1988 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Women's college basketball championship August 2023 March 2026 Women's 1988 1988WomensFinalFourLogo.jpg 150px 40 Tacoma Dome Tacoma, Washington Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters 2nd 4th 5th Auburn Tigers 1st 1st Tennessee Volunteers 5th Long Beach State 49ers 2nd Leon Barmore 1st Erica Westbrooks Louisiana Tech The 1988 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 16 and ended on April 3. The tournament featured 40 teams. The Final Four consisted of Long Beach State, Auburn, Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech won its second title with a 56–54 victory over Auburn.http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1988-bracket.html 1988 NCAA National Championship Tournament 2007-04-16 Gregory Cooper https://web.archive.org/web/20091020033159/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1988-bracket.html 2009-10-20 dead Louisiana Tech's Erica Westbrooks was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/history/tournament/womensmop.htm CHN Basketball History: Most Outstanding Player 2007-04-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20080125012447/http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/history/tournament/womensmop.htm 2008-01-25 dead Notable events Long Beach state reached the Final Four averaging over 100 points per game. Long Beach beat Colorado 103–64 in their opening game. Long Beach then defeated the three seed Washington 104–78 in the West Regional semifinal. That matched Long Beach up with the one seed Iowa. Long Beach didn't score 100, but came close, beating the top seed in their regional by a score of 98–78, allowing Long Beach to reach the Final Four for the second straight year. Their opponent in the semifinal was Auburn, who had reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1985 and 1986, then followed it with a trip to the Elite Eight in 1987. This year Auburn advanced to the Final Four for the first time defeating Maryland in the Mideast Regional 103–74. In the semifinal game, the Long Beach 49ers team started out slowly, but their coach Joan Bonvicini wasn't worried; she was convinced they would come back. Auburn had a small lead in the second half when the 49ers scored 11 consecutive points to take a 46–42 lead. However, the Tigers tied the game at 46 apiece, then 48 then 50 apiece. Then the Tigers opened up a seven-point lead. The 49ers cut it back to five points, but too many turnovers were too much to overcome. Ruthie Bolton scored eleven points in the final six minutes for the Tigers to help seal the 68–55 victory, and the right to play for the national championship. The other semifinal game matched up Tennessee and Louisiana Tech. Tennessee was the defending national champion, having won their first national championship in 1987. They won the East Regional with a win over the two seed Virginia. Their opponent, Louisiana Tech, had won the first NCAA Tournament in 1982, and had finished as runner up to Tennessee in the previous year's championship game. The two teams met in the regular season, with Tennessee winning 76–74 in an overtime game played in Knoxville. The Lady Techsters were a two seed, but upset top ranked Texas 83–80 in the Midwest Regional to make it to the semifinal game. The Lady Techsters said they had been looking forward to this game ever since their loss in the prior year and they played like it. They took the lead early in the game and never relinquished it. Louisiana Tech held Tennessee to 33% shooting in the first half, and held on to win the game 68–59, and a berth in the championship game. The first half of the championship game was all Auburn. Two minutes went by before the Lady Techsters even took at shot, at which point they were down 6–0. Ruthie Bolton scored 16 points in the first half, a source of frustration for her defender Teresa Weatherspoon. Bolton's points held the Tigers head to halftime with a 31–19 lead. Weatherspoon made sure the second half was different, both offensively, with seven assists and defensively, holding Bolton to zero points and helping to force six turnovers. The