Ohio State beat Iowa in 1993 thanks in part to the public address announcer in Atlanta, Georgia.
Coaches will do anything to get a competitive advantage. Watch during a game and they are just as much a lobbyist with the referees as they are giving instruction to the five players on the court.
In 1993, Iowa women’s basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer thought there were heinous intentions when Ohio State women’s basketball floor announcer Wendy Craver earned the same job at the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
“It bothers me a great deal. The NCAA says that it’s supposed to be fair, that everyone should have equal opportunity,” said Stringer. “Even though I’m sure this lady is a great professional, I think that if there’s any slight hint of a comfort zone for any particular team, then that should be taken away.”
“I haven’t officially filed a protest yet,” said Stringer. “But we are looking into it.
The Iowa coach did not pursue any protest, going on to say it was not going to impact her team. Maybe it was because, oddly enough, the Buckeyes’ locker room in Atlanta’s Omni Center was painted pink, exactly like the Hawkeyes’ visiting locker room.
At that point in the season, Iowa was looking for help against the Buckeyes, especially in the Final Four where both sides were the first Big Ten teams to make it that far in the 10-year old NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Ohio State lost seven games in a row against Iowa before March 7, 1993. That is when guard Katie Smith propelled the Buckeyes to a win that not only snapped the streak, but put the program back into the conversation for the Big Ten regular season title.
Smith scored 25 points with eight rebounds, including seven points in the latter parts of the second half, to upset the No. 2 Hawkeyes at St. John Arena.
The victory cut Iowa’s one and a half game lead down to one half, and Ohio State had one more game left in the season than the Hawkeyes. Both teams won out and for the third time in the first 11 years of the Big Ten sponsoring women’s basketball, Iowa and Ohio State shared the regular season crown.
At this point in the postseason, the regular season was a distant memory. Ohio State and Iowa were focused on the Final Four, with the winner being the first Big Ten team to make the National Championship game.
“All I know is that this game is not for the Big Ten championship,” said Ohio State head coach Nancy Darsch. “This is for Ohio State to play for the national championship.”
Distracting from the game itself was another accolade for Smith. In the days leading up to the April 4th matchup against the Hawkeyes, Smith earned a spot on the All-American team, becoming the fourth freshman to do it alongside USC Trojan Cheryl Miller, UCLA Bruin Ann Meyers and Kansas Jayhawk Lynette Woodard.
That meant Smith was pulled in every which way to do interviews with the media, ranging from the usual sports outlets to even MTV, when the channel still played music videos.
“This week has been worse than any time in my life,” said Smith. “It’s really been hard to actually focus with all this going on.”
When the going got tough for Smith, the Lancaster, Ohio native fell back on the team. All season, regardless of the class year of the athlete, the Buckeyes pushed each other. When they were not competing in practice or against opponents, sophomore bench point guard Alysiah Bond wrote and performed raps for the team to keep her teammates loose.
“I’d love to please everybody, but it just can’t happen,” said Smith. “But as long as we’ve been winning and everyone’s happy playing team ball, that has really made things a lot more fun for me.”
Call it compliments, or call it increasing the pressure on a freshman, but coach Stringer laid on the praise for Smith thick.
“I was just telling my team that the difference in Ohio State last year and this year is just tremendous. They have really played with a lot more confidence than in the past. But that confidence begins with Katie Smith,” said Stringer. “She is one of those players that are capable of making others around her so much better, because she’s able to do so many things, inside and out. She can post you down low. She’s got a tremendously strong body and if she gets a half-foot in front of you, there’s no way you’re going to stay with her because her body is so strong.”
When it finally came to play the National Semifinal, the wear on Smith was clear and Iowa defended the freshman well. Fortunately for Ohio State, Smith’s teammates made the game a lot more fun.
In front of 16,141 attendees in Atlanta, guard Averrill Roberts led the team like a senior. The Buckeyes forced 25 turnovers in the game, with a career high eight steals from Roberts, including a team high 16 points.
“I honestly have not played well against the Hawkeyes,” said Roberts. “But today the situation was do or die.”
During the regular season, Roberts shot 6-of-18 from the floor when facing the Hawkeyes. In two games, the guard averaged nine points. Despite the tough performances, Stringer was not surprised.
“My biggest concern has always been Averrill [Roberts],” said Stringer. “I’ve seen a lot of their tapes and I know what she can do.”
Senior forward Nikki Keyton, who averaged six rebounds per game in her final season, had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end of the court.
Ohio State took a four-point lead into halftime, an advantage the Buckeyes extended to eight in the second half, but Stringer’s side was not letting up. The Hawkeyes cut the lead, and went ahead, thanks to play inside the paint. Iowa attacked the basket and made the best of their opportunities inside. Junior forward Tia Jackson hurt the Buckeyes the most, going 10-of-17 from the floor (all from two-point range) and grabbed 10 rebounds, with four on the offensive boards.
With 1:28 remaining, guard Laurie Aaron drove to the basket and put the Hawkeyes up 61-59. Although Smith had a quiet game to her standards with 11 points and five rebounds, the freshman stepped up and confirmed all of Stringer’s words with a game-tying layup with 10 seconds remaining.
“I didn’t know how many seconds were left,” said Smith.
“On certain plays they [Ohio State coaches] want me to post up,” said Smith. “I knew there were people around me, but I thought I had the best opportunity to score.”
Smith got the ball to the baseline, faked to one side and then split a pair of Iowa defenders to put the two teams even at the end of regulation.
In overtime, Keyton put the game away from the free throw line. The Buckeyes, normally a good free throw shooting team, struggled against the Virginia Cavaliers in the Elite Eight and also against Iowa in the Final Four. Ohio State shot 10-of-18 from the line in regular, but went 3-of-5 in overtime.
Aaron got the ball again with the final possession and the Buckeyes up 73-72 but the guard tripped on her own teammate’s foot when trying to move around a screen. With the ball loose, Roberts jumped onto the ball and held on with 2.5 seconds left, the last possession of the game that sealed the win for the Buckeyes.
That game was the first, and only, Final Four appearance and victory for the Scarlet and Gray in what is now 29 times playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes moved on to face phenom Sheryl Swoopes and the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the championship game where Swoopes scored a record 47 points in a tournament final.
Smith had 28 points and 11 rebounds in the 84-82 loss. The Buckeyes would not play another NCAA Tournament game for three years, ending in the Second Round in a lopsided 97-65 defeat to the Tennessee Volunteers led by Darsch’s former boss Pat Summitt.
Even so, the victory for Ohio State against Iowa is a game that brings up fond memories for Buckeye fans. Now, after a successful playing and coaching career in the ABL and WNBA, Smith sits on the Ohio State bench as an assistant coach. In nearly every game, fans come up to her before games to talk and take pictures.
The local phenom stayed close to home, and to this day Smith shows fans what could still be with Ohio State women’s basketball.
All quotes and game details from the Columbus Dispatch and Lantern historical databases. Statistics from College Basketball Reference and ESPN.
Catch up on all the March Madness memories as Land-Grant Holy Land gets you ready for Ohio State women’s basketball and the 2025 NCAA Tournament:
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- Francine ‘The Machine’ Lewis, Buckeyes’ first tournament wins
- Jessica Davenport’s perfect day
- Ohio State takes down UConn
- Tracey Hall leads Buckeyes in California
- “I’m glad I didn’t go to Virginia”