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Ruth Riley's late free throws cap 28-point night as Irish rally for 68-66 championship victory.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 2, 2001
ST. LOUIS -- The national championship game that nobody expected turned out to be everything women's basketball fans could hope for: a roller coaster, nail-biting, down-to-the wire final that rivaled any title game in recent history.
When it was over Sunday night, Notre Dame walked away with its first national championship and Purdue dragged off the court in heartbreak.
With 5.8 seconds remaining, Notre Dame center Ruth Riley -- the Naismith Player of the Year -- sank two free throws to seal a 68-66 victory against Purdue in front of 20,551 at the Savvis Center, the second largest crowd to witness an NCAA women's championship game.
It was the closest margin of victory since North Carolina defeated Louisiana Tech (60-59) in 1994.
The Boilermakers (31-7) came down the floor with one opportunity to tie or win, but senior Katie Douglas' shot hit the front of the rim and bounced into the hands of Notre Dame's Alicia Ratay as the buzzer sounded.
"I had a good look at the basket, it just didn't go down for me," said Douglas, who finished with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds.
Riley finished with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds, earning most outstanding player honors. Both free throws rattled around before going in, but Riley and her teammates said they never feared she wouldn't come through.
"I've talked so much about the movie Hoosiers and that was my inspiration," Riley said. "All those free throws you practice just for this moment. I can't even describe this (feeling). (The national championship) is the only thing I wanted."
Trailing 62-59 with 5:22 remaining, Ratay scored her only points of the game -- a three-point basket to tie it at 62 with 4:02 remaining.
Then with Purdue leading 63-62 and 2:37 remaining, Notre Dame guard Niele Ivey took a pass from Ratay and hit a layup as the shot clock ran out to give Notre Dame a 64-63 lead.
But on Notre Dame's next possession, Douglas grabbed a steal and took off for a fastbreak, getting the basket and a free throw after she was fouled. The Boilermakers led 66-64 with 1:22 remaining.
Then it was Riley to the rescue. She backed under the basket and hit a turnaround hook shot with 1:01 remaining to tie at 66. After Purdue freshman Shereka Wright missed a layup on its next possession, Riley rebounded. Notre Dame took over with 33 seconds remaining and ran the clock down before Riley was fouled by Wright as she went up for a shot with 5.8 seconds remaining, setting up the winning free throws.
"I don't think I've ever been this excited in my basketball life," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. "What can you say about Ruth? She was so clutch on the free-throw line. I'm just so proud of this team and all they accomplished this year."
Purdue led 32-26 at halftime, but the way Notre Dame (34-2) played early in the game, the advantage could have been larger.
There were forced passes inside that were picked off by Purdue, poor offensive rebounding, and a cold-shooting Ratay, who also got into foul trouble. Ivey, playing in front of her hometown crowd, struggled with the left ankle she sprained against Connecticut on Friday. She committed four turnovers and scored four first half points. Despite it all, Notre Dame kept the game close, thanks mostly to Riley's inside presence. She scored 11 points in a 15-7 run late in the first half.
"Lately I hadn't been playing well in the first half," said Riley, who had her 10th double double of the season and tallied the second-highest total for blocks in an NCAA championship game (seven). "I knew I needed to start out strong. I wanted to end my career on a strong note."
After its first-half struggles, Notre Dame opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 34-32 lead, its first of the game.
Tied at 37, the Boilermakers went on a 12-4 run for a 49-41 lead with 12:31 remaining. But Purdue ran into trouble. Senior center Camille Cooper picked up her third foul and left the game with 15:02 remaining and her team holding a 39-37 lead.
"She (Riley) was big inside," said Cooper, who had six points and six rebounds. "I just wish I could have played a little more, but that's how the ball bounced."
However, Purdue held its own, thanks in part to Wright and another freshman, Shalicia Hurns, both of whom finished with 17 points. When Cooper returned with 8:07 remaining, the Boilermakers had a 55-52 lead. Ivey, who was admittedly tentative because of her injury, scored 12, had five rebounds and four assists. Junior Ericka Haney had 13 points and four rebounds and senior Kelley Siemon had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Notre Dame shot 35.5 percent from the field and was 0-for-5 from three-point range in the first half, but finished the game shooting 46.4 percent from the field.
The Boilermakers shot 37.3 percent from the field and outrebounded Notre Dame 41-38.
"It was just a heck of a game," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "It's a shame we had to come out on the end we came out on.
"This doesn't take anything away from the year that we've had. It was a shame somebody had to lose."