Senior Tasha Rodgers (right) and her teammates hold up four fingers during the postgame celebration of Saturday's 67-45 win over Messiah College that gave the Bears their fourth consecutive NCAA title.
By Anthony Wilson
March 23, 2001
For a brief moment in the history of basketball, Tasha Rodgers owned the game.
Senior Tasha Rodgers (right) and her teammates hold up four fingers during the postgame celebration of Saturday's 67-45 win over Messiah College that gave the Bears their fourth consecutive NCAA title.
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The Bears' starting power forward and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Player of the Year declared the national championship game Saturday against Messiah College her own.
"You never assume you'll win four championships in a row," Bears head coach Nancy Fahey said. "We've been blessed with some great players, and big-time players perform in big situations. That's what happened with Tasha."
Holding a precarious 40-35 lead six minutes into the second half after leading by 15 at halftime, Rodgers ripped three consecutive steals from the dribble of a Falcon player and raced the length of the court for uncontested layups.
It was the beginning of a 20-0 run that would propel the Bears to a 67-45 win in Danbury, Conn., for their fourth consecutive national championship, a feat matched only by North Dakota State, a Division II team.
Working an inside-out game, Rodgers' 36 points and 13 rebounds, both career-highs, coupled with sophomore forward Jennifer Rudis' 15 points and seven boards, gave the Bears a dominating physical presence the Falcons couldn't handle.
In the first half alone, the score was Rodgers 18, Messiah 18.
"The opportunities were there, and I was hitting," Rodgers said. "My teammates did an excellent job of getting me the ball, and I just made the shots I needed to make."
In the tournament semifinal March 16 against Emmanuel College, Rodgers tied for game-high honors with 24 points, impressive in that she didn't put her name on the scoresheet until 16 minutes into the contest.
But it was junior forward Robin Lahargoue who drained many key shots in the second half, scoring 14 after the break on the way to a career-high 20 to help the Bears notch a 78-62 win.
Rudis' stellar play in the final earned her All-Tournament team accolades, joining Rodgers, who was also named the champion-ship's Most Outstanding Player.
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