National Championship

Here we go. Championship Game. It's all ... well, fill in your own cliché. Stanford is playing hot - very hot, on a 23 game streak. Tennessee has the experience, and the superstar, but she's hurt and the team is built around her and isn't used to doing without. Much will depend on how well she plays, and whether Hornbuckle and Bobbitt have good games. Wiggins will - she's played brilliantly throughout the tournament - and Appel will. Either team could win - we're talking about the best teams in the country. (As before, I'll keep updating this post till the game is over.)

Parker controls the tip off. Bobbitt brings it in, Auguste shoots and misses, Stanford takes it down and Wiggins hits for 3. Anosike answers with 2. Appell misses and Anosike gets the rebound. Hornbuckle hits for 2, and Woody answers, 4-5 after two minutes.

Foul by Hornbuckle, out of bounds, Stanford keeps the ball. Parker gets the ball, and Bobbitt hits for 3. 7-5. Appel ties it up. 7-7 after three minutes.

Anosike gets the ball away from Wiggins, and they take down court where Bobbitt hits for another three and then Hones turns it over, Anosike gets the ball, passes to Parker, who hits for two. 12-7 after four and half minutes, and tv timeout. Tennessee is out of the gate hot!

Back to the game, Stanford inbounds. Hones misses a jumper but Pohlen rebounds it, then Hornbuckle grabs the ball. Bobbitt steals it, shoots, misses, Appel shoots but Anosike blocks it. Jump ball to Stanford though it looks a clean steal. Hones fails, Anosike gets the ball. Parker is blocked, passes to Anosike. Parker hits for 2. 14-7 after six minutes. (I've got a good feeling - UT looks sharp and fast.)

Parker shoots, misses, is fouled. She makes one, then bounces the second one. 15-7.

Harmon sets the screen for Wiggins who gets nothing but air on a clean jumper. Bobbitt is forced to throw the ball away. Stanford brings the ball down court and Wiggins almost has a shot-clock violation; she does miss the basket. Hornbuckle comes down court, shoots, misses, out of bounds. Stanford in a five-minute drought, but Appel finally drills one. Parker is double-teamed and loses the ball. Appel shoots, rattles in and out, Parker grabs it. Bobbitt drives in and lays it up for two. 17-9 after eight minutes, and a tv time out.

We're back. Pedersen drives and is fouled. She goes to the foul-line, makes the first, bounces the second. Parker knocks it out of bounds. 17-10 after nine minutes.

Wiggins inbounds it out of bounds (seven turnovers). Bobbitt brings it down, bad pass by Hornbuckle and Wiggins grabs it. Appel passes to Hones who hits three. 17-13 after ten minutes.

Offensive rebound by Auguste, 19-13. Hornbuckle grabs the ball from Stanford, calls a timeout.

Bobbit brings it downcourt. Tennessee passes, Parker shoots, misses, Anosike grabs the rebound and makes the shot. 21-13. Harmon answers, 21-15. Bobbitt with the ball passes to Parker, she misses, Auguste rebounds, shoots, rebounds, passes, Auguste shoots, misses. Appel grabs it and runs downcourt, but Baugh manages to block her shot. Still 21-15 after thirteen, and tv timeout.

Scrambling around under Stanford basket, UT gets the ball, Anosike tries, misses, Baugh gets the offensive rebound, and the foul. Baugh hits both free throws. 23-15. Stanford trying to get down court. Harmon is double-teamed and Anosike gets the ball away from her. Bobbitt brings it down, Auguste blocked so passes to Anosike who drops it right in. 25-15.

Wiggins turns it over on the five-second, Tennessee brings it down, Bjorklund tries for three but misses. Offensive foul by Gold-Onwoude. UT loses the ball and Appel hits for two. 25-17. On the other end, Parker wheels into the lane but is fouled. She hits one, two. 27-17 with 4:30 to play.

Wiggins drives and hits for 2. Bobbitt brings it down, Parker loses it. Hones passes to Pedersen who misses. Parker passes to Bobbitt who - yes! - hits for three from her favorite spot. 30-19. Wiggins hits for 2, and it's 30-21 with three minutes left.

Bjorklund shoots and misses, Auguste almost gets it but it's out of bounds. Wiggins jumper way short and it's out of bounds to Tennessee. Changed to to Stanford ball. Wiggins get a three. 30-24.

Anosike answers right away. 32-24 with 2:11 to play. But Appel is fouled. She hits one, misses the second, Anosike rebounds. Auguste is fouled as she shoots. She misses the first free throw, makes the second. 33-25.

Hones brings it down. Nobody can do anything. Bobbitt grabs it from Pohlen, and then meets her again under UT basket and is fouled. She shoots one-and-one, makes the first, makes the second. 35-25 with 1:25 to go.

