1981–82 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team

The 1981–82 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team represented Louisiana Tech University during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team was led by eighth–year head coach Sonja Hogg, who guided the team to a 35–1 record and the 1982 NCAA Division I championship.[1] This was the program's second consecutive championship, following an AIAW championship in 1981. The team played their home games for the final season at Memorial Gymnasium in Ruston, Louisiana as an NCAA independent.

1981–82 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball
NCAA tournament National Champions
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 1
Record35–1
Head coach
Associate head coachLeon Barmore
Assistant coachGary Blair
Home arenaMemorial Gymnasium
Seasons

The Lady Techsters won their first 20 games of the season to extend the program's win streak to 54 games. Louisiana Tech lost at Old Dominion, 61–58,[2] but re-focused to close the season with a 15-game win streak to capture the inaugural NCAA women's basketball championship.

In 2017, the Lady Techsters received their championship rings after 35 years.[3]

Previous season

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The Lady Techsters finished the 1980–81 season with a perfect 34–0 record as an independent. They won the final AIAW tournament championship over Tennessee, 79–59.[4]

Roster

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1981–82 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team
1981–82 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Hometown
G 5 Angela Turner 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sr Saline, Louisiana
G 10 Julie Wilkerson 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr Tioga, Louisiana
G 15 Jennifer White 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Loretto, Tennessee
G 20 Kim Mulkey 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) So Hammond, Louisiana
F 25 Lori Scott 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Jackson, Mississippi
G 34 Debbie Primeaux 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) So Bell City, Louisiana
C 41 Pam Kelly 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr Columbia, Louisiana
F 44 Debra Rodman 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) So Dallas, Texas
C 51 Janice Lawrence 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) So Lucedale, Mississippi
G 52 Rita Rust 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Sr Shreveport, Louisiana
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 26, 1981*
No. 1 vs. Illinois State
Plainview Queens Classic
W 71–56[5]  1–0
Hutcherson Center (1,000)
Plainview, Texas
Nov 27, 1981*
No. 1 vs. No. 18 Stephen F. Austin
Plainview Queens Classic
W 97–59[6]  2–0
Hutcherson Center (1,000)
Plainview, Texas
Nov 28, 1981*
No. 1 vs. No. 15 Kansas
Plainview Queens Classic
W 70–39[7]  3–0
Hutcherson Center (2,400)
Plainview, Texas
Dec 1, 1981*
No. 1 Mississippi College W 100–55  4–0
Memorial Gymnasium (4,250)
Ruston, Louisiana
Dec 4, 1981*
No. 1 at New Orleans W 106–59  5–0
Human Performance Center (1,940)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Dec 5, 1981*
No. 1 at McNeese State W 80–38  6–0
 (3,200)
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Dec 10, 1981*
No. 1 at Valdosta State W 97–54  7–0
Memorial Gymnasium (2,800)
Ruston, Louisiana
Dec 11, 1981*
No. 1 at Tulane W 103–50  8–0
Memorial Gymnasium (2,800)
Ruston, Louisiana
Dec 12, 1981*
No. 1 at Illinois State W 67–42  9–0
Memorial Gymnasium (4,200)
Ruston, Louisiana
Dec 19, 1981*
No. 1 vs. No. 6 Rutgers
Hanover Classic
W 83–73[8]  10–0
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Dec 20, 1981*
No. 1 vs. No. 3 Old Dominion
Hanover Classic
W 68–51[9]  11–0
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Dec 27, 1981*
No. 1 Northeast Louisiana W 102–47  12–0
Memorial Gymnasium 
Ruston, Louisiana
Jan 29, 1982*
No. 1 at No. 7 Old Dominion L 58–61[2]  20–1
Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Feb 22, 1982*
No. 1 UCLA W 103–63  27–1
Memorial Gymnasium 
Ruston, Louisiana
Feb 26, 1982*
No. 1 at Oklahoma W 101–57  28–1
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
March 2, 1982*
No. 1 at Oral Roberts W 89–51  29–1
Mabee Center 
Tulsa, Oklahoma
March 5, 1982*
No. 1 at Mississippi College W 94–52  30–1
A. E. Wood Coliseum 
Clinton, Mississippi
NCAA tournament
Mar 12, 1982*
(1 MW) No. 1 (8 MW) Tennessee Tech
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 114–53  31–1
Memorial Gymnasium 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 18, 1982*
(1 MW) No. 1 (4 MW) No. 17 Arizona State
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 92–54  32–1
Memorial Gymnasium 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 21, 1982*
(1 MW) No. 1 (2 MW) No. 14 Kentucky
Regional Final – Elite Eight
W 82–60[10]  33–1
Memorial Gymnasium 
Ruston, Louisiana
Mar 26, 1982*
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (2 ME) No. 8 Tennessee
National Semifinal – Final Four
W 69–46  34–1
Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Mar 28, 1982*
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (2 E) No. 2 Cheyney State
National Championship
W 76–62[1][11]  35–1
Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Week
Poll1234567891011121314151617Final
AP111111111111111111

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ a b "La. Tech Women: No. 2 and Counting". The Washington Post. March 28, 1982. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Louisiana Tech Streak Ends". The New York Times. January 30, 1982. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Lady Techsters to Receive National Championship Rings - 35 Years Later". LA Tech Athletics. January 13, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Louisiana Tech Defeats Tennessee, 79-59, to Win A.I.A.W. Final". The New York Times. March 30, 1981. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Lady Techsters win Queens cage opener". Shreveport Journal. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 27, 1981. p. 20. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
  6. ^ "Techsters smash SFA". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 28, 1981. p. 26. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
  7. ^ "Plainview Queens Classic Championship". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 29, 1981. p. 51. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
  8. ^ "Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion in Final". The New York Times. December 20, 1981. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Louisiana Tech Women Take Tourney". The New York Times. December 21, 1981. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "Nos. 1 and 2 Reach Women's Final 4". The New York Times. March 21, 1982. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Rich Get Richer, High-Tech Style". Sports Illustrated. April 5, 1982. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Wade Trophy". WCBA. March 29, 2023.