Women's Hoops Loses Heartbreaker at Georgia, 71-68
2/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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ATHENS, Ga. - The University of Alabama women's basketball team matched the 17th- ranked Georgia Bulldog offense shot-for-shot Sunday afternoon, but could not complete their upset bid, falling 71-68 in a thrilling contest at the Stegeman Coliseum.
With 1:46 remaining in the second half, Manisha Redus would nail one of her two free throw attempts to give the Tide a one-point advantage at 68-67. After two failed possessions by each team, the Bulldogs' Janese Hardrick scored on lay-up to put Georgia back in front with just 30 seconds left. Alabama's Lauren Hill missed an open three-point attempt on the Tide's next trip down the floor, and two Hardrick free throws sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
"We just can't get the ball to go in the hole one time to get us over the hump," Alabama head coach Rick Moody said. "We will continue to stay positive and persevere, because it will eventually payoff for us."
The Tide has now lost nine consecutive games against Georgia, whose record improves to 15-5 on the season and 4-3 in conference play. Alabama falls to 10-10 overall and 2-5 in the Southeastern Conference, having lost their last five SEC games.
"I am disappointed that we have lost five in a row, but I have to be proud of our effort," Moody said. "In four of out of those five games, we had a chance to win."
Alabama abandoned its usual routine of falling behind early in the game by playing even with the Bulldogs for much of the first half. After tying the game at 19 with just over seven minutes remaining before halftime, the Bulldogs would close the half on a 12-4 run, taking 31-23 lead into the break.
The drama of the second half unfolded quickly as Alabama slowly began to chip away at the Bulldogs' advantage, narrowing the Georgia lead to two points with 13:38 remaining. From that point on, neither team claimed a lead larger than six points.
The Tide was led offensively by junior guard Monique Bivins, who contributed 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the floor and 4 of 8 shooting from behind the arc. Bivins also led the Tide on the glass, pulling down 10 rebounds. Lauren Hill was the only other Tide player to score in double figures. Hill accounted for 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting from the field, while finishing 2 of 6 from the perimeter. The Tide's Dee Merriweather and Katie Sipe each scored nine points.
Hardrick had a monster game for the Bulldogs, leading all scorers with 30 points. The freshman guard shot 7 of 14 from the field, 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and 13 of 15 from the free throw line. She also dished out six assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
The Tide returns home next week for two games, starting this Thursday, Feb. 5, against the Louisiana State Tigers. The 15th-ranked Tigers are 16-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference play. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum.
