Seven for Summitt - Lady Vols reclaim familiar place

CLEVELAND — After a night of hard-nosed, — blue-collar work, Tuesday officially went down in Tennessee women’s basketball history as a banner day.

In the days leading up to a 59-46 victory over Rutgers at Quicken Loans Arena, various Lady Vols struggled to explain what winning a national championship would mean. They were very familiar with the effort involved, however, parlaying a gritty defense and dominant rebounding into the salvation for suspect scoring.

Candace Parker led three double scorers with 17 points, hitting four consecutive free throws inside the final two minutes as Tennessee (34-3) pulled away down the stretch to win the seventh national championship in team history and the first since 1998.

"This means everything; it’s everything in the world,’’ Parker said. "Knoxville was due for a championship."

Nicky Anosike led UT’s 42-34 rebounding advantage with 16, prompting UT coach Pat Summitt to say, "Nicky Anosike was just unbelievable on the boards."

Parker was named the Women’s Final Four’s most outstanding player. Anosike and Bobbitt also made the all-tournament team.

Although Tennessee made two of its first three shots, it was hardly a portent of accuracy to come. The Lady Vols proceeded to miss their next 11 attempts, everything from shots at the rim to perimeter jumpers.

Once again, they would have to revisit the game plan that enabled them to survive 27 percent accuracy against North Carolina on Sunday night.

UT called on the usual attributes of defense and rebounding. If 5-foot-2 Bobbitt wasn’t swiping an entry pass then backcourt teammate Alexis Hornbuckle was going airborne to knock the ball of a Rutgers player, turning a potential layup into a turnover.

Tennessee’s 12 offensive rebounds helped created 13 second-chance points. At one point, UT was shooting 5-19 from the floor (26.3 percent) while Rutgers was shooting 50 percent (6-12). Yet Tennessee was leading 16-14.

The unusual resource turned out to be reserve Auguste, who came into the game averaging 4.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. The junior college transfer was nearly twice as good across the board in the first half alone with eight points and five rebounds.

Four of Auguste’s rebounds were on the offensive end, setting up two free throws for herself and a jumper by Spencer. In crashing the basket, Auguste also put herself in position for close-range shots. Once, she served as the outlet for Parker, who zipped a pass out of a double team to her open teammate for a layup.

Auguste’s 3-for-4 shooting helped UT pull its accuracy up to 36.7 percent (11 for 30) by halftime. More importantly, her scoring helped the Lady Vols open a 29-18 lead.

Consecutive baskets by Parker in the opening minutes of the second half enabled UT to push its advantage to 33-20. The Scarlet Knights came right back with back-to-back baskets of their own to hang within 33-24.

Rutgers eventually crept within seven points when UT’s other junior college player struck. Bobbitt swished a pair of 3-pointers. Then, she wrested the ball loose for Scarlet Knights guard Matee Ajavon on defense. Hornbuckle swooped in the loose ball and set sail the other way, allowing two defenders to rush by before converting a layup for a 43-28 lead with just over 11 minutes left.

Lady Vols reach summit, win NCAA title

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer

Everyone is gazing up at good ol' Rocky Top again. After a nine-year title drought, Tennessee and coach Pat Summitt are NCAA champions. The Lady Vols captured an elusive seventh national title Tuesday night, beating Rutgers to the ball for second and third shots in a 59-46 win to reclaim their customary place above all other programs.

Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer had hoped to win her first title, 25 years after her first national title appearance. Instead, Summitt won her seventh, 20 years after her first.

"I can't even describe it," said Tennessee's All-American Candace Parker. "This is what everyone came to Tennessee to do, and we did it."

Parker scored 17 points to lead the Volunteers (34-3), but the most outstanding player got plenty of help from Shannon Bobbitt and a supporting cast of less-heralded teammates, who too often this season stood around and watched her.

Not this time.

The Lady Vols, trophy-less in their past five tournament visits, wanted this title — badly. Almost from the outset, they outworked the young Scarlet Knights (27-9), who waited until the final game of an improbable tournament run to show their inexperience.

