The official recap, courtesy of Georgiadogs.com:

The No. 21 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (22-9) fell to the Marist Red Foxes (26-7), 76-70, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Sunday afternoon.

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the outcome of the ballgame, but we want to congratulate Marist for doing such a good job with what they do,” said head coach Andy Landers. “They’re very good with their motion offense. They can hurt you in a number of different ways. Today, they hurt us with the drive. Our defense wasn’t very good and they were very good with executing their drive options which led to layups and fouls. At the end of the day, that’s the way the game was decided.”

The Lady Bulldogs were led by Khaalidah Miller with 21 points, including five three-pointers and a 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line. Krista Donald recorded eight points and nine rebounds to lead Georgia on the boards for the fourth time this season.

Meredith Mitchell scored 15 points and tallied four rebounds and three steals, while Jasmine James notched 12 points, four rebounds and a team-high five steals.

“You don’t prepare for that last loss, and I’m always at a loss of what to say, especially to my team,” continued Landers. “We normally come back in a few days after reality has set in and visit with our team and talk about the year and game and everything. I really don’t have a reaction. It’s difficult regardless of which round you go out in because you want to play for championships.”

The Lady Bulldogs took the first significant lead of the game, going up 10-4 just 3:34 in. Georgia maintained the lead for a majority of the first half. but an 11-0 run by Marist gave the Red Foxes a 26-20 lead with just under six minutes on the clock.

Georgia used an 8-2 run that lasted three minutes to tie the score, 28-28. Marist used a pair of treys in the last minute of the first half to go up 37-32 at halftime.

Mitchell left the floor with four minutes remaining in the first half due to foul trouble. Mitchell amassed four fouls in 10 minutes of play. In those 10 minutes, she also shot 3-of-4 from the field and led the team in first-half rebounds with four.

The Lady Bulldogs won the first half rebounding battle, pulling down 18 to Marist’s 16, and scored 11 second-chance points.

Marist opened the second half with an 8-2 run that gave them their largest lead of the game, 45-34. The Red Foxes continued to lead by at least six until 12:58 when James sparked a 7-0 Georgia surge with a three-pointer. The Lady Bulldogs used that run to pull within two, 55-53, for the first time since the first half.

Mitchell sank a three-point shot with 9:41 remaining to put Georgia up 58-57. Georgia was up 60-59 with 7:01 remaining when Mitchell fouled out. Marist then outscored the Lady Bulldogs 10-2 over the next 3:08.

James assisted a Miller trey with 2:40 on the clock to pull Georgia within four, 69-65. Seconds later, Marist went back up by six, 71-65, off a pair of free throws by Casey Dunlin. WIth 1:37 remaining, the Red Foxes then took their largest lead in 12 minutes, 74-65, off a three-point play by Corielle Yarde. Yarde led Marist with 21 points.

Georgia was unable to take back the lead, but a last second three-pointer by Miller brought the final score to 76-70.

Not the way you want the season to end. There are hardly ever any upsets on the first weekend of the tournament…so it really bites to end up on the business end of one. But even as we close the door on this season, saying goodbye to Brittney Crews and the magnificent Meredith Mitchell, it’s not too early…at all…to point out that this Lady Bulldogs roster has the pieces in place to contend for an SEC Championship next season. J.J. will be 100% up-to-speed and, given her competitive fire, she’ll be urgent to leave a championship legacy at Georgia. Hassell, Khaalidah, and Anne Marie have improved every season…no reason to think that won’t carry over to next year. Erika and Krista each displayed flashes of brilliance this season…look for them to only get better. The incoming freshmen are highly pedigreed…they won’t just contribute depth, they’ll contribute quality. So keep the faith, Fastbreakers, and enjoy the rest of the NCAA Tournament…we’ll update the site as events warrant (meaning maybe you shouldn’t look for anything here until Baylor either gets upset or wins it all)…and we’ll see you next month at the year-end banquet.

The 2012 NCAA Division One Women’s Basketball Championship is officially underway. Even as I sit here typing this, every higher-seeded team currently in action is pretty much taking care of business. Tomorrow afternoon at Tallahassee’s Donald L. Tucker Center, our Lady Bulldogs (22-8, seeded 4th) will have their own business to take care of as they open NCAA Tournament competition against the Red Foxes of Marist (25-7, seeded 13th). Shortly after the Lady Dawgs and Red Foxes finish chasing each other around, fifth-seeded St. Bonaventure will take on twelfth-seeded Florida Gulf Coast and the winners of tomorrow afternoon’s games will meet at 7:00 PM (Eastern) Tuesday night to determine who moves on to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen.” Marist will be tough. Even though the specter of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball might not strike much fear into the hearts of rarified-air-breathing SEC fans, rest assured that you don’t win 25 games during a season unless you can ball a little bit. If the Lady Bulldogs take care of the ball, execute on offense, and take full advantage of their advantage in athleticism, we should be right back here on Monday talking about a second-round game Tuesday night. This is when the fun starts…March Madness, baby.

