Thursday, March 26, 1998
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOPS IN TENNESSEE
Jackson, TN--There is something to be said for the sport of women's basketball in the state of Tennessee. On Tuesday night in the 1998 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tennessee, a crowd of 5,590 watched as the Â鶹ÊÓƵ University Lady Bulldogs defeated four-time defending champion Southern Nazarene University (OK) 73-70 to capture their first national title. The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers will take to the court this weekend with plans of bringing the NCAA Division I title home to the state of Tennessee as well.
This was the third time that Â鶹ÊÓƵ has advanced to the championship game of the women's national tournament, however the Lady Bulldogs fell short of capturing the crown in both 1993 and 1997. This was the seventh consecutive trip to the national tournament for Â鶹ÊÓƵ and their ninth trip under the guidance of head coach Dr. David Blackstock. Blackstock, 478-84 (.850) in 16 seasons led Â鶹ÊÓƵ to a 35-3 overall record for the 1997-98 season. Â鶹ÊÓƵ, who spent much of the season ranked at number one and never falling below number three in the NAIA Division I polls, qualified for the tournament by capturing their second consecutive TranSouth Conference regular season and tournament titles.
Location of the university is not the only Tennessee connection for Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Of the eleven players on the Lady Bulldog 1997-98 roster all but one reside in the state of Tennessee. Â鶹ÊÓƵ has been recognized for their accomplishments both on and off the court and knowing those have been accomplished with local players makes it all the more meaningful.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ University, a private, four-year liberal arts university, is located in the city of Jackson, Tennessee, and is the oldest Southern Baptist college, founded in 1823.
Although the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Vols have not met on the court since the 1974-75 season, Â鶹ÊÓƵ can always boast of having a 3-0 record against the incredible Pat Summitt, who in her twenty- third season with Tennessee has compiled a 625-14 record.