"Maybe we read the headlines or realized it was a national championship game," Stringer said. "We looked like a deer stuck in headlights. "

After building a 16-point lead and then holding off a late push by Rutgers, the Lady Vols could finally celebrate, dribbling out the final 30 seconds under the Rutgers basket. When the final horn sounded, Dominique Redding flung the ball high enough to hit the scoreboard as Tennessee's players, some in tears, danced at midcourt as orange, blue and gold confetti fell from above.

"To win anything you have to be a tight team," Summitt said. "They believed in each other and they all had one goal, to be here in Cleveland and cut down the nets. I'm real, real proud of this team."

Rutgers, which knocked off No. 1 Duke earlier in the tournament, was attempting to become the third straight first-time winner following Baylor in 2005 and Maryland in 2006.

Summitt's 947th career win could be one of her sweetest. The Hall of Fame coach — joined on the floor afterward by her mother, Hazel Head, in a wheelchair — had captured six national titles from 1987-98, but had been shut out for No. 7 despite having some of her most talented teams.

"I think when we lost to LSU in the SEC tournament it was the best thing that happened to us," Summitt said. "You never like to lose, but we really came together as a team. I'd say they held each other accountable. They called each other out."

Parker, too, had been looking to solidify her place among the best to ever wear UT's orange and white. She knew only a title would fulfill her legacy and allow her to be mentioned along with Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Bridgette Gordon.

She belongs in their class now. And she's not going anywhere.

"Why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't I?" said Parker, when asked if she would wear orange next season. "I just wanted to win a national championship, and this team did that. Our banner is going to be in the rafters forever, and we left our mark at Tennessee."

Bobbitt scored 13 points — 9 of them on three 3-pointers in a lightning-quick span in the second half — and Nicky Anosike, who made her teammates sign a pact in January to reinforce their commitment to winning it all, had 16 rebounds for the Lady Vols, who had 24 offensive boards.

Kia Vaughn had 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace Rutgers. But the Scarlet Knights made far too many mistakes to challenge the Lady Vols down the stretch.

Several times, Stringer, back in the championship game for the first time since leading Cheyney to the 1982 game, put her hands to her head in disbelief at seeing unforced turnovers and lackluster defense.

Stringer had called her senior-less squad of five freshmen, three juniors and two sophomores, a "team of destiny."

As it turned out, only Tennessee will leave Cleveland fulfilled.

Trailing by 11 at halftime, Rutgers, trying to become the lowest-seeded team to win the women's tourney, settled down early in the second half by matching Tennessee's intensity and closed to 35-28 on Vaughn's putback with 13:33 left.

That's when Bobbitt, a 5-foot-2 bundle of New York City playground moves and energy, hit the first of three 3-pointers in a span of 2:43. The first one came after two offensive rebounds by the Lady Vols.

After a Rutgers turnover, Bobbitt drained another 3. As the Scarlet Knights brought the ball up the floor, Bobbitt was waiting for them. She forced a turnover that led to a layup by Alexis Hornbuckle, and for the first time all evening, Tennessee's fans sensed this might be the Lady Vols' night.

They were feeling even better one minute later when Bobbitt hit another 3.

Still, the Scarlet Knights weren't going to quit on Stringer, who earlier this season kicked her team out of their locker room and took away anything with "Rutgers" written on it because she felt they weren't playing up to the school's standards.

A 3-pointer by Matee Ajavon ended a 7-0 run that brought Rutgers to 50-42, but Parker made six straight free throws in 37 seconds to make it 56-44 with 1:08 left. As she went down the floor, Parker looked at the bench where senior Sidney Spencer was crying, knowing all the hard work during the offseason would end the best way possible.

Seconds later, Stringer, who dropped to 0-6 in NCAA tourney matchups against her close friend Summitt, began clearing her bench.

"I still love my team, and I think they did a wonderful job," Stringer said. "This was no doubt the most rewarding year I've had in so long."

Still, this tournament ended the same way it has nearly one-third of the time since it started — with Tennessee setting up ladders to cut down the nets.

Confetti falls as Tennessee's Candace Parker walks off the court while wearing a national championship t-shirt after beating Rutgers in the the NCAA Women's national championship college basketball game Tuesday, April 3, 2007 in Cleveland. Tennessee defeated Rutgers 59-46.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070404/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkw_ncaa_championship_14

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