March 24, 2001
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Oh Jackie!
Jackie Stiles, the Pistol Pete Maravich of women's college basketball,
scored 41 points, 25 in the second half, as Southwest Missouri State stunned
top-seeded Duke 81-71 in the West Regional semifinals Saturday night.
The fifth-seeded Lady Bears (28-5), in a regional final for the first time
since their Final Four appearance eight years ago, will play the winner of the
Washington-Oklahoma game in the regional final Monday night.
The 5-foot-8 Stiles, the leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball who
averaged 30.2 points this season, made 15 of 22 field goals with a dazzling
repertoire of soft jumpers, spin moves and fearless drives.
Amanda Beard scored 27 for Duke (30-4) but was saddled by foul trouble and
fouled out with 59 seconds to go. Iciss Tillis scored 14 and Georgia Schweitzer
10 for the Blue Devils.
Tara Mitchem scored 17 for the Lady Bears, including a 3-pointer to start
the second half...otherwise, it was the Stiles show.
With the capacity Spokane Arena crowd cheering her on, she scored 16 as
Southwest Missouri State outscored Duke 22-10 over the final 8:11.
Down by as many as 12 points in the first half and trailing 42-36 at the
break, the Lady Bears went on a 12-2 run to start the second half.
Stiles' three-point play gave Southwest Missouri State a 46-44 lead with
15:27 to play. Duke starting forward Rochelle Parent drew her fourth foul on
the play. Stiles' soft 14-footer capped the run to put the Bears up 48-46.
There were nine lead changes before Stiles gave Southwest Missouri State the
lead for good, 66-65, with a 10-footer with 5:47 to play.
Carly Deer sank a 3-pointer and Stiles a 14-footer while the Blue Devils
committed three consecutive turnovers in a 7-0 spurt that put the Lady Bears up
71-65 4:31 from the finish.
Duke led throughout the first half after Beard's 3-pointer put the Blue
Devils up 12-11, but Stiles kept the Lady Bears close.
Stiles was 7-for-10 from the field in the first half for 16 points. Mitchem,
limited to 12 first-half minutes because of foul trouble, had nine points at
halftime on 4-for-5 shooting.
Beard was 5-for-7 for 15 points in the first half but drew her third foul
with 1:49 to play until the break.
Stiles got her second foul with 14:37 to play in the half and went to the
bench. But she came back two minutes later and played the rest of the game with
just one more foul.
Beard, who settled down after turnovers on Duke's first two possessions,
scored six in a 15-5 run that gave the Blue Devils a 32-20 lead on a 3-pointer
by Tillis with 8:05 to go in the half.
But Duke went cold and Stiles kept up the pressure. She scored seven,
including a high-arching 3-pointer over the 6-foot-4 Tillis, as Southwest
Missouri cut it to 36-31 2:47 before halftime.
By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer
