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Women's national championship may come down to the role players
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Candice Wiggins, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles have led their teams to the Final Four with All-America performances in the NCAA tournament.
For Stanford, Tennessee, Connecticut and LSU, winning the national championship could come down to which team's role players best complement its star.
"I think if you're not coaching one of the best players in the country, it's hard to get to the Final Four," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. "It's not a coincidence that the last three years we've not been able to get to the Final Four."
UConn (36-1) plays Stanford (34-3) on Sunday night in the first national semifinal, with Southeastern Conference rivals LSU (31-5) and Tennessee (34-2) meeting in the late game.
The winners play Tuesday night in the championship game at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Stanford's Wiggins has been almost unstoppable in the tournament, scoring 40-plus points in two games. However, the Cardinal probably wouldn't be in the national semifinals if JJ Hones hadn't contributed 23 points against top-seeded Maryland in the regional final.
"J.J. stepped up big," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Knocking down big shots, making that steal, I didn't really even see it I turned and I saw her just going in for a lay up."
Parker almost single-handedly saved Tennessee in the regional semifinals scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against Notre Dame. She then put up 18 points in the first half against Texas A&M before she dislocated her shoulder twice.
Alexis Hornbuckle hit a deep 3-pointer late in the game against the Aggies to give the Lady Vols a chance to repeat as champions.
"I thought Alexis and Nicky (Anosike), they were key for us, and we didn't shoot the ball well, and when you struggle offensively sometimes it affects your defense," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
With Parker's shoulder still not at 100 percent, Tennessee is going to need big efforts out of point guard Shannon Bobbitt, Hornbuckle, and Anosike.
Moore has been Connecticut's leading scorer through the first four games and hit the clutch 3-pointer that helped the Huskies beat Rutgers in the Greensboro Regional final. She only had seven points in the game and the Huskies were able to survive an off night from their fabulous freshman because — in large part — the performance of Ketia Swanier.
The senior guard, who won the inaugural Big East Sixth Man award, scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half and hit six straight free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
"I wanted to shout it right then when they announced my name, 'Ketia deserves the MVP,'" Moore said. "She's my MVP because of her leadership, knocking down free throws, running our team, making hustle plays, diving on the floor. I think she's one of the most underrated players. She goes out every night and leads us."
Fowles had a huge game to help LSU beat North Carolina in the New Orleans Regional finals. She had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. But for the Lady Tigers to be successful they'll need steady play out of 5-foot-3 point guard Erica White.
Marist went to a triangle-and-two defense in the second round and LSU struggled in the first half as Fowles couldn't get the ball and Quianna Chaney couldn't hit from the outside. White stepped up scoring 15 points in the second half to break open a close game.
© 2008, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted by pdhuff on April 5, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
C'mon Stanford, show them how its done. Be careful near the UConn bench, may be some Brill Creme drippings.
Or at least a little gel.
Posted by THE_VOL on April 5, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Who the hell cares?????? IT'S GIRLS BASKETBALL FOR CRIPES SAKE!!!! When they can support their own programs and pay their own way without sluffing off handouts from the MEN'S sports, then and only then will they have ANY small hint of credibility!!! Until then - yawwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnn!
Posted by writer on April 5, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE_VOL--I'm 62 years old and probably have as much right as anyone on this board to be old-fashioned. But your comment is Neanderthal. Where have you been for the last 40 years?
Posted by LadyVolFanForever on April 5, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE_Vol, crawl back under your rock. You give men another black eye. I hope you don't have any daughters..........
Posted by writer on April 5, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope he doesn't have any children at all, or a wife--that kind of attitude is why we have to have government-funded social workers in protective services chasing down abuse cases.
Posted by johnlg00 on April 5, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OK, THE_VOL, by now we get it that you don't like women's sports. That's fine, it's a free country. However, in the same spirit in which you bash followers of other teams coming on this board and trashing the Vol men's basketball and football teams, why don't you just stop offering your Neanderthal opinions about women's basketball? You are not likely to change the minds of anyone who reads these articles. All you are doing is showing what an a$$ you can be sometimes. Besides, although I don't have the figures at my fingertips, I would not be AT ALL surprised if Lady Vols basketball doesn't at least support itself. Also, ALL the other men's teams, except probably for basketball, draw their operating revenue from football. Would you do away with the baseball, track, golf, tennis, swimming, etc., teams on that basis? I guess you think that football and men's basketball are the only sports that should be played at UT. Finally, there are LOTS of people who care about the Lady Vols, and not just Tennesseans. For most of the past 30 years, the only positive thing most people outside of the state knew about UT sports besides the football team was Lady Vols basketball.
Posted by Cherokee on April 5, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE_VOL, to respond to your question, I care for one. Perhaps the thousands that go to the trouble to attend the games, watch the Lady Vols on television or read articles about them care as well. I'm getting more than a little tickled at the inevitable shots taken at the sport every time there is an article about the Lady Vols. What's particularly funny is the person saying these things obviously invested time both in reading the article and then in writing a comment, all just to indicate his supposed complete indifference. If you cared that little, why read the article in the first place, much less bother to respond? If you don't care, great. Nobody is forcing you, but there are obviously a lot of folks who care. Of course, I guess it's possible that network television spends money to broadcast the games that nobody cares about. After all, everyone knows television networks love losing money...
Posted by Cherokee on April 5, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
writer, I'm more amused by THE_VOL's goofy comments than angry, but the comment about social workers chasing down abuse cases is a tad over the top.
Posted by wewhite on April 5, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, I agree, THE_VOL. Women shouldn't be playing on the court. In fact, they shouldn't even be in college! They should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen where they belong! If God had meant for women to play basektball, he would have given them the ability to dunk.
What? They do dunk? Oh...
Posted by johnlg00 on April 5, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good one, wewhite(;-D)! LadyVolFanForever, it is comments like yours ("give men another black eye") that give fans of women's sports a bad name. Smearing entire groups of people because an individual in that group acts like an idiot is not a becoming attitude. I DO apologize for seeming to do the same thing in this post; ironic, huh? Funny how easily we see faults in others without admitting those same faults in ourselves.
Posted by LdyVolFaninKS on April 5, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah THE_VOL, women's basketball doesn't matter in Tennessee. That's why you drive down Pat Summitt Blvd to watch the men play on "The Summitt" court. What an idiot. If women's ball is so insignificant, why does UT pay Pat over $1 million a year to coach. Face it, the women's team carries the men's at UT...
Posted by LadyVolFanForever on April 5, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
johnlg000, so sorry what I actually meant was THE_VOLs' comments give all mankind a black eye !
I don't post here to bash. I am a fan of womens' sports and very proud of it.
GO LADY VOLS ! and peace to all !
Posted by Cherokee on April 5, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LdyVolFaninKS - your comment about the women's team carrying the men's team at UT is just as wrong-headed and unnecessary as THE_VOL's comments.
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