ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 30, 1997 TAG: 9703310154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CINCINNATI
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS|
Two teams with great tradition meet for the women's basketball championship
Tennessee and Old Dominion each bring a rich history and tradition to the NCAA women's basketball championship game, a legacy of success that stretches back to the very beginnings of the sport.
Say Old Dominion and you think of Nancy Lieberman, Ann Donovan and Inge Nissen. With Tennessee, you think of four national championships, of coach Pat Summitt and her 624 career victories, of players like Daedra Charles, Bridgette Gordon and Nikki McCray.
But they won't be playing tonight at Riverfront Coliseum. The game won't be decided on who has the most banners hanging in their arena.
It will turn instead on whether Old Dominion can slow Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw. And if the Lady Monarchs accomplish that, whether other Tennessee players can pick up the slack.
Much will hinge also on whether Old Dominion's Ticha Penicheiro can break down Tennessee's defense and whether teammates Clarisse Machanguana and Nyree Roberts can dominate inside as they did in their stirring come-from-behind semifinal victory over Stanford.
``I think each of the young ladies in our program this year understands that Old Dominion has some strong women's basketball tradition,'' said Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry, who played at the school from 1973-76.
``But they've really developed their own identity. They're out to make their own tradition and accomplish some of their own goals.''
The same goes for Tennessee, which is the defending national champion and is trying to become the first women's team to repeat since Southern Cal in 1983 and 1984.
``I don't feel pressure to defend a championship,'' Summitt said. ``If Tennessee never wins another national championship, we have our place in the history book.
``But [tonight], I hope they'll go out and play really hard and try to win their championship, this team. And this team's very different from last year's team.''
Old Dominion and Tennessee have met like this before. In 1980, before the sport came under the NCAA's umbrella, ODU beat Tennessee 68-53 for the AIAW championship in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Old Dominion also won that title in 1979 and captured the NCAA crown in 1985.
But while NCAA appearances continued through the 1980s and '90s, the Lady Monarchs haven't been able to reach their earlier prominence. This group has a chance to make that happen.
``I think when you have an opportunity to be a part of a national championship run, you experience something that's second to none,'' said Larry, an assistant on ODU's 1980 and 1985 title teams.
``I know when I took a head coaching position, one of my goals that I wrote down would be to have an opportunity to share that type of feeling, that type of exhilaration with some of my own players.''
Old Dominion, which beat Tennessee 83-72 on Jan. 7, reached this point by overcoming a 15-point deficit to defeat Stanford 83-82 in overtime Friday night. Before that, the Lady Monarchs had survived three straight subpar games offensively in regional play.
``We have come out with some ugly, ugly wins and we have learned a lot,'' guard Stacy Himes said. ``Our offense hasn't worked that well for us, but our defense won us games and shows us how important it is.''
It will be critical against Holdsclaw, the smooth 6-foot-2 sophomore who scored 31 points in an 80-66 semifinal victory over Notre Dame.
``Chamique played on another planet,'' Larry said.
Old Dominion has plenty of flash and dash of its own with Penicheiro, the Portuguese point guard who had 18 points and six assists against Stanford and consistently got the ball inside to Machanguana and Roberts. The Lady Monarchs outscored Stanford 61-38 in the paint.
``I really don't see any weaknesses,'' Summitt said. ``We have to be on top of our game.''
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Tennessee coach Pat Summitt (right)by CNBand star player Chamique Holdsclaw are trying to repeat as NCAA
national champions.