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Forty years later, the first NCAA Final Four reverberates through the sport

Louisiana Tech’s Janice Lawrence shoots over a Cheyney State player in the 1982 national championship game. (George Tiedemann/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

The moment Boe Pearman stepped foot on the court in Norfolk Scope Arena before the start of the 1982 NCAA Women’s Final Four is cemented in her memory. Gleaming wooden bleachers lined the court. Fans filled the gymnasium. Reporters and television cameras jockeyed for space.

When Pearman paused to look around, she felt the electricity in the arena.

“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” says the former Maryland starter. “Wow, this is what coach was talking about.”

To this day, Pearman can still see the crowd and hear people cheering. She also remembers her coach, Chris Weller, emphasizing the significance of the first NCAA Final Four in women’s basketball history in the lead-up to the event.

“There were Final Fours before, and there’ll be Final Fours after, but we were gonna be the very first NCAA Final Four,” Pearman recalls Weller saying. “And what a great opportunity that would be for our team, and program, individually, et cetera, to be in that historical moment for the growth of women’s basketball.”

Before 1982, Division I women’s national basketball tournaments were organized and held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Starting in 1971, and accelerating in conjunction with Title IX in 1972, the AIAW endeavored to establish a foundation for growth, evolution and a pathway to equality for women’s collegiate sports — functioning similarly as the NCAA did for men’s sports.

The AIAW successfully raised the platform and created opportunities for women athletes, but it lagged behind the NCAA in funding and television contracts. That would play a crucial role in 1982 when the NCAA opted to hold its first women’s basketball tournament. Not every school was on board, but when 17 of the top 20 programs — including Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Old Dominion and Maryland — decided to participate, it signaled the beginning of the end for the AIAW and the start of something bigger.

“It was a huge step,” says Tanya Haave, a sophomore for Tennessee at the time. “You’re there with the men, and all that. The biggest thing was it provided that credibility.”

Haave, now the head coach of the Metropolitan State University at Denver women’s basketball team, didn’t grasp the significance of it back then. She was a young college athlete under the tutelage of legendary coach Pat Summit and was focused on playing basketball.

“We had actually been in a Final Four the year before, and it was with the AIAW,” Haave says. “At the time, I guess I didn’t really know what I didn’t know. So we’d been in a Final Four, but I think you could definitely feel a difference now that the NCAA had taken over, in terms of the resources committed to it and the marketing with it. And it seemed to be a level above.”

In 1981, C. Vivian Stringer attended an event for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the head coach of Cheyney State. The topic of participating with the NCAA was brought to the table. Other sports had already combined AIAW and NCAA tournaments and events, including gymnastics, softball and golf.

“We had a meeting, and they were discussing the fact that they believed that the NCAA only wanted to take over women’s sports because of the Title IX issue,” Stringer recalls. “And they were saying that as soon as Title IX came up, that we would not get an opportunity to have our voices heard, and that basically the guys would go ahead and take over and there would be nothing left.”

She spoke up about the lack of bigger venues and advertising at AIAW tournament games. The room went silent. Afterwards, other coaches confided in Stringer that she had made a great point and they were glad she had said something.

“My father taught me a long time ago to speak my mind and don’t be afraid ever to say what I think,” Stringer says.

The upside of joining the NCAA was too enticing to ignore. It offered more funding, transportation coverage, a wider audience, larger venues, better marketing and promotion, and television contracts. The AIAW couldn’t compete, and many women’s basketball programs decided to make the leap.

Thirty-two teams participated in the inaugural NCAA women’s basketball tournament the following year. Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Cheyney State and Maryland made it to the Final Four, hosted at Old Dominion University. The Lady Techsters were the favorites.

“Because it was the very first NCAA Final Four, everything they did, they tried to make it special for us,” says Pearman. “I remember talking to some of my teammates about it. Like, this is bigger than just going to a Final Four.”

Maryland had never been to any Final Four before, so Pearman and her teammates didn’t know what to expect. All they knew was that they were going up against a very quick and athletic Cheyney State squad.

“We knew going in it was going to be a tough game. We always tried to play Cheyney in the regular season, and we knew how athletic they were gonna be,” Pearman says. “But we thought we could go in and at least give it our best shot and see what could happen.”

The Wolves may have had the edge on the Terrapins from a basketball standpoint, but Maryland was a much bigger school with significantly more funding. Cheyney State, the first historically Black college or university (HBCU), at the time was a small school with few resources. People didn’t even know where the university was located and often asked how to pronounce it, Stringer says.

“We found our way because we were a hard-nosed team. We believed in ourselves very much. I was so proud of them, I can’t even tell you,” she says. “We didn’t have the same equipment, we didn’t even have a trainer. Our trainers were students that were studying to be trainers. We did not have anything. But we believed in ourselves.”

