When Sports Were Played: Long shot by Storck gives Cal national title
In today’s “When Sports Were Played,” we go back almost 16 years to the day, March 27, 2004, when California University pulled out a close victory over Drury (Mo.) to win the NCAA Division II women’s basketball national championship.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – While they have celebrated so many victories over the last two years, the California Lady Vulcans found they never really learned how to win, until they discovered just how much they could not accept losing.
Motivated by a heartbreaking two-point Final Four loss here last season, they spent the next year reliving the game and renewing their commitment to learn from that experience. Most of all, they were determined to not accept it again.
It is a creed that carried them through a remarkable season and a character-testing week. It is why the California Lady Vulcans are national champions.
Sophomore point guard Megan Storck coolly sank a three-point jumper with 28.6 seconds left, and then joined her teammates for the defensive stand of their basketball lives here Saturday night as California University edged Drury, 75-72, to win the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball national championship game.
California (35-1) not only becomes the first PSAC program to win an NCAA Division II women’s basketball championship, but is also the first East Region team with a title. The Lady Vulcans did it with a dominating performance during the regular season and the PSAC playoffs, and with hustle and heart in the NCAA tournament.
And they did it with a 20-footer that will be forever known around California as “The Shot.”
“I don’t know what was going through my mind really,” said Storck, who finished with 16 points and 10 assists, her third straight double-double, and was selected as the Elite Eight’s Outstanding Player. “I don’t know if anybody remembers a year ago in the Final Four, I do, but with less than a minute left I was open for a three-pointer and I missed. Every player dreams of getting a chance to take a game-winning shot. I’m just glad I stepped up and did that.”
“Of course we wanted her to shoot that,” California head coach Darcie Vincent said. “Look back at the past, two West Chester games last year and Edinboro and Northern Kentucky last year and Megan only missed one shot in those last-possession situations. That’s 75 percent not counting this one. Who wouldn’t take that?”
While the crowd of 2,681 was decidedly tilted in favor of Drury (36-2), the teams played an intense and entertaining game. It was a good show for ESPN2, although California threatened to pull away at several points.
The Lady Vulcans led by as many as 13 in the first half but a late Drury run closed the gap to 41-33 at the half. California used another run to pull out to a 59-44 lead with 12:35 left to play. Junior All-America Sara McKinney, who was also named to the All-Elite Eight team and finished with 26 points, was wreaking havoc with Drury’s man-to-man.
The Lady Panthers switched to a seldom-used 2-3 zone, and it brought them back into the game.
“We did not have an answer for McKinney,” said Drury head coach Nyla Milleson. “We were hoping she would cool off at some point.”
McKinney and California did and it was Drury that put together a run that has been so common for the Lady Vulcans. Drury fashioned a 19-2 burst that gave the Lady Panthers a 63-61 lead with 7:07 to play. A timely media time-out allowed the Lady Vulcans to reflect on where they have been, and to regroup.
“The main thing we relied on this week has been last year,” Vincent said. “They knew what it felt like, Megan missing that shot, Becky (Siembak) missing a lay-up. We were in very familiar territory at that point, but we believed in each other.”
McKinney answered with a clutch driving shot and Sameera Philyaw (12 points) followed with an inside shot and a pair of free throws to help California regain the lead, 67-63. But Drury was also resilient, finally taking a 70-69 lead with 2:36 to play on a three-pointer by Tara Rutledge. McKinney answered again for California but Rutledge sank two free throws with 44 seconds left to play to give Drury a 72-71 lead.
California worked patiently on its next possession and Erin Dillon, who would score 12 points, passed the ball to Storck who found herself with a good look at the basket. The shot swished cleanly through the net, giving California a 74-72 lead.
From that point, it was California’s defense that would have to win the national championship. Drury’s Hope Hunt missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left and Rutledge missed a long three with four seconds left.