Tigers still led by four points with under five minutes left, but behind Weatherspoon's defense, and Erica Westbrooks' 25 points, Louisiana Tech came back to win their second national Championship by a score of 56–54. Records Ruthie Bolton was credited with ten steals in the National Semifinal game, the most ever recorded in a Final Four game since the statistic has been recorded (starting in 1988). Qualifying teams – automatic Forty teams were selected to participate in the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Eighteen conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1988 NCAA tournament. Automatic bids     Record   Qualifying School Conference Regular season Conference Seed Bowling Green State University MAC 0.828 24–5 0.875 14–2 10 Eastern Illinois University Missouri Valley Conference 0.759 22–7 0.778 14–4 10 Fairfield University MAAC 0.679 19–9 0.667 8–4 10 University of Iowa Big Ten 0.964 27–1 0.944 17–1 1 James Madison University Colonial 0.897 26–3 1.012 12–0 4 University of Kansas Big Eight 0.7 21–9 0.571 8–6 7 California State University, Long Beach Pacific Coast 0.833 25–5 1.018 18–0 2 University of Maryland ACC 0.828 24–5 0.857 12–2 2 Middle Tennessee State University Ohio Valley Conference 0.759 22–7 0.857 12–2 10 University of Montana Mountain West 0.966 28–1 1.016 16–0 4 New Mexico State University High Country 0.929 26–2 1.01 10–0 6 Rutgers University Atlantic 10 0.867 26–4 0.944 17–1 3 University of South Carolina Metro 0.688 22–10 0.833 10–2 8 St. John's University Big East 0.7 21–9 0.625 10–6 7 University of Tennessee SEC 0.933 28–2 0.889 8–1 1 University of Texas at Austin Southwest 0.938 30–2 1.016 16–0 1 University of Washington Pac-10 0.857 24–4 0.889 16–2 3 Western Kentucky University Sun Belt Conference 0.788 26–7 0.667 4–2 5 Qualifying teams – at-large Twenty-two additional teams were selected to complete the forty invitations. At-large Bids     Record   Qualifying School Conference Regular season Conference Seed University of Alabama Southeastern 0.667 18–9 0.556 5–4 9 Auburn University Southeastern 0.933 28–2 1.009 9–0 1 Clemson University Atlantic Coast 0.724 21–8 0.571 8–6 5 University of Colorado at Boulder Big Eight 0.667 20–10 0.571 8–6 7 University of Georgia Southeastern 0.69 20–9 0.556 5–4 4 University of Houston Southwest 0.786 22–6 0.688 11–5 6 La Salle University Metro Atlantic 0.862 25–4 0.917 11–1 8 Louisiana Tech University American South 0.931 27–2 1.009 9–0 2 Louisiana State University Southeastern 0.643 18–10 0.667 6–3 9 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Southeastern 0.793 23–6 0.556 5–4 3 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Big Eight 0.786 22–6 0.786 11–3 5 Ohio State University Big Ten 0.857 24–4 0.889 16–2 3 Old Dominion University Sun Belt 0.607 17–11 1.006 6–0 6 Pennsylvania State University Atlantic 10 0.613 19–12 0.611 11–7 9 University of Southern California Pacific-10 0.75 21–7 0.833 15–3 4 Saint Joseph's University Atlantic 10 0.767 23–7 0.889 16–2 7 Stanford University Pacific-10 0.867 26–4 0.778 14–4 5 Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 0.875 28–4 0.929 13–1 8 Syracuse University Big East 0.733 22–8 0.813 13–3 6 Villanova University Big East 0.714 20–8 0.688 11–5 8 University of Virginia Atlantic Coast 0.862 25–4 0.857 12–2 2 Wake Forest University Atlantic Coast 0.759 22–7 0.643 9–5 9 Bids by conference Eighteen conferences earned an automatic bid. In eight cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Two conferences, Southland and American South sent a single representative as an at-large team. Twenty additional at-large teams were selected from ten of the conferences. Bids Conference Teams 6 Southeastern Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee 4 Atlantic Coast Clemson, Maryland., Virginia, Wake Forest 3 Pacific-10 Southern California, Stanford, Washington 3 Big Eight Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska 3 Big East St. John’s NY, Syracuse, Villanova 3 Atlantic 10 Penn St., Rutgers, St. Joseph’s 2 Sun Belt Old Dominion, Western Ky. 2 Southwest Houston, Texas 2 Metro Atlantic Fairfield, La Salle 2 Big Ten Iowa, Ohio St. 1 