Stringer successfully guided Cheyney State past Maryland, 76-66. In the other semifinal, Tennessee took on Louisiana Tech. Haave, Tennessee’s forward, remembers the game all too well.

“I remember getting our rear ends kicked,” she says with a laugh. “From the post position, I think they were bigger, a little more athletic than we were. And it just seemed like we struggled with that part of the game, struggled scoring. I remember getting beat pretty handedly.”

The Lady Techsters defeated the Lady Vols, 69-46, to advance to the first NCAA women’s championship game. And on March 28, 1982, Cheyney State and Louisiana Tech tipped off in front of 7,000 fans, and even more watching on CBS.

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Louisiana Tech took down Tennessee in one of two NCAA Final Four games in 1982. (George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

It was exciting for everyone involved, but Stringer had more than basketball on her mind. As she looked out over the crowd, she kept thinking about her infant daughter, Janine, who was in the Philadelphia children’s hospital after contracting spinal meningitis.

“I had some ambivalence going in,” Stringer recalls. “Anytime that I practiced, I would immediately leave and go to the hospital.”

Janine’s health was “touch and go” for a while, Stringer explained, and the emotions of the situation weighed on her as she assumed her spot on Cheyney State’s sideline that day.

“My daughter was left without the ability to walk or talk or do anything. I’m grateful that she’s able to continue to live. They didn’t think she’d be able to live beyond 14 years old,” Stringer says. “As a parent, you can imagine that I’m sitting there in the midst of all this hoopla and thinking, I don’t know what to do. I was there, but I wasn’t there.”

Somehow, Stringer held it together. And even though she knew her team was smaller in size than Lousisana Tech’s, she had them believing in themselves to the fullest extent. They could shoot and they were quick. Those were the qualities that got them to the championship game, and they were the ones the team trusted in now.

The Wolves jumped out to a 22-18 lead early in the first half, keeping pace with the Lady Techsters basket for basket. Then the shots stopped falling, and Cheyney State fell behind. With Kim Mulkey running the point and Janice Lawrence leading the way with 20 points, Louisiana Tech never looked back, winning the first NCAA championship 76-62.

Despite the loss, Stringer felt pride in being part of such a historic moment.

“It’s always the first, and it’s just like anything — the first love that you have,” she says. “[I’m thinking during the game], I can’t believe that I’m here. I’m at the Scope. Wow, we are at the Scope.”

Pearman returned to the Final Four in 1989 as an assistant coach for Maryland and saw how much the event had grown in just six years. Then she watched as Oregon forward Sedona Prince’s video of the weight room at the 2021 NCAA Tournament drew attention to the disparities between the women’s resources and the men’s, and momentum behind the women’s game accelerated in a way that she’d never seen before.

“I think the greatest growth came from COVID to now, because the women finally had the strength to speak up and say, ‘This isn’t OK anymore,’” Pearman says. “We’re tired of being treated less than. I think that has allowed the moment now to be magnified, and people are now doing so much more for this Final Four than has ever been done before.”

Haave sees it, too. That’s why she makes it a point to have regular conversations with her Metropolitan State players about the history of the game. She doesn’t want them to forget the trailblazers like Kay Yow, Jody Conradt, Summit and Stringer, who propelled women’s basketball to where it is today.

“I’m watching Iowa play Creighton and it is a packed house. I mean, it is awesome to see that,” Haave says of Creighton’s second-round upset win in front of a sellout crowd of 14,382 fans at Hawkeye-Carver Arena. “I think we’re at a point now, with the focus on equality and diversity and inclusion these last few years, that we’re at a tipping point.”

The Women’s Final Four has come a long way since 1982, but it’s still not valued as highly as the men’s tournament, culturally and financially. Just this year, driven by public pressure and a report detailing the undervalued business opportunities in women’s basketball, the NCAA finally allowed the use of March Madness for promotion and marketing of the women’s tournament. And based on a letter lawmakers sent NCAA President Mark Emmert earlier this month calling attention to the “inadequate progress” in addressing inequities, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“I don’t know if I’ll see equal footing in my lifetime,” Pearman says bluntly. “We’re closing the gap, but it’s not just arenas or people in the stands. It’s game times, television opportunities throughout the entire year, and through the tournament and conference championships.”

Still, as South Carolina, Stanford, UConn and Louisville get set to compete in the Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend, Pearman know there’s a special reason to celebrate the 2022 tournament. Forty years ago, the trajectory of women’s basketball changed forever, becoming an integral part of women’s sports history and setting it up for the platform it stands on today.

“We all get together on occasion and we still brag about it,” Pearman says. “We’re proud of it.”

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA and college basketball. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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