Another Stanford turnover (13!). Bobbitt misses. Wiggins throws one up and hits it. 35-27. Anosike drills one. 37-27. Anosike steals it from Wiggins(!) (her sixth steal). Stanford time out. Back with 19 seconds and Anosike at the foul line. She misses and Stanford gets the rebound. Just under the time Harmon hits a nice jumper, so we go into the half 37-29 - and a Tennessee team that's hitting on all cylinders. Everyone is shooting, Anosike and Bobbitt outscoring Parker, and Stanford is just "discombobulated" to quote Tara Vandaveer.

Yes.

The second half starts with Stanford in possession. Pedersen hits a basket and is fouled, makes both. 37-33. Hornbuckle passes to Auguste who hits for two. Bobbitt misses. Appel misses. Out of bounds to Tennessee.

39-33 after two minutes.

Parker throws it away under pressure. Bobbitt steals it from Wiggins, but travels and turns it over. Parker fouls Gold-Onwoude. They inbound and Wiggins commits an offensive foul. Bobbitt brings the ball down court, Parker passes to Hornbuckle who misses, Anosike grabs the rebound and gets the basket. Hones turns it over and Anosike gets 2 more: 43-33 after three minutes.

Inbound to Wiggins who gets an easy layup, 43-35. Pedersen against Parker, Appel fouls her, Wiggins and Hornbuckle tussle, and it's UT ball. Out to Bjorklund, pass to Parker who misses, but Bobbitt gets it, passes to Parker who spins, cross-over, basket and a foul. She converts the three-fer. 46-35.

Wiggins gets it, loses it, Appel shoots, blocked by Parker and Auguste - Auguste draws a foul.

Wiggins shoots, hits, and Baugh gets another 48-37.

Hones gets by Bobbitt - 48-39 after eight minutes.

Baugh fouls Appel. Appel gets one shot. 48-40.

Appel turns it over. Baugh gets the bucket with an offensive rebound. Wiggins misses, Baugh rebounds, Appel fouls. 50-40.

Auguste shoots, misses, Parker touches it but Stanford knocks it out. Parker jumps but misses. Then Stanford turns it over again - number 20.

Shot-clock violation by Stanford. Parker hits, then Wiggins answers. 52-42 after ten minutes.

Parker steals it, there's a foul. UT turns it over. Appel shoots, misses, Bobbitt passes all the way down the court and Parker is fouled as she goes for the basket. She hits the first, then bounces the second. 53-42 after eleven minutes.

Gold-Onwoude misses, Appel rebounds and is fouled. She misses both. Auguste shoots, misses, Pohlen can't hit it either. Parker to Auguste, who commits an offensive foul. 53-42 with eight minutes to go.

Appel hits, 53-44. Hornbuckle misses, Anosike rebounds and misses. Gold-Onwoude travels and turns it over.

Baugh gets a basket but goes down, hard, she came down on her knee. She is taken off, calling "Let's go!" 55-44 with seven minutes to go.

Stanford inbounds, Pedersen almost loses it, Wiggins wide open for three - air ball. UT comes down court with it, Anosike shoots, Gold-Onwoude gets the rebound, Parker steals it. UT works the clock, Parker makes a shot but misses and is fouled. She hits the first, but a time out is called by Stanford. 5:46 to play and the lead is 12 points. 56-44.

We're back, Parker misses the second shot. Stanford moves quickly, Hones shoots for three and misses, Pedersen gets the rebounds. Hornbuckle steals from Wiggins. Again a lot of passing. Anosike shoots, Hornbuckle gets the rebound. Bobbitt waits, then passes to Parker, who just drains it with three seconds to go. 58-44. with 3:47 to go.

Wiggins shoots, misses, then Bobbitt lets the clock go - she thought she was fouled, but no. Still 58-44.

Stanford shoots, misses, UT gets the rebound. A little more slow play at UT end of the court. Auguste is fouled but misses. Stanford back and Appel makes the shot. 58-46 with 2:11 to play. They foul again, sending Hornbuckle to the line, she makes both. 60-46.

Appel is fouled, she makes one, then both. Now 60-48 with 1:55 to play.

UT brings the ball down really slowly - Parker with the ball. They foul Hornbuckle again, she makes the first and then the second. 62-48, 1:27 to play.

Baugh comes out, on a crutch with a knee sprain, to watch the end.

Hones shoots, misses, Parker grabs the rebound and is fouled - Stanford can't let UT have the clock. Parker rattles the first one out, and hits the second. 63-48 with 1:13 to play.

Appel fouls out - offensive foul. Bobbitt gets the ball, passes to Fuller, who is fouled by Hones and makes her shot. 64-48 with less than a minute.

Hones throws up a jumper and misses. 64-48 with 25 seconds. Stanford gets the ball, comesdown court, turns it over. And that's it.


UT wins! 64-48!

Back to back National Championships!

Eight! Eight total! Unprecedented - no one has done it before.

Rocky Top!

They came out and played a different game. Everybody played higher and harder - everybody got shots, lots of people scored, the defense was tight and shut Stanford down - less than 50 points and 25 turnovers. Amazing. They earned this win. Bobbitt had three threes at 13 points in all and forced most of those turnovers. And Anosike - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals. Three UT players in double digits (Parker had 17).

Yes. Yes. Yes.