Ending with a win
TAMPA, Fla. – For all the awards and accolades that came her way in her four years at University High School, every basketball season ended the same way for Angie Bjorklund – with a loss.
That changed Tuesday night when the Tennessee freshman was on the St. Pete Times Forum court as the Lady Vols closed out a 64-48 win over Stanford in the NCAA championship game.
“I ended on a win, finally,” Bjorklund said. “I haven’t ended on a win before. This is great.”
Tennessee won with a stellar defensive effort, holding Stanford to its lowest total of the season.
“I loved our defense,” Bjorklund said. “We came out right from the start and played a 40-minute game, every possession.
“I had all the confidence in the world in the seniors. I was just along for the ride. I was going to do whatever it takes for them to win.”
Bjorklund had a steal and rebound in 15 minutes but missed five shots.
“You can’t get frustrated at this point,” she said. “If you’re not shooting well, you’re not shooting well. I’ve got to get it back at the other end. I can’t get frustrated. I’d let my team down.”
Bjorklund, who got a moment with her family after the Lady Vols accepted the trophy, was just enjoying the moment.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. Who do we play next?” she said. “This is what I came here to do.”
Championship tip-ins
Tennessee had three players on the all-tournament team, with Candace Parker repeating as the Most Outstanding Player. She was joined by teammates Nicky Anosike and Shannon Bobbitt, Stanford’s Candice Wiggins and Louisana State’s Sylvia Fowles. … Tennessee, USC and Connecticut are the only teams to win consecutive championships and the Lady Vols are the only team to do it twice. … The 48 points for the Cardinal was the fourth-fewest points in a final game. … Stanford’s 25 turnovers were the second most in a championship game. Three teams had 26, including Tennessee twice, once when winning. … Wiggins had 151 points in six tournament games, the fifth-highest total in tournament history. … Tennessee lost twice in 38 games this season, to LSU and Stanford, the two teams it beat at the Final Four.
Ice and ace
Candice Wiggins, known as Ice, and Candace Parker, known as Ace, first met at the 13-U AAU national championships in Orlando, Fla.
Ice won the championship, Ace was third. The players, who ended up on national teams together, became friends.
With Tennessee’s success – and the 4-5 inches the 6-foot-4 Parker has on Wiggins that has allowed her to dunk multiple times – Wiggins became known as “the other Candace.”
“I understand what Candace Parker is to women’s basketball,” Wiggins said. “She a very prominent figure and prominent face. I definitely understand the kind of exposure she gives to women’s basketball. I appreciate that. I think it’s important for women’s basketball to grow. People have to have someone they can identify.”
Wiggins’ stature has definitely gone up with a pair of 40-point games in the tournament and the Wade Trophy, one of the player of the year awards, handed to her on Saturday morning.
Local connections
Kerry Blake, a Stanford freshman from St. George’s, is a team manager for the Cardinal. … Former Spokane resident Kelly Benad Clark is the Cardinal strength and conditioning coach. … Moscow grad Heather Owen, who played in three Final Fours in her four years at Stanford, is among the Stanford alumni in town enjoying the Cardinal run. The 1997 Stanford graduate is an attorney in Palo Alto, Calif. … Former Eastern Washington coach Heidi VanDerveer, sister of the Stanford coach, was named head coach of Occidental College in Los Angeles. She assisted at San Diego State last season and has been helping the Cardinal during the tournament.
Local tip-ins
One coach at the Final Four said four names seem to be connected to the vacant Idaho job: Jerry Finkbeiner, who has taken Oral Roberts to five NCAA tournaments, including a first-round loss to Tennessee this year; John Newlee, who took Idaho State to the NCAA last year when the Bengals lost a first-round game to Stanford; Darryl Smith, an assistant at Nevada after head coaching stops at Metro State, Wichita State and, most recently, Butler Community College; and Walla Walla coach Bobbi Hazeltine, a UI grad who just completed her ninth season. … Idaho gave Katie Madison, their leading scorer the last two seasons, her release so she can transfer.