Southland Stephen F. Austin 1 Ohio Valley Middle Tenn. 1 Mountain West Montana 1 Missouri Valley Eastern Ill. 1 Mid-American Bowling Green 1 Metro South Carolina 1 High Country New Mexico St. 1 Colonial James Madison 1 Pacific Coast Long Beach St. 1 American South Louisiana Tech First and second rounds In 1988, the field remained at 40 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1-10 in each region. In Round 1, seeds 8 and 9 faced each other for the opportunity to face the 1 seed in the second round, while seeds 7 and 10 faced each other for the opportunity to face the 2 seed. In the first two rounds, the higher seed was given the opportunity to host the first round game. In most cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity. The exception: Seventh seeded Colorado played tenth seeded Eastern Illinois at Eastern Illinois The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the twenty-four first and second round locations: USA 500 right 1988 NCAA first round (The pogs for Lasalle (Philadelphia), St. Joe's (Philadelphia) and Villanova overlap) USA green pog.svg 40.034072 -75.336553 bottom Villanova USA green pog.svg 40.724167 -73.794444 right Queens USA green pog.svg 39.995278 -75.238889 top Philadelphia USA green pog.svg 40.039993 -75.15654 left Philadelphia USA green pog.svg 33.993611 -81.0325 left Columbia USA green pog.svg 38.954306 -95.252394 bottom Lawrence USA green pog.svg 31.622222 -94.640833 top Nacogdoches USA green pog.svg 39.480403 -88.178844 bottom Charleston USA 500 right 1988 NCAA second round USA purple pog.svg 40.525278 -74.441111 top Piscataway USA purple pog.svg 38.044611 -78.508961 bottom Charlottesville USA purple pog.svg 35.951226 -83.929442 left Knoxville USA purple pog.svg 38.431892 -78.868854 left Harrisonburg USA purple pog.svg 38.987944 -76.946694 right College Park USA purple pog.svg 40.005278 -83.018889 left Columbus USA purple pog.svg 32.600161 -85.492333 bottom Auburn USA purple pog.svg 33.9428 -83.378 right Athens USA purple pog.svg 46.863819 -113.983403 bottom Missoula USA purple pog.svg 30.276958 -97.732216 left Austin USA purple pog.svg 34.362197 -89.539303 left Oxford USA purple pog.svg 32.5321 -92.6584 left Ruston USA purple pog.svg 41.663611 -91.554444 top Iowa City USA purple pog.svg 47.65212 -122.30223 bottom Seattle USA purple pog.svg 33.783022 -118.112858 bottom Long Beach USA purple pog.svg 33.864722 -118.256111 top Carson Region Rnd Host Venue City State East 1 Villanova University The Pavilion Villanova Pennsylvania East 1 Saint John's University Alumni Hall (Carnesecca) Queens New York East 2 Rutgers University Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway New Jersey East 2 University of Virginia University Hall (University of Virginia) Charlottesville Virginia East 2 University of Tennessee Stokely Athletic Center Knoxville Tennessee East 2 James Madison University James Madison University Convocation Center Harrisonburg Virginia Mideast 1 Saint Joseph's University Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mideast 1 La Salle University Hayman Hall (Tom Gola Arena) Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mideast 2 University of Maryland Cole Field House College Park Maryland Mideast 2 Ohio State University St. John Arena Columbus Ohio Mideast 2 Auburn University Memorial Coliseum (Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum) Auburn Alabama Mideast 2 University of Georgia Georgia Coliseum (Stegeman Coliseum) Athens Georgia Midwest 1 University of South Carolina Carolina Coliseum Columbia South Carolina Midwest 1 University of Kansas Allen Field House Lawrence Kansas Midwest 2 University of Montana Dahlberg Arena Missoula Montana Midwest 2 University of Texas Frank Erwin Center Austin Texas Midwest 2 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford Mississippi Midwest 2 Louisiana Tech University Thomas Assembly Center Ruston Louisiana West 1 Stephen F. Austin University William R. Johnson Coliseum Nacogdoches Texas West 1 Eastern Illinois University Lantz Arena Charleston Illinois West 2 University of Iowa Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City Iowa West 2 University