The Vols got great output from several players, especially Zolman, who had 19 points and 9 boards. ''It seemed like she was the only one that was making plays, and you can't have that in the championship game,'' said Tasha Butts.

LaToya Davis made some great hustle plays, Ely did well (considering the injury), and Robinson was solid.

Tasha, however, couldn't do much of anything. She was 1-for-10 and 0-for-6 from outside. "My shot picked a fine time not to fall," she said. "I guess that happens."

Brittany Jackson's 1-for-7 didn't help. Nor did Sidney Spencer's 0 point, 0 assist, 1 rebound performance.

"I really thought that if we could get something from Spencer and Brittany, that would take a little pressure off Tasha, as well as free up Shanna even more," said coach Summitt. "But we didn't score well from those positions. And that's what caused us to really struggle."

Still, Pat wanted her team to go away with positive feelings. "I told them I hope when they reflect on the year they'll know how they grew as a team," Summitt said. "They were one of the grittiest, most tenacious teams I've ever had in a long time. When I think of them this summer, I won't think they've failed. I think that by most people's standards they overachieved. But by my standards they found a way to win and are champions in that regard."