Finally.
The game of women's basketball finally put together prime-time exposure and an exceptional basketball game at the same time -- and anyone who didn't savor every second of Old Dominion's gut-wrenching 83-82 win over Stanford just doesn't like basketball.
This game had just about everything, except the dramatic three-pointer to win it all. (And yes, I do remember Charlotte Smith's dramatic three in that 1994 thriller, but women's basketball was so far under the radar then that very few noticed. It's different now, and the sport desperately needed a TV shot in the arm like this one.) To be perfectly fair, it was not exactly the kind of game that a coach would love, what with Stanford turning the ball over 29 times and failing to execute one of the most basic fundamentals of the game: screening out. But more about such quibbles later -- let's just enjoy the afterglow for a while.
Old Dominion, down 15 in the first half, looking flat and slow, suddenly catches fire in the last two minutes and cuts the margin to seven. Then, as old coaches have said since Naismith first nailed up a basket, the first five minutes of the second half proved to be the most important of the game. The Lady Monarchs turned that 15-point deficit into a five-point lead -- and they needed every millimeter of that cushion to get past Stanford.
Tisha Penicheiro made most of the big plays down the stretch, as she was just too quick for the Cardinal, and Clarisse Machanguana took Olympia Scott to school on the low block. And even after ODU lost two starters to fouls, the maligned bench came through. Stanford's supposed wealth of depth? Not a factor, with starters Vanessa Nygaard and Naomi Mulitauaopele being all but invisible.
But, at its fibrillating heart, this was simply a great basketball game to watch. Two superb teams, locked in a duel which only one could survive, battling with every resource at their command.
And finally, a national prime-time TV audience got to see what all the shouting is about -- and the game at all levels got an immeasurable boost thanks to the sweat, blood and bruises of these two teams.
A long plane ride. That classic shot of Jamilla Wideman after the game ended, her hands at the sides of her head, her mouth open in shock, summarized Stanford's bewildered despondency.
But the saddest person on the Cardinal plane will be Vanessa Nygaard, the emotional forward who chose this day to have one of the worst games of her career -- though a fraction of an inch would have salvaged Stanford's season.
Nygaard was one-for-seven in the game (the one being an uncontested layup) and zero-for-five from three-point distance, including an air ball and an embarrassingly long brick. She also had five turnovers, but heroism was in her grasp. With three seconds left, she took a very tough shot over 6-5 Clarisse Machanguana after getting a vital offensive rebound. It looked good when it left her hand, but rolled around the rim and out -- and with it went Stanford's previously glorious season.
Why they won. Old Dominion played tremendous defense, just as it had against Florida, but this week the Lady Monarchs looked even better. They forced errors, set the stage for unforced errors and totally frustrated Olympia Scott, who no longer looks like the nation's most underrated player.
That accolade might have to go to Mery Andrade, whose quickness resulted in four offensive rebounds, whose passes led to five baskets, and whose defense shut down Kate Starbird in the second half.
We knew about Tisha Penicheiro, but I confess I was surprised at how easily she dribbled past Wideman and the Stanford guards whenever the spirit moved her. She is a made-to-order pro guard and the wave of the future -- a 5-11 point who is quick, strong and smart.
And Wendy Larry was simply brilliant on the sidelines. Every move seemed to work, especially the switch to a zone in the second half that seemed to catch the Cardinal off guard.
Why they lost. Two numbers: 29 and 20. The 29 will get a lot of play in the media, and that many turnovers deserve some attention. Stanford managed to get rid of the ball in almost every way imaginable, and it's a credit to the Cardinal that they were still in the game despite that heavy burden.
Of course, they did shoot 50% from the field and 85.7% from the foul line, which will usually win you a game -- but when you give up 20 offensive rebounds, including four on missed free throws, you not only give coaches apoplexy, you almost always lose.
Twenty offensive rebounds is a huge number, and credit must be given to Machanguana, Andrade and Nyree Roberts, who had 15 of them. But presumably a team at Stanford's level can screen out, especially on free throws -- but then again, Stanford's level dropped after this loss, and those 20 offensive rebounds the Cardinal surrendered are the biggest reason why. Good defense can force turnovers; only laziness and sloppy play can give up that many offensive rebounds.
Oh, that other game. Outside of Tennessee and South Bend, there were a lot of remote controls being wielded during the second half of the second game. The Volunteers steadily pulled away in a game notable only for yet another brilliant performance by Chamique Holdsclaw and yet another clinic by Pat Summitt.
Abby Conklin, as expected, stepped up in the big game, and Summitt had her team primed for overmatched Notre Dame -- and it's to the credit of the Irish that they hung on as long as they did.
Can the Volunteers do the same to Old Dominion? It just might happen, because the Lady Monarchs left a lot on the floor Friday night. Penicheiro played 43 minutes and Machanguana 42, and, national championship or no national championship, it's going to be awfully hard to deliver the same kind of effort with so little time to recover.
And if anyone can take advantage of any crack in anyone's armor, it's Pat Summitt. The final won't match the Stanford-ODU game in sheer telegenic starpower, but it could be just as much fun -- in a gritty, grind-it-out way.
But the game that mattered was the one that was played first Friday. No one who saw it will forget it any time soon. Especially if they're Stanford fans.
3/28/97
