Georgia’s Lady Dawgs lose in overtime

IOWA CITY, Iowa — For nearly four quarters, Georgia had control. For one five-minute stretch, it all slipped away.

Despite a dominant performance from sophomore forward Mia Woolfolk, the No. 7 seed Lady Bulldogs saw their season come to a sudden end Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 10 seed Virginia, 82-73, in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Georgia led by as many as eight points early in the fourth quarter and still held the edge late, but Virginia closed regulation with a surge and then took over completely in overtime, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 11-2 in the extra period.

Woolfolk was sensational in defeat, pouring in 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, the most by a Georgia player in an NCAA Tournament game since Jasmine James scored 27 in 2010. She also battled through contact all afternoon, getting to the free-throw line 16 times.

She had help.

Junior guard Rylie Theuerkauf delivered one of the best games of her career, scoring 22 points, including five 3-pointers, while Savannah Henderson added a career-high 11 points. It marked the first time since 2010 that Georgia had two players score 20 or more in an NCAA Tournament game.

For much of the afternoon, it looked like that offensive balance would be enough.

Georgia trailed early, falling behind 24-16 after one quarter, but responded with a strong second period. The Lady Bulldogs shot better than 64 percent in the quarter and surged into halftime with a 43-42 lead, fueled by Theuerkauf’s hot shooting and Woolfolk’s inside presence.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the second half, with Georgia holding a 59-56 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Woolfolk’s inside scoring and timely baskets from Henderson helped the Lady Bulldogs maintain control, and a layup and free throw sequence by Woolfolk pushed the lead to eight with just over eight minutes remaining.

But Virginia answered.

Behind 28 points from Kymora Johnson and a dominant interior effort from Sa’Myah Smith, the Cavaliers chipped away, tying the game in the final minutes and forcing overtime in a contest that featured nine lead changes and nine ties.

In overtime, Georgia simply couldn’t keep up.

The Lady Bulldogs managed just two points in the extra period, going 1-of-7 from the field, while Virginia capitalized on opportunities at the free-throw line and in the paint to pull away.

Missed opportunities ultimately proved costly. Georgia connected on just 22 of 35 free throws, leaving 13 points at the line, and shot 44 percent from the field compared to Virginia’s 52 percent. The Cavaliers also held a 37-26 rebounding advantage.

Still, the Lady Bulldogs showed poise in many areas, committing just 11 turnovers while forcing 14 from Virginia.

The loss ends a strong season for Georgia, which finished 22-10 overall, its highest win total since the 2017-18 campaign. Along the way, the Lady Bulldogs defeated three top-20 teams in the same season for the first time since 2010-11 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year.