167 tradition BREAK.qxd - University of Kentucky Athletics

Tradition
CATS IN THE POSTSEASON WNIT
CATS IN THE WNIT
WNIT/NWIT Appearances: 3 (1978, 1990, 2005)
WNIT/NWIT Record: 8-2
NWIT Championship Titles: 1; 1990
2005 WNIT FINAL FOUR
Date Result Location
March 16, 1978 Kentucky 92, Kansas 87 (2OT) Amarillo, TX
March 17, 1978 Texas 75, Kentucky 60 Amarillo, TX
March 18, 1978 Kentucky 79, Cal St. Long Beach 69 Amarillo, TX
March 22, 1990 Kentucky 76, Maine 66 Amarillo, TX
March 23, 1990 Kentucky 80, Miami (FL) 68 Amarillo, TX
March 24, 1990 Kentucky 85, Toledo 76 Amarillo, TX
March 18, 2005 Kentucky 79, Eastern Michigan 68 Lexington, KY (2,125)
March 20, 2005 Kentucky 91, Chattanooga 54 Lexington, KY (2,035)
March 24, 2005 Kentucky 67, Xavier 62 Lexington, KY (3,531)
March 28, 2005 Kentucky 75, West Virginia 80 (2OT) Lexington, KY (3,452)
1990 NWIT CHAMPIONS
KENTUCKY 85, TOLEDO 76
MARCH 24, 1990--CAL FARLEY COLISEUM
AMARAILLO,
Texas—After breezing
through the first two
rounds of the 1990-
NWIT Championships,
the University of Kentucky
women’s basketball
team faced a tough
test in the final against
the Toledo Rockets,
who finished third in
the previous year’s
event.
The Lady Rockets appeared poised to win their first championship as
Front row, left to right: Kris Miller, Stacy McIntyre, Tracye Davis, Kristi
Cushenberry, Tammy Dowdell, Jennifer Johnson, Malinka Salhi. Back row,
left to right: Assistant Coach Karen Booker, Graduate Asst. Lisa Bressman,
Graduate Asst. Jane Dalton, Asst. Coach Jerry McLaughlin, Mia Daniel,
Vanessa Foster-Sutton, Cathy Proctor, Lisa Ellis, Pattresa Leonard, Josh
Mills, Associate Trainer Sue Stanley, Head Manager Susan Crabtree, Manager
Tracy Livingston, Head Coach Sharon Fanning.
they led the Cats 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky battled back in the second
half to outscore Toledo 52-35 in the
final period and capture the championship.
The Wildcats were under the direction of
third-year head coach Sharon Fanning, who
dressed appropriately for the showdown in
the lonestar state with her colorful blue
Texas-style leather jacket, white leather
pants and Kentucky blue boots. The Cats
were led by guard Kristi Cushenberry who
scored 20 points and connected 8-of-9
attempts from the charity stripe in the game.
Vanessa Foster-Sutton averaged nearly 30 points and eight
rebounds per game as a senior captain on Kentucky’s 1990
NWIT championship squad.
Kentucky, under the direction of second-year
head coach Mickie DeMoss, posted 15 regularseason
wins for the first time since 1999 and was
rewarded with a berth in the Sportsview.tv
Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Thanks in large part to their record-breaking
crowds, the Wildcats were able to host every
round in which they competed. UK opened with a
79-68 comeback victory over Eastern Michigan in the first round before
routing Chattanooga 91-54, backed by 32 points from senior guard/forward
Sara Potts.
In the quarterfinal contest with Xavier, the Cats trailed nearly the entire
game before taking their first lead of the second half with 35 seconds
remaining on a jumper by Potts. UK extended its longest postseason run in
school history by defeating the Musketeers 67-62.
The Wildcats battled border-rival West Virginia closely throughout the
entire game, but fell to the Mountaineers 80-75 in double-overtime, capping
off one of the most successful
seasons in school
history. Kentucky finished the
season 18-16.
Sara Potts was named to the
WNIT All-Tournament team
after averaging 27.8 points per
game during the four-game postseason
run. Potts tallied two 30-
plus point games vs. Chattanooga
and Xavier in the tournament.
199 • 2005-06 Women’s Basketball