The Women’s Final Four celebrates its 40th anniversary

In recent years, NCAA basketball fans have been rewarded with several indelible moments from the Women’s Final Four.

The memories are fresh and have those who love the sport wondering what could be in store as the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship celebrates its 40th anniversary. 

In 2017, Morgan William connected on a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer to give Mississippi State a 66-64 overtime win in the national semifinals over UConn. William’s basket ended the Huskies’ record 111-game win streak and snapped UConn’s run of four consecutive NCAA championships. 

In 2018, Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale took the sport on a double thrill ride and cemented legendary status for herself by stunning UConn and Mississippi State with back-to-back last-second shots in the semifinals and title game of the tournament.

Ogunbowale sank UConn with a jumper from the right wing with one second left in overtime for a 91-89 victory. Two nights later, she hit a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer to give the Fighting Irish a 61-58 national championship victory over Mississippi State. 

For those from the previous generation, Ogunbowale’s late heroics evoked the image of Charlotte Smith swishing a 3-pointer in the finals of the 1994 tournament. The North Carolina forward received an inbounds pass with 0.7 of a second remaining and fired in the winning points from the right wing to lift the Tar Heels to a 60-59 win over Louisiana Tech.

Over the last 40 years, the Women’s Final Four has had numerous stellar moments. Here is a look at some that have added to its legacy on the ultimate women’s basketball stage.

1983 championship game

Southern California 69, Louisiana Tech 67    

At the time, the hype surrounding this final centered on the best player in the women’s game, Cheryl Miller, taking on the preeminent program in the sport, Louisiana Tech, winners of the inaugural NCAA Division I Women’s Championship the year before.

But as time has passed, the names involved in this game jump off the page. 

Trojans head coach Linda Sharp and the Lady Techsters co-head coaches Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore are all in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. 

On the court joining Miller, who was in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class as well as being a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, were twins Pam and Paula McGee and guard Cynthia Cooper. Cooper later led the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships, and both Cooper and Pam McGee are in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Louisiana Tech was led by Janice Lawrence and point guard Kim Mulkey, who are both in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Mulkey was the star point guard and is the only person to win a Division I women’s basketball national title as a player and head coach (Baylor 2005, 2012 and 2019).

Louisiana Tech entered the matchup 31-1, while the Trojans sported a 30-2 mark. The Lady Techsters controlled play early, building up their lead to 13 points (35-22) before heading into halftime with a 37-26 lead.    

To turn the momentum of the game, Sharp used the Trojans’ athleticism and applied full-court pressure. The tactic helped Southern California cut into the lead.

“It goes back to the fact that we’re a fast-break team. You don’t need a press then,” Sharp told the assembled media after the game. “But today we needed it. I think we really surprised them with the press.”

Miller, who finished the game with 27 points and nine rebounds en route to being named the tournament’s most outstanding player, finally put her team ahead with a 16-foot jumper with 5:48 remaining. While the game remained tense, the Trojans never relinquished the lead.

In the final seconds, with Southern California up by 2 points, Mulkey made a steal and passed the ball to teammate Debra Rodman, the older sister of former NBA defensive star Dennis Rodman. Mulkey received the ball back and drove to the basket for the tying layup, but Cooper was able to get into position to draw a charge. The Trojans managed to run out the rest of clock to clinch the first of consecutive NCAA championships.   

1992 semifinals

Stanford 66, Virginia 65

If you are of a certain age, you might know Dawn Staley only as a coach who won a national championship at South Carolina.

But Staley put together one of the most stellar college playing careers in the history of the game while playing for Virginia. Staley’s list of accomplishments is long, including being the recipient of the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1991 and 1992.

All that was missing from Staley’s resume was a national title. After falling short in the 1990 national semifinals to Stanford and the 1991 championship game in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Tennessee, this was Staley’s last run.

Top-ranked Virginia led most of the way but still found itself in another white-knuckle semifinal game with Stanford.

With 6.9 seconds remaining in the game and Stanford clinging to a 1-point lead, Cardinal guard Kate Paye stepped to the free-throw line, where she missed. Staley hustled to corral the long rebound but in the chaos lost her balance. Virginia eventually gained possession and called a timeout.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the horn sounded, and the referees started to leave the court, indicating the game was over. Staley, ever the competitor, ran after the officials and insisted that Virginia should have been granted the timeout. After going to review the play on the courtside monitor, Virginia was awarded the ball at half court with 0.8 left on the clock.

