George Washington University Athletics
Berth in the Sweet 16 Up for Grabs Tuesday
3/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 21, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, NC - The ninth-seeded GW women's basketball team (23-8) seeks to earn its third trip ever to the Sweet 16 on Tuesday, March 22 when it takes on the top seed in the Tempe Regional, #4/2 North Carolina (28-3), at the Dean E. Smith Center at 7:17 p.m.
The Colonials advanced to second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in school history with a 60-57 come-from-behind win against eighth-seeded Mississippi on Sunday, March 20. The Tar Heels defeated the 16th seed, Coppin State, 97-62, on Sunday reach next round.
Against the Lady Rebels, the Colonials rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit, outscoring Ole Miss 19-2 in the final 11 minutes to advance to Tuesday's meeting with the Tar Heels. Senior Jessica Simmonds led all scorers with 14 points in the contest. Classmate and All-America candidate Anna Montañana scored 13 points and notched a career-best eight steals. Her eight thefts tied her with seven players for the seventh-most in tournament history dating back to 1988.
North Carolina enters the pairing with a 28-3 overall record and hasn't lost since suffering a 79-73 defeat at the hands of Florida State on January 10. The Tar Heels have won 14 games since then, the longest winning streak for the club since the 1996-97 season.
UNC is making its 13 appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Coach Sylvia Hatchell. The Tar Heels are 25-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and Hatchell guided the squad to the national championship in 1994. This year's club rolled through the ACC Tournament, winning three games in three days to take home the conference tournament crown.
The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents by an average of 21.7 points per game and they are averaging 80.3 points per contest. They also lead the nation in steals per game at 14.2 and they are unbeaten at home this season (16-0).
Ivory Latta leads four players who average double-figure points. Latta is averaging 17.2 points per game. She has also knocked down 85 three's this season, which ranks sixth on the ACC's single-season three-point field goals made list and is third on the Tar Heels' single-season ledger. La'Tangela Atkinson is the team's top rebounder at 7.6 boards per outing.
GW and UNC have met twice previously with the Tar Heels winning the first pairing, 69-48, in 1984 at the Carmichael Auditorium. In the second meeting, the Colonials posted a 55-46 triumph in the 1997 East Regional semifinals to advance to the Elite Eight. In an ironic twist, that game was contested on March 22, 1997, eight years to the day of Tuesday's second-round tilt. In 1997, UNC was also a number one seed and was ranked fourth in the nation, just like they are now. Current GW assistant coaches Lisa Cermignano and Tajama Ngongba played for GW in 1997 and Ngongba tallied a double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) to help spur the Colonials to victory.
GW has organized a viewing party on Tuesday night for Colonials fans at the Hippodrome, located on the fifth floor of the Marvin Center. Free pizza and popcorn will be provided.
Fans can see Tuesday's game live on ESPN2. Dave Pasch and Debbie Antonelli again will have the call and Sam Ryan will provide sideline reports. The game will also be broadcast live over the Internet on GW's student radio station (WRGW) at www.gwradio.com.
