1989 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

The 1989 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the 1989 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the champion of the 1988–89 NCAA Division I women's basketball season and was contested by the Auburn Tigers and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. The game was played on April 2, 1989, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. It was the first time an NCAA women's championship game featured a matchup between two teams from the same conference. After leading 35–27 at halftime, No. 1 Tennessee controlled the game throughout and defeated No. 2 Auburn 76–60 to capture the program's second NCAA national championship.^[1] Bridgette Gordon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

National championship game
Auburn Tigers Tennessee Lady Volunteers (32–1) (34–2) 60 76 Head coach: Joe Ciampi Head coach: Pat Summitt
AP: 2 Coaches: 2 AP: 1 Coaches: 1
1st half 2nd half Total Auburn Tigers 27 33 60 Tennessee Lady Volunteers 35 41 76
Date	April 2, 1989
Venue	Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
MVP	Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Mimi Griffin (analyst)
← 1988 1990 →

Participants

Auburn Tigers

Main article: 1988–89 Auburn Tigers women's basketball team

The Tigers, who represented the Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, were led by head coach Joe Ciampi in his 9th season at the school. Auburn began the season ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll. After spending the first 14 polls at either No. 3 or No. 2, the Tigers peaked at No. 1 for two of the final three weeks before finishing the regular season back at No. 3 in both major polls.

Playing as the No. 1 seed in the Mideast region of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Tigers defeated Temple, No. 17 Clemson, and No. 9 Ole Miss to reach their second straight Final Four. In the National semifinals, Auburn avenged their loss in the prior season's National championship game by defeating No. 3 Louisiana Tech, 76–71.^[2] The 32–1 Tigers entered the matchup with No. 1 Tennessee as the slight underdog.

Tennessee Lady Volunteers

Main article: 1988–89 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team

The Lady Volunteers, who represented the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, were led by head coach Pat Summitt, in his 15th season as head coach at the school. After losing to eventual champion Louisiana Tech in the Final Four the prior season, Tennessee opened this season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and spent the entirety of the season inside the top 3. After losing at Auburn during the regular season, Tennessee avenged the loss in the SEC championship game. They finished the regular season right back where they started – ranked No. 1 in both major polls.

In the NCAA tournament, Tennessee easily defeated La Salle, No. 15 Virginia, and No. 7 Long Beach State to reach the sixth NCAA Final Four in program history. They won 77–65 over No. 5 Maryland in the national semifinal^[3] to reach the all-SEC national championship game with a 34–2 record.

Starting lineups

Auburn	Position	Tennessee
Carolyn Jones	G	Dena Head
Ruthie Bolton	G	Melissa McCray
Vickie Orr	C	Sheila Frost
Jocelyn McGilberry	F	Bridgette Gordon
Patrena Scruggs	F	Carla McGhee
Source

Game summary

CBS

April 2, 1989

No. 2 Auburn Tigers 60, No. 1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers 76
Scoring by half: 27–35, 33–41
Pts:   Rebs:   Asts:		Pts:   Rebs:   Asts:

Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, Washington

Media coverage

The game was broadcast on CBS.

See also

References

1. "Tennessee Beats Auburn for Women's Title, 76-60". The Washington Post. April 3, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
2. "Auburn 76, Louisiana Tech 71". UPI Archives. March 31, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
3. "Tennessee Too Much for Maryland". The Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.