Feb. 5, 2008
Note: The following is the first of a bi-weekly series of articles leading up to the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament to be hosted by UCF at the New UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla., March 6-9.
March, 2000
Earning an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament after falling short to Tulane, 73-70, two weeks prior in the Conference USA Tournament, UAB was granted a No. 11 seed and headed to Eugene, Ore., to face host team and sixth-seeded Oregon on its home court.
It marked the first-NCAA Tournament appearance for the Blazers since the 1993-94 season and was a remarkable accomplishment, considering they entered the C-USA Tournament as an eight-seed.
A first-round win seemed promising for No. 20/25 Oregon, which, according to an Associated Press article, had lobbied hard to host the first two rounds that season after opening NCAA play on the road for each of the past five seasons.
In the opening game, Deanna Jackson, who would go on to be the second-leading scorer in UAB school history and the 2000-01 Conference USA Player of the Year, scored 27 of her career-high 32 points in the first half to allow the Blazers to hang tough with the Ducks on their home floor.
UAB held a slim 39-38 advantage at the halftime intermission, before Oregon began employing a stifling man-to-man defense in the second half that held Jackson without a field-goal attempt until her lay-up with 6:19 to go gave the Blazers a 61-58 lead. After trading baskets, the Ducks went ahead 70-68 with 22.3 seconds remaining in regulation after Angelia Wolvert scored on a put-back and was fouled by the Blazers while making the basket.
She missed the free throw and Jackson knotted the score with a basket at the other end with 5.7 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
After Holly Holland's two charity shots with 33 seconds remaining in overtime gave UAB a 78-76 lead, Oregon answered with a three-pointer at the other end to put the Ducks back in front at 79-78 with 16.7 seconds left. OU's defense broke down at the other end and, Shaquetta Rhodes' put-back with 3 seconds left allowed the Blazers to edge the Ducks, 80-79.
The victory marked the first-ever NCAA Tournament win for UAB.
In the second round, the Blazers squared off with a high-powered Mississippi State squad, which was seeded third in the region. The Bulldogs featured a number of offensive threats including LaToya Thomas, who was the nation's top scoring freshman at nearly 21 points per game heading into postseason play.
The Bulldogs, under the direction of longtime head coach Sharon Fanning, stifled Jackson for much of the game, but Holland - who had nailed clutch free-throws in the team's win against Oregon - scored a season-high tying 21 points as UAB built a big second half-lead and hung on for a 78-72 upset of Mississippi State.
"This team is so amazing," Holland told reporters after the game. "I'm so glad to be a part of it."
With the win, the Blazers had done the improbably as they became the lowest seed to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 since 1996, when 11th-seeded Stephen F. Austin and 12th-seeded San Antonio each advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. It marked the first time in the then-five-year history of Conference USA that a league team advanced past the tournament's first two rounds.
The victory allowed UAB to travel to Portland, Ore., to face second-seeded Rutgers and legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights held the Blazers' offense in check for most of the game, limiting Jackson to just 17 points and not allowing any other scoring threats to emerge.
Rutgers broke out to an 8-0 advantage and led by as many as 11 points in the first half. UAB pulled to within one point, 44-43, with 7:18 left, but the Scarlet Knights closed out the game on a 16-2 run to take a 60-45 win and advance to the West Regional final.
"UAB just wouldn't go away," Stringer told reporters. "It was a great test of our poise. It is a real tribute to our team that when we needed to execute, we did."
It marked the most successful season in school for the Blazers, who had lost in the first round in their only other NCAA Tournament appearance.
"What a great ride," UAB coach Jeannie Milling said. "I really hate for it to come to an end."
UAB is one of the 12 league teams coming to Orlando, Fla., March 6-9 for the Conference USA women's basketball tournament. Single-game and session ticket packages are now available. Call the UCFAA Ticket Sales Office at 407-823-1000. For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
--UCFAA--