March 23, 2002

The Houston Cougars came into Cassell Coliseum and did what only No. 1-ranked Connecticut had accomplished this season - they beat the Virginia Tech Hokies on their own floor. It took overtime, but Houston downed the Hokies 77-72 in the semifinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament, and in doing so, ended Virginia Tech's season in front of 5,409 fans on March 23. Tech finished the season 21-11, while Houston moved to 26-7 and into the WNIT Championship game.

With Houston leading by two points and 12 seconds left in regulation, Tech inbounded the ball at halfcourt to Lisa Guarneri (Piscataway, N.J.). Guarneri took the ball and drove in for a layup with five seconds remaining, knotting the score at 63-63. Houston's Shondra Bush missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

In overtime, Ieva Kublina (Riga, Latvia) missed an open layup on Tech's first possession. Houston scored on its first four possessions of the extra frame and seven of eight overall. Despite that efficiency, Tech still had a chance to tie late. With 16 seconds left, Tech trailed 75-72. The Hokies got the ball to Kublina at the top of the key for an open 3-pointer, but it rimmed out and the Cougars corralled the rebound. Two seconds and two free throws later, Tech's season was officially over.

The game featured some tremendous individual performances on both sides. Kublina scored a career-high 32 points for the Hokies. Guarneri, a senior, also had a memorable final game with a career-high 12 assists and the basket that sent the game into overtime.

For the Cougars, Conference USA Player of the Year Chandi Jones did not disappoint. She scored 32 points in 43 minutes of action. Bush also came up big with 22 points.

The Hokies scored the first four points of the game, only to see the Cougars go on a 19-8 run. Tech bounced back with seven unanswered points, all by Kublina, and tied the score at 19. The Hokies claimed a 29-27 lead at intermission behind Kublina's 15 first-half points.

Tech opened the second half with a 16-7 run. Sarah Hicks (Roanoke, Va.) got things started with a 3-pointer, her first basket of the evening, and Kublina did most of the rest with nine points. The spurt was highlighted by an electrifying no-look, behind-the-back pass by Guarneri to Kublina that brought the crowd to its feet and forced Houston to call a timeout. The burst gave Tech a 45-34 lead.

But at the 15-minute mark, Kublina picked up her third foul and headed to the bench. The Cougars jumped on the opportunity of having Tech's star out of the game to go on an 11-1 run of their own. Tech still clung to a 46-45 lead when Kublina hit a shot and Hicks drained back-to-back treys, pushing the lead to 54-45. Houston once again had an answer, though, proceeding on a 16-4 run and taking a 61-58 lead, its first since the 6:53 mark of the first half, with 2:43 remaining in the game.

The loss represents the final game for four Hokie seniors - Hicks, Guarneri, Mollie Owings (Silver Spring, Md.) and Nicole Jones (Vienna, Va.).