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Texas A&M Tops Notre Dame For Women's Championship

Devin Altschul |
April 6, 2011 | 4:31 p.m. PDT

Staff Writer

It seems as though everyone's attention on Tuesday was still on the UConn men's championship, but the Texas A&M Aggies' victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a see-saw women’s championship game captured attention, and was higher scoring and more exciting than the men’s final. 

The Aggies beat the Fighting Irish 76-70 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and brought home the women’s title to the formerly all-male military academy. This championship is the first in a major sport for Texas A&M since the football team won it all in 1939. Although these were not the two teams many expected to see playing for the title game, it was surely a game you didn’t want to miss. 

Texas A&M came together Tuesday night and had many key players contribute to their thrilling victory. All-American center Danielle Adams scored 22 of her game-high 30 points in the second half, and showed throughout the game that she was a force to be reckoned with on the low block.

Guard Tyra White added 18 points for the Aggies, and hit a crucial 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer to extend the lead 73-68 with 1:07 left to play. Guard Sydney Colson, who struggled in the first half of the game with foul trouble, bounced back in the second half. Her defense helped the Aggies rally back from a seven-point deficit and take control later on in the game.

Notre Dame star point guard Skylar Diggins tied the game at 66 with four minutes left to go, but the Irish scored only one more field goal the rest of the game. Diggins scored a team-high 23 points, shooting 7-for-19 from the field. Forward Devereaux Peters added 21 points. Notre Dame had beaten No. 1 seeds Tennessee and UConn in back-to-back games to get to the championship for the first time in 10 years, but came up short. Diggins will be back next year though, so don’t give up on the Irish.

With the Aggies' win, it is now a question of whether the rise of new teams could help women’s basketball in the long run. This was the first title game without a No. 1 seed since 1994 and only the second all-time. Tennessee or UConn had won 12 or the previous 16 national titles, creating a predictable rivalry.

This game, however, was not predictable, and the Aggies' outstanding performance was a fitting conclusion for a great season, and showcased a team that is progressing to become part of the women’s basketball elite.

 

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To reach Devin Altschul by email, click here.



 

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