of Washington Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle Washington West 2 Long Beach State University Gym (Gold Mine) Long Beach California Regionals and Final Four USA 500 right 1988 NCAA regionals and Final Four USA blue pog.svg 33.9428 -83.378 bottom Athens USA blue pog.svg 30.276958 -97.732216 left Austin USA blue pog.svg 33.783022 -118.112858 right Long Beach USA blue pog.svg 36.885959 -76.311494 top Norfolk USA red pog.svg 47.236667 -122.426667 right Tacoma The regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 24 to March 26 at these sites: Mideast Regional Georgia Coliseum (Stegeman Coliseum), Athens, Georgia (Host: University of Georgia) Midwest Regional Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas) West Regional University Gym (Gold Mine), Long Beach, California (Host: Long Beach State) East Regional Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, Norfolk, Virginia (Host: Old Dominion University) Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held April 1 and April 3 in Tacoma, Washington at the Tacoma Dome, hosted by the University of Washington. Bids by state The forty teams came from twenty-five states. Pennsylvania had the most teams with four. Twenty-five states did not have any teams receiving bids. thumb|right|500 px|NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 1988 Bids State Teams 4 Pennsylvania La Salle, Penn St., St. Joseph’s, Villanova 3 California Long Beach St., Southern California, Stanford 3 Texas Texas, Houston, Stephen F. Austin 3 Virginia James Madison, Old Dominion, Virginia 2 Alabama Alabama, Auburn 2 Alabama Alabama, Auburn 2 Louisiana Louisiana Tech, LSU 2 New York St. John’s NY, Syracuse 2 Ohio Bowling Green, Ohio St. 2 South Carolina South Carolina, Clemson 2 Tennessee Middle Tenn., Tennessee 1 Colorado Colorado 1 Connecticut Fairfield 1 Georgia Georgia 1 Illinois Eastern Ill. 1 Iowa Iowa 1 Kansas Kansas 1 Kentucky Western Ky. 1 Maryland Maryland. 1 Mississippi Ole Miss 1 Montana Montana 1 Nebraska Nebraska 1 New Jersey Rutgers 1 New Mexico New Mexico St. 1 North Carolina Wake Forest 1 Washington Washington Brackets First and second round games played at higher seed except where noted. West regional – Long Beach, CA (Long Beach Arena) First roundMarch 16 Second roundMarch 19–20 Regional semifinalsMarch 24 Regional finalsMarch 26 8 Stephen F. Austin 84 9 LSU 62 7 Colorado 78 10 at Eastern Illinois 72 8 Stephen F. Austin 65 1 Iowa 83 5 Nebraska 82 4 Southern California 100 7 Colorado 64 2 Long Beach St. 103 3 Washington 99 6 New Mexico St. 74 1 Iowa 79 4 Southern California 67 2 Long Beach St. 104 3 Washington 78 1 Iowa 78 2 Long Beach St. 98 Mideast regional – Athens, GA (Stegeman Coliseum) First roundMarch 16 Second roundMarch 19–20 Regional semifinalsMarch 24 Regional finalsMarch 26 8 La Salle 85 9 Penn St. 86 7 St. Joseph's 68 10 Bowling Green 66 9 Penn St. 66 1 Auburn 94 5 Western Kentucky 66 4 Georgia 84 7 St. Joseph's 67 2 Maryland 78 3 Ohio St. 116 6 Syracuse 75 1 Auburn 68 4 Georgia 65 2 Maryland 81 3 Ohio St. 66 1 Auburn 103 2 Maryland 74 East regional – Norfolk, VA (Old Dominion University Fieldhouse) First roundMarch 16 Second roundMarch 19–20 Regional semifinalsMarch 24 Regional finalsMarch 26 8 Villanova 51 9 Wake Forest 53 7 St. John's (NY) 83 10 Fairfield 70 9 Wake Forest 66 1 Tennessee 94 5 Clemson 63 4 James Madison 70 7 St. John's (NY) 64 2 Virginia 85 3 Rutgers 88 6 Old Dominion 78 1 Tennessee 72 4 James Madison 52 2 Virginia 89 3 Rutgers 75 1 Tennessee 84 2 Virginia 76 Midwest regional – Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center) First roundMarch 16 Second roundMarch 19–20 Regional semifinalsMarch 24 Regional finalsMarch 26 8 South Carolina 77 9 Alabama 63 7 Kansas 81 10 Middle Tennessee St. 75 8 South Carolina 58 1 Texas 77 5 Stanford 74 4 Montana 72 (OT) 7 Kansas 50 2 Louisiana Tech 89 3 Ole Miss 74 6 Houston 68 1 Texas 79 5 Stanford 58 2 Louisiana Tech 80 3 Ole Miss 60 1 Texas 80 2 Louisiana Tech 83 Final Four – Tacoma, WA (Tacoma Dome) National semifinalsApril 1 National championshipApril 3 2W Long Beach St. 55 1ME Auburn 68 1E Tennessee 59 2MW Louisiana Tech 68 1ME Auburn 54 