Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Wednesday, March 31, 2004

The Gopher nation celebrates its stunning victory and its first Final Four.

When McCarville drew her fourth foul, it looked bleak. Gopher fans were irate at the call. The team faced a grim reality. "We all looked at the clock and thought about having to play six or seven minutes without our All-American center," Shannon Bolden said.

Said McCarville, with understatement: "I was a little nervous. They had a lot of tall players inside."

But Whalen rallied her teammates in the huddle. "I said we've got to hold it down till she gets back here. Just a couple words of encouragement. . . . tried to pump them up a little." And for the next 7+ minutes with Janel on the bench, the undersized and outmatched squad on the floor held the lead.

Finally Janel returned, took over the boards once more. The Gophers ended with a 40-29 rebounding edge, 18 of those attributable to McCarville. That dominance ultimately keyed the victory.

Unclear if the players even believe it's real. "Coach always talked to us about acting like 'we've been here before' when we win big games,'' McCarville said. "Well, we ain't been here before.''

"Obviously we thought about it and we believed in each other," said Whalen. "But it's beyond our dreams."