Women’s basketball loses SEC quarterfinal to top seed, 63-45.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) (March 3, 2000) — Coco Miller scored 23points and No. 2 Georgia wasted little time Friday inits first game in the SEC tournament, routingKentucky 63-45 in the quarterfinals for its 15thstraight victory.
Georgia (29-2), the tournament’s top seed, will playNo. 12 Auburn or No. 17 Mississippi State in thesemifinals Saturday.
The Lady Bulldogs started their quest for their firsttourney title since 1986 by trying to wear out No. 9seed Kentucky (15-14), and it worked quickly. TheWildcats turned the ball over eight times in the firstnine minutes, and Georgia never trailed in jumping toa 19-6 lead.
Georgia had its problems. The Lady Bulldogssuddenly couldn’t find the basket, making just threefield goals the rest of the half. Kentucky put togetheran 8-0 spurt and pulled to 19-14 on a bucket by RitaAdams with 7:56 to go.
That would be as close as the Wildcats would get asCoco Miller finally ended a nearly six-minute stretchwithout a field goal with a bucket at 5:55. She alsomade a 3-pointer and added two free throws asGeorgia led 31-20 at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs padded their lead in the secondhalf. Georgia led by as much 30 twice, the first at58-28 when Coco Miller scored her final basket, lightlytossing the ball in off a pass at 10:33 before going tothe bench.
Kentucky whittled the lead down in the final minutesas Georgia coach Andy Landers pulled the rest of hisstarters. Erica Jackson led Kentucky with 12 points.
Angie Ball added 12 points for Georgia. Kelly Miller,the coaches’ pick as the SEC player of the year, hadnine.
