Poor shooting led to one-and-done visits for both Georgia Tech and Georgia in the first round of NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Sunday.
Georgia Tech ran into an SEC buzzsaw in Baton Rouge, La., against the homestanding LSU Tigers, who outran the Yellow Jackets in a 98-78 rout. Tech shot 39 percent from the field, a percentage made worse by a woeful 4 of 22 on 3-pointers.
“They kept getting exhausted and we just kept trying to continue doing what’s best for us, and that was to push down on offense and keep getting them tired,” LSU point guard Danielle Ballard said. “We were running each and every day in practice, so we were in better shape than they were.” Ballard had 21 points and 17 rebounds.
In Storrs, Conn., St. Joseph’s, the No. 9 seed, grabbed an early lead and survived a second-half rally to eliminate the Lady Bulldogs 67-57. Georgia shot 34 percent from the field and its bench was 2-for-13.
St. Joseph’s stay likely will be brief in round two, the Hawks will be heavy underdogs to No. 1 seed Connecticut, heavily favored to win the women’s title.
