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Site: Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Wash. Tournament MVP: Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee Tennessee's Gordon bedeviled Auburn's box-and-one defense with 16 first-half points. When the Lady Tigers pulled to within three in the second half, Gordon slammed the vault shut with three straight jumpers. "You might notice that every now and then I talk to myself,'' she said afterward, toying with one of the nine rings she wore on her left hand. ''When I saw that score, I told myself I had to do something.'' Gordon, who finished with 27 points, wasn't the only hero for Tennessee. Center Sheila Frost, who used to be castigated by head coach Pat Summitt for "hiding" in big games, had 31 points, 25 rebounds and eight blocked shots in two games. High Scorer: Gordon averaged 26.8 points in five games. Getting Revenge: Auburn, which lost to Louisiana Tech in the 1988 final, beat the Lady Techsters, 76-71, in the semis. Interesting Fact: Gordon was a member of the 1988 U.S. women's Olympic gold- medal team. They Said It: "Did you ever lose your dog? Or get hit by a car? It's tough," Auburn head coach Joe Ciampi said after losing the final in back-to-back years. Money Matters: The Lady Vols' trip to Tacoma cost $60,000, but the women's Final Four teams only received an estimated $35,000 apiece from the NCAA. By contrast, Tennessee's men's team received $250,200 for losing in the first round, and each team that participated in the men's Final Four took home a cool $1.25 million. So Close Yet So Far: The men's tournament was held 30 miles away in Seattle. Summitt said: "We've been pleased with the media coverage. If we could just get the men to share as much money as print, it would be great." Record-setter: UNLV's Pauline Jordan blocked 11 shots in an 84-74 victory over Colorado. All-Tournament Team: Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee; Sheila Frost, Tennessee; Vickie Orr, Auburn; Deanna Tate, Maryland; Venus Lacy, Louisiana Tech.
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