my team. It’s difficult regardless of which round you go out in because you want to play for championships. You want to play for everything.”
Georgia has played in 18 straight NCAA Tournaments but the Bulldogs suffered an early exit this year as Marist shot 52.2 percent (24 of 46) for the game.
Marist (25-7) used its ability to drive to the basket and went on an 8-0 run early in the second half to grab a 45-34 lead with 17:51 left in the game.
But Georgia rallied, gradually chipping away at Marist’s lead and went ahead 58-57 on Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 9:41 to go.
Mitchell picked up her fourth foul with four minutes left in the first half and was able be assertive but careful when she came back into the game in the second half.
But Marist’s Corielle Yarde drove the lane and drew Mitchell’s fifth foul with seven minutes left in the game. Yarde, who led Marist with 21 points, made both free-throw attempts to give Marist a 61-60 lead and the Red Foxes never trailed the rest of the way.
“I should have been a lot smarter with my fouls,” said Mitchell, who was played just 19 minutes. “I’m disappointed in myself and I feel like I let my teammates down.”
Landers admitted that keeping Mitchell in the game was a gamble, but he felt it was worth taking with Georgia needing a spark in the second half.
“If you choose between playing someone with fouls and letting a game get away from you, I mean, this is the last game for somebody,” Landers said. “That drives part of your decision. If you choose between playing a veteran senior who understands the predicament that she’s in and a freshman who has been inconsistent, then that was an easy decision for me to make.”
Landers will now be turning to those younger players in 2012-13. Mitchell is the lone senior the Bulldogs lose, and next season Georgia will feature seven seniors – including guard Jasmine James and forward Anne Marie Armstrong.
“We were very disappointed with the game we played this evening,” said Miller, who will be a junior next season. “But over the year as a team we played very well together and I’m looking forward to playing with everyone next year.”
