[BostonCard]

BC--

She was the best player on the floor by the end of the season in 1997.  Starbird had a better overall season, but in the last 8-10 games, Folkl was dominant.  One big reason for losing to ODU in the national semifinals was her fouling out on a sequence of calls that really showed the refs being (1) too slow - they were almost always trailing the play, and (2) disbelieving that a woman could be that athletic (her fouls were on blocks that were like McCall's at the end of Votre Dame, but in the open court).  On her fifth foul, watching the replay, no part of her came within 3 inches of touching the other player, except her hand blocking the ball away.

Folkl fouling out, along with the referees' "let them play" attitude toward an extremely physical Old Dominion side. (I will always remember Machinguana landing on Jamila Wideman as she was attempting a tying three and no foul being called.)  Those were the big reasons for that heart-breaking loss, when we did have by far the better team.

VG

Agree with your take.  I watched that game in Sun Valley, ID on a ski vacation during spring break (interestingly, I also watched the Rhode Island game that sent the men's team to the final four the following year while skiing in Tahoe (I had graduated by then, though).  But yeah, it felt like we should have won it all that year.

BC

[BostonCard]

BC--

She was the best player on the floor by the end of the season in 1997.  Starbird had a better overall season, but in the last 8-10 games, Folkl was dominant.  One big reason for losing to ODU in the national semifinals was her fouling out on a sequence of calls that really showed the refs being (1) too slow - they were almost always trailing the play, and (2) disbelieving that a woman could be that athletic (her fouls were on blocks that were like McCall's at the end of Votre Dame, but in the open court).  On her fifth foul, watching the replay, no part of her came within 3 inches of touching the other player, except her hand blocking the ball away.

Folkl fouling out, along with the referees' "let them play" attitude toward an extremely physical Old Dominion side. (I will always remember Machinguana landing on Jamila Wideman as she was attempting a tying three and no foul being called.)  Those were the big reasons for that heart-breaking loss, when we did have by far the better team.

VG

Agree with your take.  I watched that game in Sun Valley, ID on a ski vacation during spring break (interestingly, I also watched the Rhode Island game that sent the men's team to the final four the following year while skiing in Tahoe (I had graduated by then, though).  But yeah, it felt like we should have won it all that year.

BC