Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404040154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Louisiana Tech's bid for a fourth women's NCAA Tournament championship will come too soon for coach Leon Barmore.
Barely 24 hours after the Lady Techsters beat Alabama on Saturday afternoon to earn a title-game berth, they play North Carolina at 3:45 p.m. today for the championship at the Richmond Coliseum.
"If I did what I should do, I'd take Louisiana Tech and go home," said Barmore, in his 12th year at the school. "It's wrong to play [back-to-back] days. That is wrong."
Barmore's outburst had its roots in injuries. Starting forward Amy Brown and key reserve Kendra Neal suffered ankle sprains late in Saturday's semifinal, and starting forward Vickie Johnson aggravated an old ankle injury.
They're questionable for today's game. Guard Pam Thomas has a groin injury to deal with, too.
"It's just major," Barmore said of the impact on his team if they can't play. "You can live with maybe one, but when you've got two or three . . . we'll figure out a way.
"[But] you're setting kids up to be hurt very seriously, because you get injured when you're tired."
Fourth-ranked North Carolina (32-2) was full of vim Saturday, ripping Purdue 89-74 to earn its first berth in the NCAA title game.
The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions haven't lost since Virginia beat them 83-74 in Charlottesville on Feb. 9 and carry a 13-game winning streak into today's game. A victory today ties UNC's longest winning streak.
Sylvia Hatchell, the Tar Heels' coach, downplayed playing on back-to-back days.
"That doesn't bother us," she said, noting her team played three games in as many days during the ACC tournament.
If Louisiana Tech is healthy, it should hope North Carolina tires. The Tar Heels' bench is thin, although with Kodak All-American Tonya Sampson in foul trouble Saturday, Tonya Cooper scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes.
Barmore, whose team has won 25 in a row, is concerned enough about UNC's starting five.
"They probably have, of the four teams [in Richmond], the best set of athletes," he said. "It's a very difficult matchup for us."
Hatchell was impressed with Louisiana Tech's backcourt of Pam Thomas, Debra Williams and Neal.
"I thought their guard play was exceptional," said Hatchell, USA Today's national coach of the year. "They make good decisions. Their inside players don't score that much, but they rebound tremendously well."
Louisiana Tech's Racquel Spurlock had 18 rebounds Saturday, tying an NCAA semifinal record held by two players.
North Carolina, however, is making an impression in its first Final Four. Its 17 steals and 19 assists against Purdue were the second-highest totals in a semifinal game, and its 15-point margin of victory was the highest in a semifinal in 11 years.
\ LICHONCZAK'S LOWDOWN\ A CHAMPIONSHIP ANALYSIS\ \ NOTE: Lubomyr Lichonczak coached the Radford University women's basketball team against Final Four participants North Carolina and Purdue this season, scouted Alabama and watched Louisiana Tech in its semifinal victory Saturday. After the semifinals, he provided a tip sheet on the 13th women's NCAA Tournament title game:\ \ NORTH CAROLINA (32-2):\ \ NOTABLE: Carolina's athleticism: "Two people can dunk [Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Crawley]. One's an Olympic-caliber sprinter [Marion Jones], and throw in a Kodak All-American [Tonya Sampson]."\ \ KEYS: "Sampson pulled up a little bit [against Purdue with a sore leg]. They're going to have to have her healthy in order to do it. She needs to play through her injury and give them what she always does. She's their emotional leader." UNC must control Tech guard Pam Thomas. "Sag off, play the drive, hedge and play the passing lanes. She's really looking to create for her team by giving it up."\ \ LOUISIANA TECH (31-3):\ \ NOTABLE: "Louisiana Tech goes a little bit deeper [than UNC]. Those of us attending national AAU tournaments [over the years] have seen a lot of these players. They've won a lot of national championships."\ \ KEYS: "North Carolina does a tremendous job of getting in the passing lanes and picking off a lot of passes. Their defensive pressure really gives you a lot of trouble. [Louisiana Tech] does have a guard that can handle that type of pressure [Pam Thomas]. She should be able to break them down. Rebounding and backcourt play will be the keys."\ \ Compiled by Scott Blanchard
by CNB