The improbable becomes indelible in Indy

The 2005 men's tournament had what ESPN called 'the greatest 23 hours in college basketball' during the Elite Eight. The 2005 women's tournament likely had the greatest semifinal round in Final Four history, as parity finally kicked down the door and two new programs ascended to the pinnacle of women's college basketball.

The similarities are eerie. First, Baylor falls behind 24-9 in the first half against LSU, only to fight all the way back and win 68-57, the second greatest comeback in Final Four history behind Notre Dame's 16-point comeback against UConn in the 2000 Tournament. Next, Michigan State falls behind by 16 points in the second half, only to pull out a thrilling victory in the final seconds and equal ND's comeback as the greatest. Baylor and Michigan State enter the championship game with only eight total NCAA tournament victories for each program, the fewest of any championship game participant since Texas Tech in 1993.

Baylor's Kim Mulkey-Robertson and Michigan State's Joanne P. McCallie are in their fifth year at their respective schools and playing in their first Final Fours as a head coach. And, both enter the championship game Tuesday largely in part to the performance of an unsung hero during Sunday's Semifinals.

Baylor 68, LSU 57

After Baylor lost to then #2 LSU by one point in December after a ferocious 21-point comeback, Mulkey-Robertson told her team: 'One day, we're going to be able to win these games.' Her words turned out to be prophetic in the first semifinal, as LSU again ran out to a quick early lead, 24-9, before Baylor regrouped and fought back into the game.

It took offensive contributions from two unlikely sources -- Abiola Wabara and Emily Niemann -- and a zone defense, but the Bears move on to face Michigan State in the championship game.

'I don't like to play zone, but I darn sure like to win,' Mulkey-Robertson said after the game. She felt the key to the game was their changing defenses and their ability to keep LSU off-balance offensively. The Bears started in a man defense with Wabara defending NCAA Player of the Year Seimone Augustus, and then alternated between a 2-2-1 and a flat 3-2. Augustus was able to hit some tough shots over Wabara, and found some second half openings through great off-the-ball movement against the zone, but overall, the game plan worked. Augustus took 26 shots to score her 22 points and Baylor was able to keep Augustus from the free-throw line area in the zone, forcing her to flare to the corners, by stationing Niemann in the center of the 3-2 zone.

Offensively, Baylor executed flawlessly out of timeouts, scoring with almost 100% efficiency. And role players ignited the comeback, though AP second team all-American Sophia Young led the team with 21 points. In the first half, it was Niemann, a sophomore forward, who hit a three-pointer and then a three-point play on consecutive possessions, setting up point guard Chelsea Whitacker's lay-in with four seconds remaining in the first half, which tied the game at 28-28.

Starting the second half, LSU coach Pokey Chatman chose to start freshman Sylvia Fowles on the bench and Young scored five quick points before Fowles entered the game. Overall, Fowles bothered Young with her length, though Young managed to score 21 points, grab 10 rebounds, dish six assists and commit zero turnovers, though she faced a variety of single, double and triple teams. Fowles held her own inside with her size, athleticism and strength, scoring 12 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.

At the under-8:00 timeout, LSU led 49-47. With third team AP all-American Steffanie Blackmon on the sideline because of Niemann's offensive play and Wabara's presence defensively, Wabara took advantage of her matchup against LSU's Wendlyn Jones and drove to the basket, scoring six consecutive points to give the Bears a 53-49 lead. Baylor never looked back. converting on 18 of 21 free throws to secure the victory. Wabara finished with 12 points and Niemann with 14 in support of Young.

Senior point guard Temeka Johnson scored 14 points and handed out seven assists, but LSU scored only two transition points the entire game, as Baylor matched the speed and athleticism of LSU, especially LSU's athletic posts, and prevented easy shots for the Tigers. Baylor dictated the tempo, outscored LSU 32-24 in the paint and made five more free throws (18) than LSU attempted (13). And, while Baylor received strong efforts from its role players, only four Tigers managed to score, with Scholanda Hoston contributing eight points.

