Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 4, 1994 TAG: 9404040141
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Smith knew for sure when she was buried beneath a mob of Tar Heels teammates.
Smith's 3-pointer gave North Carolina a 60-59 victory over Louisiana Tech and its first NCAA women's basketball championship.
A near-capacity crowd at the Richmond Coliseum witnessed the shot, Smith's ninth 3-pointer of the season.
"I just totally zoned out," said Smith, a 6-foot forward who set a tournament record with 23 rebounds against the Techsters. "I knew I had to do it. It was an order from the coach and I had to keep confidence in myself. I have to thank my teammates for helping me keep my composure."
Louisiana Tech (31-4) appeared to be on the way to its third national championship after speedy guard Pam Thomas pulled up for a jumper with 14 seconds remaining to give the Techsters a 59-57 lead.
Tonya Sampson, North Carolina's All-American, then brought the ball upcourt, fired and missed as the clock ticked. A scramble on the floor resulted in a jump ball and North Carolina's possession with seven-tenths of a second remaining.
Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina's coach, called time out and set up a play the Tar Heels had used successfully all season: a lob pass underneath to 6-foot-5 center Sylvia Crawley. But Stephanie Lawrence didn't like the defense she saw when trying to inbound the ball and called another timeout.
"I changed the play twice," Hatchell said. " . . . I told the kids in the huddle [during the second timeout] that we were going for the win and not the tie."
When Lawrence stepped to the baseline again to inbound the ball, Louisiana Tech's Kendra Neal no longer was in her face. Lawrence lobbed a pass to the right wing, and Smith quickly released the game-winning shot.
"Can you believe that?" Hatchell said. "I guess it was our day."
Smith got open when Neal moved inside to help guard Crawley and Tech freshman Maquisha Walker stuck with Sampson, who cut across the lane as a decoy.
"I'll take full responsibility for that shot and for that loss," said Leon Barmore, the Techsters' coach. "I had Kendra Neal on the ball and then took her off. We definitely should have had someone on the ball.
"To be honest, I saw Smith and Crawley on the blocks and we were backed up. Our defense was tight. I thought they could spin and get the ball on a bounce pass. They caught me. They ran a good play. Staying on the ball is definitely what we should have done, and I think we would have won the national championship."
Smith, named the tournament's outstanding player, finished with 20 points for North Carolina (33-2), after scoring one in the first half.
Sampson had a team-high 20 points - 17 in the first half - and eight rebounds. Crawley added 14 points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Thomas led the Techsters with 15 points. Vickie Johnson added 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Both were named to the all-tournament team, with Sampson and Alabama's Betsy Harris.
Both teams got off to a shaky start. The Techsters shot 32 percent from the field in the first half, while the Tar Heels managed 39 percent and struggled to stay close.
Carolina was down by five points with 2 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the first half before rallying to tie the score at intermission. Sampson picked off a Louisiana Tech pass and converted it into a layup with three seconds left to send the teams to the locker room with the score 32-32.
The Tar Heels looked sharper at the start of the second half and took a six-point lead when Smith scored five consecutive points.
The Techsters regained the lead 49-48 with 7:16 to play when Thomas made a steal and a layup. The 5-3 senior reeled off four more quick points to make it 53-48.
But Smith countered with five consecutive points of her own to tie it at 53 with 2:14 remaining.
"Charlotte Smith is one of the most competitive people I've ever met in my life," Hatchell said. "She can play any position on the floor. . . . She reminds me of that rabbit [the "Energizer Bunny"] that just keeps going and going. She amazes me."
Johnson put the Techsters up 57-55 with 55 seconds remaining. Crawley then hit her trademark jumper to make it 57-57.
Thomas, who played only five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, put Louisiana Tech up 59-57 on her subsequent jumper to set the stage for Smith.
by CNB