1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game
National championship game
81	88
AP: 9; Coaches: 8;	AP: 2; Coaches: 2;
Date	April 1, 1990
Venue	Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
MVP	Jennifer Azzi, Stanford
Referees	Sally Bell and Art Bomengen
Attendance	16,595 (20,023 paid)
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Mimi Griffin (analyst)
	← 1989 1991 →

The 1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the 1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the champion of the 1989–90 NCAA Division I women's basketball season and was contested by the Auburn Tigers and the Stanford Cardinal. The game was played on April 1, 1990, at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. After trailing 41–24 at halftime, No. 2 Stanford fought back to defeat No. 9 Auburn 88–81 to capture the program's first NCAA national championship.^[1] Jennifer Azzi was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.^[2]

Participants

Auburn Tigers

The Tigers, who represented the Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, were led by head coach Joe Ciampi in his 10th season at the school. Auburn began the season ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll. After spending most of the previous season in the top 3, Auburn spent more than half of this campaign outside the top 10, but finished the regular season at No. 9.

Playing as the No. 2 seed in the Mideast region of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Tigers defeated Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt, and No. 1 seed Washington to reach their third straight Final Four. Auburn defeated No. 1 Louisiana Tech for the second straight season in the National semifinals, 81–69.^[3] The 28–6 Tigers entered the matchup with No. 2 Stanford as the underdog.

Stanford Cardinal

The Cardinal, who represented the Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, were led by head coach Tara VanDerveer, in her 5th season as head coach at the school. After losing to eventual champion Louisiana Tech in the Final Four the prior season, Stanford opened this season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll and spent the entirety of the season ranked No. 2 or 3. After opening the season with 20 consecutive wins, Stanford lost 81–78 at No. 7 Washington on February 10 and settled for a split of the Pac-10 championship with the Huskies.

In the NCAA tournament, Stanford easily defeated No. 16 Hawaii, No. 24 Ole Miss, and No. 22 Arkansas to reach the first NCAA Final Four in program history. They won 75–66 over No. 12 Virginia in the national semifinal^[4] to reach the National championship game with a 31–1 record.

Starting lineups

Auburn	Position	Stanford
Carolyn Jones	G	Jennifer Azzi
Chantel Tremitiere	G	Sonja Henning
	C	Val Whiting
	F	Trisha Stevens
	F	Katy Steding
Source

Game summary

CBS

April 1, 1990

No. 9 Auburn Tigers 81, No. 2 Stanford Cardinal 88
Scoring by half: 41–41, 40–47
Pts: Rebs: Asts:		Pts: Henning 21 Rebs: Stevens 10 Asts:

Thompson–Boling Arena – Knoxville, Tennessee

Media coverage

The game was broadcast on CBS.

References

^ "Stanford Women Take Title". The New York Times. April 2, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^ "The Cardinal Rules". Sports Illustrated. April 9, 1990. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
^ "Auburn Confounds Lacy, Stuns No. 1 Louisiana Tech". The Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^ "Azzi Propels Stanford to Championship Game". The Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[1] "Stanford Women Take Title". The New York Times. April 2, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[2] "The Cardinal Rules". Sports Illustrated. April 9, 1990. Retrieved May 27, 2024.

[3] "Auburn Confounds Lacy, Stuns No. 1 Louisiana Tech". The Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[4] "Azzi Propels Stanford to Championship Game". The Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1990. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]