AU women make NCAA Tournament

Just in case, Nell Fortner left the tag on her hat.

You never know.

Last year, she would have taken it back, as her team was left out of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

This year, however, the Auburn head women’s basketball coach doesn’t need to worry about it finding the receipt — her team’s in.

The Tigers, an 11-seed, will head to Palo Alto, Calif., this weekend to play sixth-seeded George Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on the campus of Stanford University. The game will be played Saturday with tipoff slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN2 (Channel 29 in Lee County).

It’s Auburn’s first trip to the postseason under Fortner and the program’s first since 2004.

“I’m very excited,” Fortner said. “I’m proud of the kids. I’m proud of the effort of this team. (I’m) just looking forward to playing.”
Monday night, with her entire team waiting nervously in her living room, Fortner put on the green Auburn University hat she bought weeks before,
special for this occasion.

It was only appropriate, with it being St. Patrick’s Day and all.

“I got it at Toomer’s Corner about three weeks ago,” Fortner said of the cap, which had a four-leaf clover sewn onto the bill. “And I got it specifically for this day. I just put it on my head before the show started.

“You got to use a little bit of that Irish luck every now and then.”

The Tigers (20-11) got lucky in another sense Monday. They’ve already played George Washington (25-6) once this season — a last-second loss on Jan. 3.

Lisa Steele made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the game to give the then No. 20 Colonials a 68-66 win at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

“I guess we kind of got kind of lucky since we’ve already played them,” AU junior guard Sherell Hobbs said Monday night. “We got a little revenge on our hand because we lost to them at the buzzer.”

ESPN announced Auburn’s matchup in the first segment of its hour-long selection show Monday night, setting off a loud celebration in Fortner’s living room that lasted five good minutes.

“I didn’t really realize it at first,” Hobbs said of the announcement. “I haven’t been this excited in a long time. I’m hoarse already.”

“I don’t even have words,” said Auburn’s leading scorer DeWanna Bonner. “I’m just really excited. We’ve been working so hard this season, we’ve overcame a lot of obstacles. I’m so glad that my teammates and myself can experience the NCAA Tournament.”

Bonner wasn’t the only one excited. But for Fortner it was a mixture of celebration and pride, as she watched her team celebrate the accomplishment.

“The best part about that was the reaction of the team,” the fourth-year head coach said. “That was just incredible. I will never forget that.

“To be a part of a group of kids who are playing here at Auburn and to be a part of the NCAA Tournament for the very first time, that was very exciting. That was very fulfilling as a coach.”

This is Auburn’s 17th tournament appearance overall.

The Tigers have accumulated an overall record of 28-16 in the 16 previous postseasons, making three Final Fours, six Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s.

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