Top four seeds vie for supremacy in Seattle
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, March 24, 2004
By Scott M. Johnson / Herald Writer
On paper, the four remaining teams in the West Region of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament come as no surprise. The four top seeds will square off in Seattle this weekend, with the winner heading to New Orleans for the Final Four.
But that doesn’t mean the path to the Sweet 16 has been easy, especially for a pair of Southeastern Conference schools.
Louisiana State’s coach stepped down for medical reasons on Feb. 19, while Georgia lost its leading scorer the following day. Through it all, the Bulldogs and Tigers earned their place among four SEC teams still alive in the Sweet 16.
“There are 16 teams (remaining),” Georgia coach Andy Landers said. “And if you’re one of them, you have a shot. That’s where you want to be.”
Here is a look at the four teams that will play at the University of Washington’s Bank of America Arena on Saturday night:
Texas Longhorns (30-4)
West Region seed: No. 1
Coach: Jody Conradt
Top players: Jr. PG Jamie Carey, Sr. F/C Stacy Stephens, Fr. F Tiffany Jackson
Skinny: Texas went through some adversity of its own when it lost top defender Annissa Hastings to a torn Achilles tendon in October. But the Longhorns breezed to the Big 12 title and a No. 2 national ranking before losing to Oklahoma in the conference tournament. Texas compliments itself well with strong inside play (Jackson is the nation’s top frosh) and solid 3-point shooting (37 percent during the regular season).
Purdue Boilermakers (29-3)
West Region seed: No. 2
Coach: Kristy Curry
Top players: Sr. F Shereka Wright, Fr. G/F Katie Gearlds, Sr. PG Erika Valek
Skinny: Despite the presence of All-America Wright, this is no one-woman team. Wright is one of four seniors on an experienced squad that has won its first two NCAA games by a combined 37 points. Gearlds hit 44 percent of her 3-point attempts during the regular season, so the Boilermakers are equipped to play from behind.
Georgia Bulldogs (24-9)
West Region seed: No. 3
Coach: Andy Landers
Top players: Sr. C Christi Thomas, Jr. F Jessica Pierce, Soph. G Sherill Baker
Skinny: All looked bleak when Landers kicked leading scorer Kara Braxton off the team on Feb. 20, but the Bulldogs have persevered. Georgia has won seven of nine games since then, including relatively easy victories in the first two rounds of the tournament. The Bulldogs have been to 14 Sweet 16s in 21 tournament appearances but are still seeking their first national title.
Louisiana State Tigers (25-7)
West Region seed: No. 4
Coach: Pokey Chatman
Top players: Soph. G Seimone Augustus, Sr. PG Temeka Johnson, Sr. G Doneeka Hodges
Skinny: The guard-dominated team is led by Augustus, who averaged 18.7 points per game during the regular season and blew up for 47 in the Tigers’ two NCAA tournament wins. LSU went on a 15-game winning streak midway through the regular season, then closed with a humbling seven wins over the final 12 games. Chatman, who took over when 62-year-old Sue Gunter came down with bronchitis and a viral infection in February, has the team back on track in the tourney.