NCAA TOURNAMENT (FIRST ROUND), MARCH 18, 2012

Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida

#4 GEORGIA VS. #13 MARIST (12:05 PM, Eastern)

TV/Radio/Online: ESPN2/Georgia Bulldog Radio Network/ESPN3.com

Click here for the official Georgia/Marist game notes.

Here’s a link to the Marist women’s basketball page.

Click here to see the entire Red Fox roster.

Buffalo’s Southwestern Cafe in Athens (196 Alps Road) has become the Fastbreak Club’s home away from home this season…so why not keep it going during the NCAA Tournament? Join all of your Fastbreaking friends tomorrow in the atrium at Buffalo’s as we indulge in a little March Madness, Georgia vs. Marist-style. The game tips off at 12:05 PM…so show up around 11:30 to get your lunch on before the Madness gets started. (NOTE: As always, we’ll provide the venue, the TV, and the outstanding company…any munchies and drinks are on your dime.) You can even come straight from church and show off your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes!

If you have questions, contact Lee Booth at (706) 654-8365. See you there!

The big bracket is set. The Lady Bulldogs now know who their first partner for The Big Dance will be. Georgia, a number-four seed in the Raleigh region, will travel to Florida State University this Sunday to take on 13th-seeded Marist in opening round NCAA Tournament action shortly after noon (12:05, Eastern). In the second half of Sunday’s doubleheader, fifth-seeded St. Bonaventure will hook up with the region’s number-twelve seed, Florida Gulf Coast. The winners from Sunday afternoon will meet Tuesday night (March 20, tip-off time to be announced later) for a spot in the “Sweet Sixteen” and the opportunity to travel to Raleigh the following weekend and advance to the “Elite Eight.” While it’s not the short drive Auburn was last year, Tallahassee can feasibly be road-tripped…especially on a weekend. Given the geographical make-up of the four teams invited to Tallahassee, you can count on a robust turnout from the Lady Bulldog Nation. If you’d like to be among the red-and-black attack this weekend for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, we’ve posted a link below for ticket sales.

NCAA TOURNAMENT (FIRST ROUND), MARCH 18, 2012

Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida (All times Eastern)

#4 GEORGIA VS. #13 MARIST (12:05 PM)

#5 ST. BONAVENTURE VS. #12 FLORIDA GULF COAST (around 2:35 PM)

BOTH GAMES CAN BE SEEN LIVE ON ESPN2 OR ONLINE AT ESPN3.COM

All-session tickets for the Tallahassee Subregional are $30 for adults and $20 for students. You can order them online by clicking the link below or by calling 850-644-1830. If you need additional ticket information, just call the UGA Athletic Association ticket office at 1-877-542-1231. (NOTE: When ordering your tickets from FSU, please make sure to specify that you would prefer to sit in the Georgia section. The ticket staffers don’t always ask about a seating preference…so make sure you let them know!)

Click here to order Tallahassee Subregional tickets online.

March Madness beckons, Fastbreakers. The Lady Bulldogs have their bags packed. Now it’s just  matter of finding out where they’re going. We’ll all find out together tomorrow night at 7:00 PM (Eastern) as the annual NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show unfolds live on ESPN. Charlie Creme, the man who introduced the word “Bracketology” to the women’s basketball lexicon, pegs Georgia as a number-four seed headed out West to Fresno if the Lady Dawgs can advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Of course, we speculated right here on this very website that Georgia’s early exit from the SEC Tournament probably dropped the Lady Bulldogs from a three-seed to a four. And the selection committee has shown in the past a distinct predilection for sending us out West. But it’s also worth remembering that the Lady Dawgs have been known to come back from the Left Coast in March with a cut-down net around Andy’s neck and a ticket punched for the Final Four. None of the first-round sites this season are within the same kind of easy drive Auburn was last year…so get ready to hit the road. Once again…it’s almost upon us…so let’s make it official with: Let the Madness begin!

Check back right here late tomorrow night for the scoop on where the Lady Bulldogs are heading for opening-round NCAA Tournament action and who they’ll be playing. As always, we’ll try to the run down ticket information and maybe even hook you up with local hotel information. So just grab onto something bolted down and hold on tight. It’s time for The Big Dance.

