NEW ORLEANS — Despite Connecticut winning its third consecutive women’s national championship, the 2004 Women’s Final Four will always be remembered by Tigers fans as the one that slipped away.
With three seconds remaining in the national semifinal game with Tennessee — and the score tied at 50-50 — senior point guard Temeka Johnson lost control of the ball in the backcourt. Tennessee forward Shyra Ely calmly picked up the turnover and passed it to forward LaToya Davis for an easy layup with 1.6 seconds remaining.
“I just lost the ball, I guess,” Johnson, who set the all-time record in assists for an NCAA Tournament, said, “I feel as though — I don’t know. I owe Doneeka [Hodges] an apology for not getting her what we were trying to get, but other than that, I just lost the ball. Turnover on my part.”
The layup crushed LSU’s hopes for another national title win in New Orleans, as the Lady Volunteers won, 52-50.
“We were supposed to double team [Johnson], but I guess we decided to triple team her,” said Lady Vols center Ashley Robinson about the steal at the end of the game. “Shyra [Ely] got the steal and threw it to Toya [Davis] and we won. It just worked out in out favor.”
Acting head coach Pokey Chatman said the turnover by Johnson contributed to the loss, but by no means was the reason for the defeat. Chatman said the 18 second-chance points the Lady Vols were able to get off 16 offensive rebounds proved to be the Lady Tigers’ downfall.
“Bottom line, 18 second-chance points,” Chatman said. “That’s the ballgame. LSU had 38 points in the paint, Tennessee 20. Eighteen of them on offensive rebounds. That’s where the game was lost.”
LSU dominated both ends of the floor for the first 34 minutes of the game, leading for all except 31 seconds during that stretch. But with 4:58 remaining in the game, the Lady Vols took the lead for good on a 3-point play by guard Tasha Butts. The play put the Lady Vols up for good as LSU did not take the lead during the final five minutes.”
The Lady Vols’ defense held LSU’s “big three” — Doneeka Hodges, Seimone Augustus and Johnson — in check on the night. The three combined for only 32 points on 13-of-38 shooting.
Augustus, who came in shooting 65.8 percent from the field in the NCAA Tournament, was held to 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting.
“Their defense was aggressive as usual,” Augustus said. “The shots weren’t falling. I had good looks. Shots just weren’t falling.”
The win propelled Tennessee to a rematch national title game with Connecticut, who earned the spot in the game with a 67-58 victory over the Minnesota Lady Gophers.
Connecticut diced its way to the school’s second basketball national championship in as many days with a 70-61 victory over the Lady Vols, the day before the men’s team defeated Georgia Tech, 82-73, in San Antonio.
Lady Huskies guard and Final Four most outstanding player, Diana Taurasi, said the three championships her team has won in a row has been a phenomenal accomplishment.
“It’s been amazing,” Taurasi, who had a team-high 17 points in the championship game, said. “Coming in as a freshman, I never expected this at all. It’s been unbelievable. You really, you just you don’t know what to say. I still can’t believe it. Three in a row — you just don’t do that. That doesn’t happen to every team, to every person. And the success of the program is just on the coaching staff, they get us prepared for every game, they know how to put that hunger in you when you get there and it shows in games like this.”
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said the win does not necessarily make the Lady Huskies the powerhouse in women’s basketball.
“Like there’s only room for one,” Auriemma said. “I don’t buy that. I don’t feel the need to be the program and everybody else is second. I’m not one of those greedy types that I want everything and I don’t want you to have anything. I’m comfortable with where we are and I’m comfortable with Tennessee being right there where they are and I would be comfortable in the next couple years if they start winning championships and we finish second, because I also understand that that’s the nature of this game.”