March 16, 2002
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Lucienne Berthieu was hacked or ran into adouble team almost every time she had the ball in the low post. She felt muchmore comfortable at the foul line.
Berthieu scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds Saturday, leading OldDominion past Georgia 68-54 for a spot in the second round of the women'sMideast Regional.
Berthieu scored 20 points in the first half and made 10 of 12 free throws.She slumped in the second half, scoring only one field goal on three attemptsand going 2-for-7 from the line.
"I knew I was going to get to the line a lot, so I knew I would make myhome there," said Berthieu, a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Playerof the Year. "I just wanted a chance to make them pay for my opportunity."
A year ago, Berthieu sat out the season with a torn knee ligament andwatched in street clothes as Old Dominion was eliminated in the tournament'sfirst round.
Monique Coker added 13 points for the Lady Monarchs (26-5), who rallied froma nine-point deficit midway through the first half.
A layup by Coker late in the second half started an 11-4 run that gave OldDominion a 56-50 lead. The Lady Monarchs pushed the lead to nine before a3-pointer by Mary Beth Lycett pulled Georgia to 60-54 with 3:05 remaining.
Coker answered with a 3-point play and a basket by Sharron Francis gave theLady Monarchs their first double-digit lead.
"In the second half, we picked up our intensity and played moreaggressively," Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry said. "Georgia was creatingtheir own breaks in the first half."
Georgia coach Andy Landers said his team was too passive and too careless inthe second half.
"We needed to do a better job of taking care of the ball," he said.
Georgia double-teamed Berthieu in the second half, creating more open looksfor Coker and Hamchetou Maiga, who scored 10 points.
"The key in the second half was that we spread the floor more since theydevoted so much attention to Lucienne in the first half," Larry said.
Both teams were sloppy in stretches. Georgia had 25 turnovers and OldDominion had 22.
Georgia (19-11) made 12 of its first 20 shots but went only 9-for-28 therest of the game. The Bulldogs lost the lead and went into halftime tied at 35.
Christi Thomas led the Bulldogs 14 points and Kara Braxton had 12 beforefouling out with 4:59 left. Georgia was 7-for-16 from the foul line. FoulingBerthieu also caused two other players to foul out.
"This game was a microcosm of how we played all year," Landers said. "Itwas ridiculous to go seven of 16 at the free throw line, especially with thegood shooters we have here."
Georgia led by four points early in the second but the Lady Monarchs pulledaway.
Old Dominion and Georgia have played in 19 tournaments. The only schoolswith more appearances are Louisiana Tech and Tennessee with 21.
This was only the second meeting in the tournament between the teams. TheLady Monarchs defeated Georgia in the 1985 NCAA championship game.