| National championship game | |||||||||||||
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| Date | March 31, 2002 | ||||||||||||
| Venue | Alamodome,San Antonio, Texas | ||||||||||||
| MVP | Swin Cash, Connecticut | ||||||||||||
| Referees | Scott Yarbrough, Lisa Mattingly, and Melissa Barlow | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 29,619 | ||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mike Patrick (play-by-play),Ann Meyers (analyst), andMichele Tafoya (sideline) | ||||||||||||
The2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the champion of the2001–02 NCAA Division I women's basketball season and was contested by theConnecticut Huskies and theOklahoma Sooners. The game was played on March 31, 2002, at theAlamodome inSan Antonio, Texas. After leading 42–30 at halftime, No. 1 UConn defeated No. 4 Oklahoma 82–70 to capture the program's third National championship,[1] and complete the fourth unbeaten season in women's NCAA history (Texas, 1986; Connecticut, 1995; Tennessee, 1998). Connecticut'sSwin Cash was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Sooners, representing theUniversity of Oklahoma inNorman, Oklahoma, were led by head coachSherri Coale in her 6th season at the school. Oklahoma began the season ranked No. 4 in theAP Poll. The team's first loss of the season was at No. 1 UConn on December 22. The team won Big 12 regular season (14–2) and tournament titles. The Sooners finished No. 4 in the final AP poll.
Entering the NCAA tournament at 27–3, OU held the No. 1 seed in the West region. They defeated No. 16 seed Hartford, No. 9 seed Villanova, No. 4 seed Texas Tech, and No. 3 seed Colorado to reach the Final Four for the first time in program history. In the National semifinals, the Sooners defeated the No. 1 seed from the East region, No. 3 Duke, 86–71.[2]
The Huskies, who represented theUniversity of Connecticut inStorrs, Connecticut, were led by head coachGeno Auriemma, in his 17th season at the school. UConn opened the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, and possessed the top spot for the entirety of the season. Connecticut closed out a perfect regular season, including a 16–0 record in the Big East, before winning the Big East tournament to improve to 33–0 overall.
In the NCAA tournament, the No.1 seeded Huskies defeated No. 16 seed St. Francis (PA), No. 9 seedIowa, No. 4 seed Penn State, and No. 7 seed Old Dominion to reach the sixth NCAA Final Four in program history. They won 79–56 over rival and Midwest region No. 2 seed Tennessee in the national semifinal[3] to reach the national championship game with a 38–0 record.
| Oklahoma | Position | Connecticut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaNeishea Caufield | G | Sue Bird | |
| Stacey Dales | G | Diana Taurasi | |
| Rosalind Ross | G | F | Asjha Jones |
| Caton Hill | F | Swin Cash | |
| Jamie Talbert | F | Tamika Williams | |
| Source | |||
March 31, 2002 |
| No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners 70,No. 1 UConn Huskies82 | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–42, 40–40 | ||
| Pts: Dales 18 Rebs: Hill 8 Asts: Caufield, Hill 4 | Pts: Cash 20 Rebs: Cash 13 Asts: Bird, Cash 4 | |
Alamodome –San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 29,619 Referees: Scott Yarbrough, Lisa Mattingly, and Melissa Barlow |
The game was broadcast onESPN withMike Patrick on play-by-play duties,Ann Meyers as the color analyst, andMichele Tafoya as the sideline reporter.
2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game