NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT : CSLB, Not Iowa, Has the Court Advantage

Sometimes things work out the way they are designed, even though others try to upset the plans. When Iowa beat USC, and Cal State Long Beach defeated Washington Thursday night in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. West Regional women’s basketball semifinals, the predictions held true.

The two best teams in the region will meet for the right to advance to the Final Four April 1-3 at Tacoma, Wash.

Iowa, seeded No. 1 in the region and ranked No. 2 nationally, will play No. 2-seeded and No. 4-ranked Long Beach tonight at 7 at Long Beach’s Campus Gym. The game will be televised by ESPN.

Long Beach has won 19 games in a row and has been winning easily. “I think the biggest change for us has been confidence,” Long Beach Coach Joan Bonvicini said Friday. “Our team is confident that we can win. We’ve worked hard.”

Iowa rarely does anything but win. The Hawkeyes have a 29-1 record and spent eight weeks as No. 1 this season. It is a poised and experienced team that has worked hard through a difficult schedule. And, it has already beaten Long Beach this season.

The teams met Dec. 5 at a tournament in Illinois. Long Beach was ranked No. 4 and Iowa No. 6, but the Hawkeyes won, 82-75.

“The thing I remember about that game was their team chemistry,” Bonvicini said. “They have tremendous poise. They also have great balance.”

There will be little that remains unknown about each team. Both Bonvicini and Iowa Coach C. Vivian Stringer have pored over scouting reports and watched the game tapes. Also, each team has a distinctive style that is no secret.

“We know they are extremely quick,” Stringer said. “They’re a very talented team. I suspect with Long Beach running as much as they do, it’s going to be a real battle of who’s going to control the boards.”

Both teams dominated in rebounding Thursday night--Long Beach outrebounded Washington, 52-33, and Iowa outrebounded USC, 48-33.

Much was made of the 49ers’ home-court advantage. Bonvicini and her team have certainly not ducked the issue and, in fact, have gleefully acknowledged the fact.

“I’m glad we’re at home, this is like our back yard,” Bonvicini said. “We have our fans, of course we like it. Plus, when you play at home, you get to go through your normal routine. It helps.”

A word about the noise in the gym. Much.

USC Coach Linda Sharp had said, only half kiddingly, that she would bring flash cards so she could communicate with her team. It didn’t seem necessary Thursday night, but there was a whole lot of shouting going on, and that was just the coaches. The announced crowd was 2,103. Stringer didn’t complain about the fan noise but said, “It was extremely difficult to hear.”

Keep in mind that Iowa has a few fans of its own here, including a pep band and a full complement of cheerleaders.

Asked after the game if the noise level in the gym had been unbearable, Iowa guard Michelle Edwards replied: “What?”

She was just joking. Most of the Iowa contingent has maintained that the fans at Ohio State are the more hardy, vocally. Hence, a tumultuous show of fan support for Long Beach may not faze Iowa.

“Ohio State is far worse, much louder,” Edwards said. “Everyone was talking about how loud it was going to be. I didn’t think it was that bad.”

The more pertinent point may not be the crowd but the environment, that is, the gym itself.

“I’m sure they know where every crack is in the gym,” Stringer said.

The playing conditions in the gym when there is a full house have been described as “People sitting on your neck.” There is the sense of closeness that is often not welcome.

That, and the humidity generated by the bodies--both playing and cheering--add to the steamy ambiance.