After both teams called timeouts to set up their strategy for the final play, Staley received the inbounds pass, but her desperation 25-footer hit off the backboard, ending one of the best college playing careers without a title. She finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Stanford celebrated and kept the momentum rolling by defeating Western Kentucky 78-62 in the championship game to claim its second national championship in three years.

1996 semifinals

Tennessee 88, UConn 83 (OT)

This was the game that solidified what the storied rivalry would become between the programs led by legendary coaches Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma.

A year after UConn defeated the Lady Vols 70-64 in the 1995 championship game to claim the first of 11 national titles, Tennessee was looking for payback.

The defending champion Huskies entered the game on a 20-game win streak, and Tennessee had won its last 13 games.

The Lady Vols jumped out to a 28-17 lead, but UConn refused to flinch. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Huskies had cut the lead to 34-30.

Ten minutes into the second half, Tennessee, led by freshman phenom Chamique Holdsclaw and senior point guard Michelle Marciniak, took control of the game and built a 62-52 advantage.

UConn, behind the play of seniors Jenn Rizzotti and Jamelle Elliott and sophomore Nykesha Sales, scored the next 13 points. The two heavyweight programs then slugged it out to the finish. 

With 12.9 seconds remaining, Marciniak made two free throws to give the Lady Vols a 3-point lead. Sales responded with a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 4.2 seconds left to force overtime.

The game remained close in the extra session, and again Marciniak made a pair of free throws to give the Lady Vols an 86-83 lead with 17.5 seconds remaining. 

Rizzotti had an opening for another game-tying 3-pointer, but Tennessee’s 6-4 center Tiffani Johnson was able to get her fingertips on the ball, and the shot fell short. Tennessee sealed the game with two more free throws and gave a preview of how these programs would battle for primacy of the sport.

Two nights later, the Lady Vols defeated Georgia 83-65 in the final to claim the first of three consecutive national championships. 

2006 championship game

Maryland 78, Duke 75 (OT)

In this all-Atlantic Coast Conference matchup, Duke appeared to be on its way to a national title, leading by as many as 13 points.

The Terrapins, who had lost two regular-season meetings to the Blue Devils before defeating their ACC rival in the conference tournament, were on the ropes but never completely out of the game.

Maryland, the only team in the 2006 Women’s Final Four that was not a No. 1 seed, found itself trailing by 3 points in the waning seconds. 

Then, Maryland freshman point guard Kristi Toliver hit a game-tying, step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Duke’s 6-foot-7 center Alison Bales. 

“I even felt her fingertips as I was holding my follow-through,” Toliver told the assembled media after the game. “So, she did a great job contesting. I just had a lot of confidence. And I knew I wanted to take the big shot, so I just took it.”

Toliver’s clutch 3-pointer tied the score 70-70 with 6.1 seconds remaining. 

Duke rushed the ball up the court, and Lindsey Harding’s baseline jumper missed at the buzzer, setting up the first women’s NCAA title game overtime in 15 years.

Maryland was comfortable going into the extra session, having finished 5-0 in overtime games that season.

The Blue Devils led 75-74 with 35 seconds left in the game when Toliver stepped to the free-throw line and made both shots to give the Terrapins the lead. Marissa Coleman added two more free throws with 13.4 seconds remaining, and Maryland closed out the game for the program’s only NCAA title to date.

2011 semifinals

Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62

Texas A&M’s first venture to the pinnacle of sport featured a daunting challenge. 

Waiting for the Aggies in the national semifinals were the Stanford Cardinal, making the program’s fourth consecutive Women’s Final Four appearance. The Cardinal also sported a 27-game win streak heading into the game.

Texas A&M trailed 54-44 with six minutes left. While the scoreboard said the Aggies were in trouble, Texas A&M was having success with its pressure defense, which forced 22 Stanford turnovers. 

The hectic pace helped Texas A&M erase Stanford’s lead. The final minute of the game is one for the ages, as the lead changed hands five times. 

Stanford’s last lead came with nine seconds remaining when Nnemkadi Ogwumike, who had 31 points, made a layup in traffic to put the Cardinal ahead 62-61.

Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, who retired after the 2021-22 season with a record of 852-348 over 37 years, didn’t call a timeout, and Sydney Colson raced the ball up the court where she found a cutting Tyra White, who converted a layup with 3.3 seconds left. 

Colson intercepted the inbounds pass, and the Aggies continued their celebration two nights later by defeating Notre Dame 76-70 to capture the program’s only national title.

While Texas A&M had never been to the Women’s Final Four before, the Aggies embraced the moment. 

“It just shows our competitiveness, our aggressiveness,” White told the assembled media after the game. “We weren’t just happy to be here.”