Category: 2016 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Tennessee and UConn were on a collision course. The Volunteers started the 1994-95 season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll; the Huskies were No. 4. Before the season, ESPN had scheduled a game for Martin Luther King Day at 1 p.m. to fill …

“Nice. What a cool opportunity.” That was Syracuse senior Cornelia Fondren’s response when I introduced myself as “Frank Gogola, a graduate student from IUPUI right here in Indy” during Saturday’s open locker room session ahead of the Women’s Final Four at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After I finished interviewing Fondren, she asked me if I knew …

Forty minutes after turning on my recorder, Rebecca Lobo, ESPN analyst and star of the 1995 UConn championship team, stopped talking to reporters. Her answers to questions ranged from thoughts on UConn’s chances, specific players, such as Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson, and coach Geno Auriemma. She also rightfully disdained people who criticized UConn’s domination …

Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — With eight minutes to go in the first quarter of Tuesday’s national championship game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, UConn’s Gabby Williams passed to Moriah Jefferson. Jefferson took a brief look at her coach. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma rolled his hands to signal that they needed …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – They sat in front of their lockers and spoke softly. Many hung their heads while others gazed straight ahead at nothing in particular. Their eyes were still red and watery. Syracuse had just suffered one of its biggest losses of the season on a …

By Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris Sports Capital Journalism Program UConn has forgotten how to lose, at least according to Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman. “We have a chance on Tuesday night to play against a dynasty and play against a team that really forgot how to lose,” said Hillman. The Huskies’ seniors have only lost …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Before 2014, the Orange didn’t have an NCAA tournament victory to their name. They had never advanced to the Sweet 16 until 11 days ago, when they knocked off top-seeded South Carolina on March 25. The wins kept coming. They took down perennial powerhouse …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – The box score will forever read “0+” minutes, but Milan native Shelby Rupp finally played in a championship game and won a title in Indiana. Rupp entered the game for the final 22 seconds of Thomas More’s second consecutive Division III national championship victory …

By Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — It was nearly impossible to talk to players in Lubbock Christian’s locker room after its 78-73 win over Alaska-Anchorage on Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Every few seconds, as players, coaches, and staff members entered and exited the room, new screams of excitement and …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program Maybe UConn’s presumed fourth consecutive national championship won’t be as easy as many predicted. The Huskies (37-0) cruised part Oregon State, 80-51, in what was supposed to be the tougher of their two potential games this weekend. However, Syracuse easily dispatched Washington with its combination of …