1985 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

National championship game
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Old Dominion Monarchs (29–4) (30–3) 65 70 Head coach: Andy Landers Head coach: Marianne Stanley
AP: 8 AP: 5
1st half 2nd half Total Georgia Lady Bulldogs 31 34 65 Old Dominion Monarchs 30 40 70
Date	March 31, 1985
Venue	Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
MVP	Tracy Claxton, Old Dominion
Attendance	7,597
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Frank Glieber (play-by-play) and Ann Meyers (analyst)

The 1985 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the 1985 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the champion of the 1984–85 NCAA Division I women's basketball season and was contested by the Georgia Lady Bulldogs and the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs. The game was played on March 31, 1985, at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. After trailing by a single point at halftime, No. 5 Old Dominion defeated No. 8 Georigia 70–65 to capture the NCAA national championship.^[1] ODU's Tracy Claxton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Participants

Georgia Lady Bulldogs

Main article: 1984–85 Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team

The Lady Bulldogs, who represented the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, were led by head coach Andy Landers, in his 5th season at the school. Georgia opened the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Lady Bulldogs saw their ranking slowing decline through the season and landed at No. 8 in the final poll.

In the NCAA tournament, Georgia defeated Tennessee Tech, UCLA, and No. 3 Long Beach State to reach their second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. They won 91–78 over No. 14 Western Kentucky in the national semifinal^[2] to reach the national championship game with a 29–4 record.

Old Dominion Lady Monarchs

Main article: 1984–85 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team

The Lady Monarchs, represented the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, were led by head coach Marianne Stanley in her 8th season at the school. They began the season ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll, and held the No. 1 ranking for eight weeks in December and January. ODU feel to No. 7 in February before rising to No. 5 for the final two polls of the season.

Old Dominion was the No. 2 seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament and defeated Syracuse, No. 12 NC State, and No. 7 Ohio State to reach their second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. In the National semifinal, the Lady Monarchs defeated No. 2 NE Louisiana, 57–47,^[3] to move to 30–3 and set up the championship game matchup with Georgia.

Starting lineups

Georgia	Position	Old Dominion
Teresa Edwards	G	Medina Dixon
	G
Janet Harris	F	Tracy Claxton
Katrina McClain	F
Lisa O'Connor	F
Source

Game summary

CBS

March 31, 1985

No. 8 Georgia Lady Bulldogs 65, No. 5 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs 70
Scoring by half: 31–30, 34–40
Pts:   Rebs:   Asts:		Pts:   Rebs:   Asts:

Frank Erwin Center – Austin, Texas Attendance: 7,597

Media coverage

The game was broadcast on CBS.

References

1. "Old Dominion Tops Georgia for Title". The New York Times. April 1, 1985. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
2. "OLD DOMINION GAINS FINAL WITH GEORGIA". The New York Times. March 30, 1985. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
3. "Georgia, Old Dominion Gain Final". The Los Angeles Times. March 30, 1985. Retrieved April 28, 2024.