ST. LOUIS (AP) – Add the names McGraw, Riley and Ivey to the
rich lore of Notre Dame athletics.
The school of Rockne, Leahy and Montana now has a national
championship in basketball.
|  | | Ruth Riley, right, beats Purdue's Shalicia Hurns for one of her 13 rebounds Sunday. |
Notre Dame won the NCAA women's title by pulling off yet another
Final Four comeback, beating Purdue 68-66 Sunday on Ruth Riley's
two free throws with 5.8 seconds left.
The Irish trailed by 12 points in the first half and were down
66-64 with a little more than a minute to play when Riley, the
team's unanimous All-American and national player of the year, came
through.
"It's definitely euphoria," coach Muffet McGraw said. "It's
the greatest moment in our basketball history at Notre Dame.
"I don't know when I've been this excited. What can you say
about Ruth Riley? What clutch on the free throw line, to make both
of those free throws!"
Somehow it seemed fitting in this all-Indiana final. Riley is
Notre Dame's only Indiana native.
First, she scored in the lane to tie it at 66 with 1:01
remaining. Then, she rebounded a miss by Purdue's Shereka Wright,
enabling the Irish (34-2) to set up a late shot.
They got the ball to Riley – who else? – and she was fouled by
Wright. She made the first throw, returned to the line after a
Purdue timeout and calmly made the second.
"I can't even describe it," Riley said. "This is the only
thing I wanted. To be able to share this with my teammates is
unbelievable. We worked so hard that it was fitting to end the
season this way.
"All those free throws I shot after practice really paid off."
It still wasn't over because Purdue (31-7) had the last shot.
But All-American Katie Douglas missed an 18-foot shot at the
buzzer, the ball hitting the front of the rim and bouncing off the
backboard as the game ended, touching off a wild celebration by
Notre Dame.
"We designed a play and got out there and didn't execute it,"
Douglas said. "I had a good look at the basket and it didn't go
down for me."
Don't blame Douglas, Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. Curry
didn't say it, but the implication was clear: the Boilermakers
wouldn't have been here without her.
"She's hit a lot of shots for us, but it didn't go down for her
tonight," Curry said. "But we'll not focus on that. We would have
liked for her to make the shot, but we didn't get it."
Riley, held to one point in the first 8:23, finished with 28 to
lead all scorers, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots.
Erika Haney, St. Louis native Niele Ivey and Kelley Siemon also
scored in double figures for the Irish.
That turned out to be enough to offset the inspired play of
Purdue freshmen Wright and Shalicia Hurns and another solid
performance by Douglas. Purdue won the 1999 national championship
and certainly had its chances to win this one, but Notre Dame would
not be denied.
"I always dreamed of this moment, and then to have it happen in
my hometown," said Ivey, who wore a brace on the left ankle she
sprained during the semifinal. "I'm totally blessed."
Haney finished with 13 points for Notre Dame, Ivey scored 12 and
Siemon had 10.
The Irish, the best 3-point shooting team in the nation, won
despite going 1-for-10 from behind the arc. Alicia Ratay, the
nation's best individual performer, was 1-for-4. But the one she
made was huge, tying the score at 62 with 4:02 remaining.
"I thought, 'Hallelujah!"' McGraw said. "It was such a big
shot for us and I was pleased with her courage in taking the
shot."
Douglas came through with 18 for Purdue and had the
Boilermakers' final points, converting a three-point play off a
steal and layup to give Purdue a 66-64 lead with 1:22 remaining.
Then Riley, named the outstanding player in the Final Four, took
over and denied Purdue a second title.
Wright and Hurns, athletic players who have bright futures with
the Boilermakers, each scored 17. Douglas also had seven rebounds,
five steals and five assists as her brilliant career came to an
end. She was a starter on the '99 championship team.
The other starter Purdue had back from that team – center
Camille Cooper – was dogged by fouls and finished with just six
points while playing only 23 minutes.
"I knew it would be a battle," Douglas said. "Ruth played a
great game. If she was not blocking a shot, she was altering a
shot. She was getting a lot of rebounds. It was just her night."
Notre Dame trailed 19-7 early and was down six at halftime. But
the Irish have this comeback thing down pat. They rallied from 16
points down in Friday night's semifinal to beat Connecticut – the
biggest comeback in the 20 years of the women's Final Four.
And they did it again.
Riley had four points as Notre Dame started the second half with
an 8-0 run to take its first lead at 34-32. It didn't last long.
Purdue came back with a 10-3 run that included 3-pointers by
Douglas and Kelly Komara to go up 42-37, and it was 49-41 after
Komara's layup with 12:32 remaining.
Notre Dame then chipped away and finally tied it at 55 on Jeneka
Joyce's two free throws with 7:55 to play.
From there, it was back and forth to the end. Notre Dame led
64-63 when Ivey made a layup as the shot clock buzzer sounded and
fans were counting down the time. Komara's airball gave the Irish a
chance to extend the lead, but Douglas came up with her steal and
three-point play.
"It hurts so bad right now because the program has been through
so much adversity," said Curry, who took the job after Carolyn
Peck guided the Boilermakers to their title. "But our five seniors
will walk out of here winners in the game of life. They'll all do
good things."
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
Purdue Clubhouse
Notre Dame Clubhouse
Riley picture of grace under pressure
Ivey's homecoming has perfect ending
Tournament Dish
Purdue's Douglas falls short, but doesn't hang head
Purdue students set fires after Boilermakers' loss to Irish
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ericka Haney feeds Ruth Riley, who hits a jumper over 2 defenders.
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Candi Douglas makes a steal and bounces it to Shereka Wright for a hoop and a foul.
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Niele Ivey finds Kelley Siemon underneath the basket for a layup.
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Shalicia Hurns makes a rebound and goes back up for a score and a foul.
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Watch as the National champions receive their hardware.
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 Niele Ivey is excited to win a championship in her hometown.
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Ruth Riley got all she wanted in St. Louis.
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Muffet McGraw watched her Irish come alive in the second half.
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Purdue coach Kristy Curry tells ESPN's Ann Werner it was a great game, but someone had to lose.
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