• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Clarendon leads Cal to first-ever Final Four

Apr 2, 2013 - 4:47 AM Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Layshia Clarendon led all scorers with 25 points as the second-seeded California Golden Bears outlasted the fourth- seeded Georgia Bulldogs in overtime, 65-62, in the Spokane Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.

Clarendon shot 9-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range for Cal (32-3), which will take on either Louisville or Tennessee in New Orleans on April 7. Afure Jemerigbe tallied 14 points, Talia Caldwell netted 10 points, and Reshanda Gray added eight points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Cal becomes the first Pac-12 school other than Stanford to advance to the Final Four since USC in 1986.

For Georgia (28-7), Shacobia Barbee logged a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Anne Marie Armstrong and Jasmine James scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Bulldogs opened up a 26-21 halftime lead by shooting 42.3 percent from the floor while holding Cal to a lowly 24.2 percent shooting.

Georgia continued to lead for the majority of the second half, including 49-39 with under seven minutes to play, but Cal ripped off a 13-1 run to take a 52-50 advantage with 2:19 remaining following a pair of Brittany Boyd free throws. The Bears had a chance to extend their lead at the foul line with 26 seconds left, but Jemerigbe missed the front end of a one-and-one. On the Bulldogs' final possession, Armstrong corralled an offensive rebound and put back a layup to tie the game with seven seconds left. Clarendon's 3-point attempt at the buzzer did not fall and the game went to overtime.

Georgia got the scoring started in the extra session with a Khaalidah Miller 3-pointer, but from there Cal scored nine straight points to take the lead for good.

The Bears dominated the rebounding battle, 54-41, but nearly cost themselves with a poor showing at the foul line (12-of-24).