GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Two losses at the end of the regular
season sent Washington on a 3,000-mile trip that few teams could
expect to survive.
Talk about making the best of it.
|  | | Florida's Tamara Stocks, right, grabs a rebound from Washington's Leann Sheets. |
The Huskies kept alive their long and unlikely adventure in the
NCAA Tournament Sunday night, thanks to good shooting and a clutch
14-point effort from freshman Andrea Lalum in an 86-75 upset
victory over Florida.
"We were willing to go anywhere, just as long as we got
picked," senior guard Megan Franza said, relaying the team's
mindset after losses to UCLA and Southern California. "When we
found out it was Florida, we actually got excited instead of upset,
because of the sunshine."
Actually, it rained all day Sunday in Gainesville – but maybe
that's why the Huskies (21-9) looked right at home.
They made their first six shots, shot 49 percent from the field
and hit all but seven of their 34 free throws in a near
wire-to-wire victory over the third-seeded Gators (24-6).
Freshman Giuliana Mendiola led Washington with 18 points, but
nobody came through bigger than Lalum, who hit two 3-pointers to
open the game, then made four key baskets down the stretch to help
hold off a strong Florida rally.
"To have that kind of talent and poise in March from a freshman
– I'm proud of her," Franza said.
At the final buzzer, a few of the Washington faithful who made
the long trip raced out of the stands and jumped up and down with
the Huskies – right on the menacing Gators logo painted at
midcourt.
Washington made it to the round of 16 for the first time since
1995, not bad for a team that finished 8-22 last year and was
picked to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-10. The Huskies
continue play in the West Regional much closer to home – in
Spokane, Wash., against the winner of Monday's game between
Stanford and Oklahoma.
"It would have been a real disappointment to have the Sweet 16
regional in our backyard and not be in it," Franza said.
Instead, it was Florida feeling the disappointment.
The Gators matched the program record for victories this season,
but joined Georgia as the second Southeastern Conference team that
couldn't advance out of a subregional on its home court.
"Losing is hard, it's hard for athletes and coaches because
we're competitive by nature," Florida coach Carol Ross said. "But
the hardest thing is looking in their eyes in that locker room.
Because it's really not about losing, it's about something really
special coming to an end."
Brandi McCain led the Gators with 23 points, but shot just
8-for-29 (7-for-26 from 3-point range) as part of the team's awful
34 percent shooting night. By the time McCain got hot, midway
through the second half, Florida trailed by 19.
"When you get shots that you want and you get people shooting
them that you want, that's really all you can ask," Ross said.
This game had none of the drama of Friday night, when Huskies
guard Loree Payne hit a jumper at the buzzer to lift her team to a
thrilling 67-65 victory over Old Dominion.
Trailing 62-43, McCain hit three 3-pointers and center Vanessa
Hayden scored nine points as part of a 26-11 run that pulled the
Gators within four. But Lalum kept answering during that stretch,
keeping the Huskies in the lead.
After pulling within four at 73-69, Florida missed five straight
shots, and started sending the Huskies to the foul line, where they
hit 11 of 15 down the stretch.
Thus marked a sudden and unexpected end to basketball season at
Florida, where the women joined the men, who lost earlier in the
day to Temple.
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
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