GORHAM, Maine — Washington University's women's basketball team won its first NCAA Division III national championship Saturday, March 21. Washington U., which defeated the host University of Southern Maine 77-69 in the national title game in front of a capacity crowd of 1,950 fans at the Walter G. Hill Gymnasium, ran the gauntlet this season to give head coach Nancy Fahey her first national title in three trips to the Division III Final Four.

On the way to the title, the Bears, who finished the season with a school-record 28-2 ledger, twice defeated defending NCAA champion NYU to win the University Athletic Association (UAA) title. Then the Bears had to open the NCAA tournament by knocking off the nation's only unbeaten team (Millikin); defeat the top-ranked team in the country (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) on the way to the semifinals; and then pull off their biggest win of the year by beating Southern Maine on its home floor.

Washington U. became only the second team in the 17-year history of the tournament to defeat the host school on its own floor in the title game. The result: the school's eighth national championship (Washington U. has won seven titles in volleyball) and the UAA's second consecutive title winner.

"If you would have told us at the beginning that was the road we would have to take to a championship, I would say it was almost an impossible road to go," said Fahey. "But you have to give the team all of the credit. They were determined not to be turned back."

Sophomore All-America center Alia Fischer paced the Bears with 28 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 3:35 remaining. Senior point guard Erica Stagen also fouled out, but as has been the case all season, the Bears received huge contributions from their bench.

Leading 70-56 with 4:41 remaining in the game, Washington U., which had led for all but one minute in the game, saw the Huskies pull off a 13-2 run to draw within 72-69 with two minutes left in the game. But freshman forward Tasha Rodgers pulled down two big rebounds and hit two free throws in the final minute. Sophomore guard Sue Tucker, who replaced Stagen, added another free throw and senior guard Amy Schweizer secured Washington U.'s first women's basketball national title with a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left.

"I now know what it means when people talk about winning a national championship, and I cannot explain the feeling; you cannot put it into words," said Fahey, who finished her 12th season on the WU bench. "This is for the seniors who have meant so much to this program over the last four years and all the players who shared a lot of minutes this season. That depth and unselfishness really paid off tonight." Schweizer capped her career with 14 points and a spot on the five-player all-tournament team.

Fischer, who was named Monday as the Division III Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), capped a tremendous sophomore season with all-tournament honors after hitting 10 of 19 shots in the finale and all eight of her free throws. She posted a pair of double-doubles (points-rebounds) on the weekend and helped the Bears register a 84-69 edge in rebounding for the semifinal and championships games. Washington U. led all of Division III in rebounding margin this season (+16.1 rpg).

"We really focused on rebounding (against Southern Maine)," said Fischer. "They have one of the best post combinations we have played against this season." All-America center Joanna Brown scored 15 points, while forward Tracy Libby led USM with 22.

"I don't know what Fischer is doing playing Division III basketball," said Southern Maine head coach Gary Fifield. "She would be starting on a lot of Division I teams." Stagen finished with 11 points -- including a 2-for-3 performance from three-point range -- and senior forward Angie Kohnen matched her with 11 points and seven rebounds. Stagen hit three free throws at the 13:29 mark and Kohnen followed with a pair of baskets as the Bears opened up a 63-49 lead, their biggest of the night, with 11:59 remaining in the game.

But the Huskies stormed back on their home floor with the aid of Fischer--who fouled out for the first time this year and only the third time in her career--and Stagen sitting on the bench with five fouls. "We weren't worried because no one player had carried us during the season," said Stagen, who dished three assists and added three steals in the finale. "We got here as a team and we were going to win it as a team."

Southern Maine, which saw its 21-game winning streak snapped, capped its best season with a 29-3 record and best-ever runner-up showing. "We had a great run at the end, but Washington U. is a great basketball team," said Fifield. "It hurts when you come this close, but we dug ourselves too deep of a hole and worked too hard to get out."

The Bears had proven to be a second-half team during their postseason run and for the first 20 minutes of their national semifinal game Friday, March 20, versus Rowan, the Bears played at times like they were in hibernation.

Washington U., which led by only two points at halftime of its game versus Rowan, shot 62% in the second half (18-for-29) to claim a 66-51 victory over the Profs and send the Bears into the championship game for the second time in five seasons.

Fischer scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second stanza. "Coach (Fahey) doesn't always like it, but we have been more of a second-half team this year," said Schweizer, who scored 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers in a 26-14 run that gave Washington U. a 52-36 lead with 8:39 remaining in the game. "In the first half, we weren't getting the ball inside to Alia, but we made more of an effort to go inside in the second half and it paid off."

The effort paid off to the tune of a 43-29 edge in points for the Washington U. frontline. At one point, the Bears, forwards and centers scored 24 consecutive points to help Washington U. increase its second-half lead to a high of 16 points with a 28-14 spree to open the second half. Rodgers came off the bench to score 10 points, while starting forwards Emily Nolan and Kohnen chipped in six and five points, respectively -- all in the second half. Overall, Washington U. shot 51% from the floor (30-for-59) -- its highest percentage in four postseason games.

"It was an outstanding shooting performance, and it couldn't have come at a better time," said Fahey. "In the first half, we took some quick shots, but once we settled down and got the ball inside, we were OK." Fischer helped keep the Bears in the game early with four of her career high-tying six blocked shots. After Schweizer opened the game with two of her four three-pointers, Washington U. went scoreless for more than five minutes as Rowan took a 13-6 lead. Trailing 16-10 with eight minutes to play before halftime, Washington U. posted a 16-8 run to take a 26-24 lead into intermission. Fischer scored six points in the spree and opened the second half with eight more as the Bears took a 43-31 lead. On the night, she connected on 10 of 17 shots to go with a game high-tying 11 rebounds.

"Fischer is tremendous. We haven't seen a player like that all season," said fifth-year Rowan coach Candace Crabtree. "She can go right and left. We wanted to control her, and we did that for a while, but she cannot be stopped all night." Takiyah Bowen paced the Profs (27-3) with 15 points. Guard Jenn Denby added 11, but made only four of 20 shots from the field. Washington U., one of the deepest teams in the country, received 19 points from its bench.

"Our depth has been a big factor all year long and it was again tonight," said Fahey. "We have always had great bench strength and they have stepped up for us all year."