Again, a confluence of events (late night basketball, severe storms, intermittent computer access, and family stuff) has led to a very late update…for which I apologize. But…honestly…you probably want to read about last night’s game just as much as I want to post something about it. (Hint: Meaning…not very much.) Now we take a week to regroup, cool our jets, and ultimately find out where and against whom the Lady Dawgs will be playing in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and what they’ll be seeded. It’s very frustrating that the SEC Tournament hurdle didn’t get cleared…but there’s still some Georgia basketball left to be played, Fastbreakers. Nothing’s close to over yet. Here’s the official recap of last night’s Georgia/South Carolina game, courtesy of Georgiadogs.com:

South Carolina (23-8) used a 6-0 run late in the second half and connected on 6-of-6 free throws on one-and-one situations down the stretch to upset No. 16 Georgia (22-8), 59-55, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

Jasmine Hassell scored a game-high 16 points, Jasmine James added of 10 points and 10 rebounds – her first double-double of the year – and Meredith Mitchell chipped in 10 points for Georgia.

The Lady Bulldogs lost for the first time during 2011-12 when outrebounding their opposition. Georgia, which was 16-0 entering the game when winning the battle of the boards, collected 38 boards to South Carolina’s 33.

“I think the game played out the way we thought it would,” Andy Landers said. “It was played hard and defensively, both teams did a reasonably good job of defending the other. At the end of the day, I really thought the their ability to get to the basket – whether through deep penetration or a pass into the post – led to fouls, which basically decided the basketball game.”

After a back-and-forth battle of much of the first half, the second stanza featured a series of runs. South Carolina pushed a four-point lead at the intermission to its biggest edge of the game at 40-32 with 15:49 left.

A pair of three-point plays by Hassell helped Georgia knot the score at 40-40 just 2:34 later.

The Gamecocks responded with a 7-0 run, but the Lady Bulldogs again answered with a 9-2 surge that made it 49-49 at the 6:34 mark. James scored five points in that run.

South Carolina then used a decisive 6-0 run to create distance.

Georgia pulled within two points and had possession with less than 30 seconds remaining but turned the ball over. Ieasia Walker then hit both ends of a one-and-one with 13 seconds left to supply the game’s final score.

Georgia’s largest lead of the game was 8-4 at the 14:17 mark. South Carolina knotted the score 2:17 later and the teams traded buckets for several minutes. The Gamecocks used a 9-2 run to build the first significant lead, a 24-17 advantage with 2:51 on the clock.

A Khaalidah Miller three in transition was sandwiched by consecutive buckets by Jasmine Hassell as the Lady Bulldogs tied the score just 70 seconds later. South Carolina then closed out the period on a 6-2 surge to garner a four-point lead at the intermission.

The Lady Bulldogs will now return to Athens to await an anticipated at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA bracket will be released on Monday, March 12. To date, Georgia has competed in 28 of 30 editions of “March Madness” since the NCAA took over administration of women’s intercollegiate athletics in 1981. The Lady Bulldogs’ tally of NCAA bids ranks second nationally. Georgia has advanced to 19 “Sweet 16s,” 10 “Elite Eights” and five Final Fours and finished as NCAA runner-up in both 1985 and 1996.

You just read the official recap…but click here for a link to the stats and box score.

Your Fastbreak Club will be hosting a viewing party tonight at Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe in Athens (196 Alps Road) for anyone within an easy drive who wants to watch Georgia and South Carolina hook up at the SEC Tournament in Nashville. The game starts at 10:00 PM (Eastern) and Fastbreakers are asked to start gathering at 9:30. Just tell the hostess that you’re there to watch the Georgia game with the Fastbreak Club and they’ll steer you straight to the proper room. (NOTE: As always, we’ll provide the room, the TV, and the outstanding company…any munchies and drinks are on your dime.) With that starting time, it’ll be a bit of a late-nighter…but, hey, tomorrow’s Saturday. So come on out!

If you have questions, contact Lee Booth at (706) 654-8365.

Sorry for the relatively late-in-the-day update. Between the one-hour time difference from Nashville and pressing family duties, there was simply no way for me to get last night’s SEC Tournament results posted without staying up well past midnight. But if you’re in Nashville or watching on the tube, you know that everybody who should’ve won last night (Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and South Carolina) took care of business easily…and now it’s time for the top four seeds, including our own Lady Bulldogs, to take the court. And let me tell you, Fastbreakers, we’ve got some barnburners in store for today. Kentucky should probably put Florida away painlessly…but Vandy/Tennessee, Arkansas/LSU, and…of course…South Carolina/Georgia are all capable swapping punches until the final buzzer. So let’s have a look at what’s on tap for today at the SEC Tournament:

Friday, March 2 (All Times Eastern)

Game 1 – #8 Florida vs. #1 Kentucky (1:00 PM)

Game 2 – #7 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Tennessee (3:30 PM)

Game 3 – #5 Arkansas vs. #4 LSU (7:30 PM)

Game 4 – #6 South Carolina vs. #3 GEORGIA (10:00 PM)

All first-round games can be seen live on Fox Sports Net.