2MW Louisiana Tech 56 Record by conference Fifteen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play: Conference# of BidsRecordWin %Round of 32Sweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourChampionship Game Southeastern 6 0.6 9–6 .600 4 4 2 2 1 Atlantic Coast 4 0.556 5–4 .556 4 2 2 – – Atlantic 10 3 0.5 3–3 .500 3 1 – – – Pacific-10 3 0.5 3–3 .500 3 3 – – – Big Eight 3 0.4 2–3 .400 3 – – – – Big East 3 0.25 1–3 .250 2 – – – – Big Ten 2 0.6 3–2 .600 2 2 1 – – Southwest 2 0.5 2–2 .500 2 1 1 – – Metro Atlantic 2 0 0–2 – – – – – – Sun Belt 2 0 0–2 – 2 – – – – American South 1 1 5–0 1.000 1 1 1 1 1 Pacific Coast 1 0.75 3–1 .750 1 1 1 1 – Colonial 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – Metro 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Southland 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Five conferences went 0-1: High Country, MAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West, and Ohio Valley Conference All-Tournament team Erica Westbrooks, Louisiana Tech Teresa Weatherspoon, Louisiana Tech Ruthie Bolton, Auburn Diann McNeil, Auburn Penny Toler, Long Beach St. Game officials June Courteau (semifinal) Larry Sheppard (semifinal) Art Bomengen (Semi-Final, Final) Patty Broderick (Semi-Final, Final) See also 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 1988 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 1988 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 1988 NAIA women's basketball tournament References 2 CART JULIE NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR : CS Long Beach Makes Run for It, Then Gives It Away in 68-55 Loss April 2, 1988 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-02-sp-623-story.html Los Angeles Times 4 Nov 2012 Cour Jim Auburn to represent SEC in Title game Mar 24, 1988 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19880324&id=S_srAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J20FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3383,3720775 Kentucky New Era 4 Nov 2012 Young Linda Tennessee Women Fall To La. Tech April 2, 1988 https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/04/02/tennessee-women-fall-to-la-tech/ Chicago Tribune 4 Nov 2012 Young Linda Sisters Lead Auburn's Title Quest April 3, 1988 https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/04/03/sisters-lead-auburns-title-quest/ Chicago Tribune 4 Nov 2012 Greenberg Mel Auburn Eyes First Ncaa Crown In Title Game Vs. Louisiana Tech April 3, 1988 http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-03/sports/26249507_1_auburn-coach-joe-ciampi-nora-lewis-linda-godby https://archive.today/20130131053431/http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-03/sports/26249507_1_auburn-coach-joe-ciampi-nora-lewis-linda-godby dead January 31, 2013 Philly.com 4 Nov 2012 KELLOGG RICK LOUISIANA TECH TO PLAY AUBURN FINAL April 2, 1988 https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/02/sports/louisiana-tech-to-play-auburn-final.html New York Times 4 Nov 2012 KELLOGG RICK Women's N.C.A.A.; La. Tech Rallies to Win Title April 4, 1988 https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/04/sports/women-s-ncaa-la-tech-rallies-to-win-title.html New York Times 4 Nov 2012 Hersch Hank Lady Tiger Tamers April 11, 1988 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067191/1/index.htm https://archive.today/20130419055715/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067191/1/index.htm dead April 19, 2013 CNNSI 4 Nov 2012 Attendance and Sites http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_final4/2012/Attend.pdf NCAA 19 March 2012 Nixon Rick Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/WFF12.pdf NCAA 22 April 2012 November 7, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151107014710/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/WFF12.pdf dead Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Category:Basketball competitions in Austin, Texas NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Category:Sports competitions in Tacoma, Washington Category:Basketball competitions in Washington (state) Category:Women's sports in Washington (state)