1997–98 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team


The 1997–98 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team represented Louisiana Tech University during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Leon Barmore, who guided the team to a 31–4 record and a runner-up finish at the 1998 NCAA tournament.[1] This was the program's sixth appearance in the NCAA championship game. The team played their home games at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

1997–98 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball
Sun Belt regular season champion
Sun Belt tournament champion
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 4
Record31–4 (13–1 Sun Belt Conference)
Head coach
Assistant coachKim Mulkey
Home arenaThomas Assembly Center
Seasons
1997–98 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Louisiana Tech 13 1   .929 31 4   .886
No. 15 Western Kentucky 12 2   .857 26 9   .743
Arkansas State 11 3   .786 20 10   .667
New Orleans 7 7   .500 12 16   .429
Louisiana–Lafayette 7 7   .500 9 18   .333
South Alabama 4 10   .286 7 20   .259
Lamar 2 12   .143 5 22   .185
Texas-Pan American 0 14   .000 1 26   .037
1998 Sun Belt tournament winner

Roster

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1997–98 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Hometown
G LaQuan Stallworth 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Jr Silsbee, Texas
C Alisa Burras 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr  
F 21 Monica Maxwell 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr  
F 30 Amanda Wilson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr  
G 35 Tamicha Jackson 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) So Dallas, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 21, 1997*
No. 2 at No. 1 Tennessee L 61–75  0–1
Thompson-Boling Arena (16,490)
Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 24, 1997*
No. 2 Texas–Arlington W 83–38  1–1
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Dec 6, 1997*
No. 4 vs. Iowa
Central Fidelity Invite
W 83–58  4–1
Richmond Coliseum 
Richmond, Virginia
Dec 7, 1997*
No. 4 vs. No. 2 Old Dominion
Central Fidelity Invite
L 65–88  4–2
Richmond Coliseum 
Richmond, Virginia
Dec 13, 1997*
No. 4 Florida State W 86–60  5–2
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Jan 21, 1998*
No. 4 Penn State W 88–58  15–2
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Jan 25, 1998
No. 4 at No. 16 Western Kentucky L 86–88  15–3
(5–1)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Feb 28, 1998
No. 4 at New Orleans W 98–61  23–3
(13–1)
Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, Louisiana
Sun Belt tournament
Mar 5, 1998*
(1) No. 4 (8) Texas-Pan American W 92–56  24–3
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 6, 1998*
(1) No. 4 (4) New Orleans W 91–54  25–3
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 7, 1998*
(1) No. 4 (2) No. 15 Western Kentucky W 69–68  26–3
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 (14 MW) Holy Cross
First round
W 86–58  27–3
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 16, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 (6 MW) No. 14 Clemson
Second round
W 74–52  28–3
Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 21, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 vs. (2 MW) No. 11 Alabama
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 71–57  29–3
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum 
Lubbock, Texas
Mar 23, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 vs. (4 MW) No. 21 Purdue
Regional Final – Elite Eight
W 72–65[2]  30–3
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum 
Lubbock, Texas
Mar 27, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 vs. (4 E) No. 10 NC State
National Semifinal – Final Four
W 84–65[3]  31–3
Kemper Arena (17,976)
Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 29, 1998*
(3 MW) No. 4 vs. (1 ME) No. 1 Tennessee
National Championship
L 75–93[1]  31–4
Kemper Arena (17,976)
Kansas City, Missouri
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central.

[4]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP224444444444444444Not released
Coaches2233444444444444442

^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tennessee Wins Sixth NCAA Title". The Washington Post. March 29, 1998. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tech turns back Purdue". The Tampa Bay Times. March 24, 1998. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "La. Tech runs away". The Tampa Bay Times. March 28, 1998. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Louisiana Tech Women's Basketball Record Book". issuu.