I’ll try my best to burn some midnight oil and get links from tonight’s games posted in the wee hours…but it may have to wait until Saturday morning, depending on how tightly they stick to the schedule in Nashville and whether or not games go into overtime. And…remember…we’d love to post your SEC Tournament photos! Just send them to m.holcomb@windstream.net (in .JPG/.JPEG format, please) and we’ll make you an internet-famous photographer. And, if I may make a special request, send along some shots of your fellow Fastbreakers and other Lady Bulldog Nation faithful. This is your page…let’s see you.

Click here for your complete guide to the 2012 SEC Tournament.

It’s SEC Tournament time again. Four days of heroics and heartbreak. The pinnacle of women’s college basketball competition convenes in Nashville once again this year…and this tournament simply could not be more wide open. Each of the tournament’s top four seeds (Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU) have had their stretches of looking very beatable at various times during the season. Taking very good Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina teams into the mix, you can throw a hat over a half-dozen or so teams that are fully capable of getting hot and cutting down the net on Sunday. Our Lady Bulldogs, as we all know, have the luxury of just sitting and watching on the tournament’s first day. Eight other teams, however, will be fighting to extend their seasons just one more day. If you’re attending tournament in person, expect to see the Lady Bulldogs somewhere in the arena taking notes during the Alabama/South Carolina game. The winner of that game will be Georgia’s second-round opponent on Friday night. Here are all the particulars for Thursday’s opening round of the SEC Tournament:

Thursday, March 1 (All Times Eastern)

Game 1 – #9 Auburn vs. #8 Florida (1:00 PM)

Game 2 – #10 Mississippi State vs. #7 Vanderbilt (3:30 PM)

Game 3 – #12 Ole Miss vs. #5 Arkansas (7:30 PM)

Game 4 – #11 Alabama vs. #6 South Carolina (10:00 PM)

All first-round games can be seen live on Fox Sports Net.

We’ll have results and game links for all of the SEC Tournament opening-round action posted right here sometime late Thursday night. If you’re in Nashville attending the tournament, we’d love to post some of your photos. Just send them to m.holcomb@windstream.net (in .JPG/.JPEG format, please) and we’ll post them for the rest of the Fastbreaking world to admire.

Click here for a complete guide to the 2012 SEC Tournament (including printable brackets.)

This just in from the UGA Sports Communications Office:

ATHENS, GA – Georgia senior Meredith Mitchell (pictured here as she’s introduced for the final time this past Sunday) was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals in her final two games at Stegeman Coliseum last week.

Mitchell helped the Lady Bulldogs defeat Ole Miss and LSU to complete the regular season with a 22-7 overall record and an 11-5 SEC mark. Georgia wrapped up the No. 3 seed in SEC Tournament with those victories.

“I’m very happy for and proud of Meredith,” head coach Andy Landers said. “She’s had a very solid season, and I would guess any senior playing their final home games would dream about performing the way Meredith played.”

Mitchell scored 20 points against Ole Miss – her highest output ever in SEC play – and equaled her career high with six steals. She scored 10 points and dished out five assists on her “Senior Day” finale at Stegeman Coliseum.

Last week, Mitchell’s statistics were significantly higher than her overall efforts this season – 15.0 ppg vs. 8.9 for the season, 5.0 apg vs. 2.4 for the season, 4.0 spg vs. 1.8 for the season, 52.5 FG pct. vs. 39.1 for the season and 42.9 3FG pct. vs. 28.3 for the season.

Mitchell has enjoyed a very solid SEC campaign. She has 16 double-figure scoring outputs this season, with 12 of those coming in the Lady Bulldogs’ 16 conference games. Among statistical leaders for SEC games, Mitchell ranks No. 23 in scoring, No. 16 in rebounding, No. 4 in steals, No. 5 in minutes played, No. 10 in assists and No. 10 in defensive boards.

Mitchell is the third different Lady Bulldog to be named SEC Player of the Week this season. Jasmine James was chosen on Nov. 21 and Anne Marie Armstrong was selected on Feb. 13. All told, 22 different Lady Bulldogs have combined to secure SEC Player of the Week accolades 43 times since the award’s inception in 1985.