LSU finishes 33-3, while Baylor (32-3) takes its 19 game winning streak to the championship game to face Michigan State.

Michigan St 68, Tennessee 64

While the first semifinal started slowly due to nerves and jitters, as evidenced by the sloppy play out of the gate, the second final started intensely and set the tone for a hardfought, physical game. Initially, the defense stifled the offense and both teams missed several shots that were affected by defensive pressure. Michigan State took an early lead, though Tennessee's athleticism posed problems for Michigan State at every position.

When Michigan State point guard Kristin Haynie left with her second foul, Tennessee turned up the pressure, forcing turnovers and discombobulating the Spartan attack. When freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle converted a layup off a steal with 3:00 remaining in the first half, the Volunteers took their first lead, 24-23, and led 31-25 at half time, despite senior all-American Shyra Ely's two of 11 first half shooting. Senior Loree Moore's four offensive rebounds and three steals, and freshman Nicky Anikose's activity helped the Volunters build their lead behind a 22-10 advantage in the paint and a 12-4 advantage on second chance points. The Spartans' starting backcourt of Haynie and junior Lindsay Bowen combined to shoot two of 10 in the first half and commit seven turnovers, yet the Spartans remained in contention due mostly to junior Liz Shimek's work inside, as she scored 10 points and added six rebounds in the half.

Tennessee started the second half on a 14-4 run capped by an Anosike steal and layup off an assist from Hornbuckle to give Tennessee a 45-29 lead with 16:00 to play, as the Spartans ignored first half star Shimek. After the Spartans finally found their touch and knocked down a jumper (by Haynie, her first points of the game), and another by Bowen, Tennessee raced down court, scoring immediately with transition baskets by Anisoke and then by Hornbuckle. A turnover by Haynie on a miscommunication between she and Shimek, and a technical foul on Michigan State assistant coach Al Brown, however, and the Spartans' brief momentum was stifled.

After the technical foul, which Shanna Zolman converted to push the lead to 11 at 51-40, Bowen hit two jumpers and then sophomore Victoria Lucas-Perry took over, hitting two three-pointers and a free throw to draw Michigan St within one at 57-56. A jumper by Zolman and a three-pointer by Hornbuckle with 3:45 to play and Tennessee regained a six-point cushion. After a left-handed hook by Shimek, a few ill-timed fouls by Tennessee put Bowen and Lucas-Perry on the line for one-on-one opportunities, which they converted to tie the score at 62.

Haynie then stole a Zolman pass at the top of the key and raced to the other end to give the Spartans an improbable 64-62 lead with :57 remaining. Loree Moore quickly answered with a pull-up jumper in the key to tie the game at 64-64. Then, on a terrific feed from Lucas-Perry, senior Kelli Roehrig made up for an earlier blown layup by converting in traffic to give the Spartans a 66-64 lead with :35 to play.

With Ely sitting on the bench, Zolman missed a jump shot and Hornbuckle and Anosike missed putback attempts before Roerhig grabbed the decisive rebound and Lucas-Perry finished with a layup to give Michigan St a 68-64 win and a date with Baylor in the championship game on Tuesday.

Tennessee dominated in many facets of the game, outrebounding the Spartans by 10 (43-33), leading to a 19-8 advantage on second chance points, while outscoring Michigan State by 12 points in the paint (40-28). The Spartans were seven of 15 from three-point range and made nine of 11 free throws, compared to five of 13 for Tennessee.

The freshmen led the way for the Volunteers, as Hornbuckle scored 16 points and handed out six assists, while Anosike grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots. Ely finished four of 14 for nine points, though she did have eight rebounds.

Bowen led the way for the Spartans with 18 points, followed by 14 from Lucas-Perry and Shimek, who totaled 11 rebounds. Haynie struggled against the strength and quickness of Moore and Hornnbuckle, yet managed to make the big plays and ended with 9 rebounds, seven assists and four steals to go with her four points and seven turnovers.

Tennessee ends its season at 30-5, while Michigan State moves to 33-3 and joins Ohio State and Purdue as the only Big 10 teams to reach the championship game.

4/5/05