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Friday, 3/30/2001	5 day quick link 3/29 \| 3/28 \| 3/27 \| 3/26 \| 3/23

Boilers hope experience pays off this weekend

McLaren

By Anne McLaren
Assistant Sports Editor

ST. LOUIS — Just two years removed from the national championship, the Boilers are relying on the experience of having been to the Final Four this week.

"I think that team was very special," said Purdue senior center Camille Cooper. "It seemed like a while ago. It's hard to look back on when we have so much ahead of us. I guess one quality that both teams share is that both teams were very close. We have both seen a lot of adversity and we stuck together. So that's a common quality that we have."

Purdue (30-6) faces Southwest Missouri State (29-5) in one semifinal at 7 tonight in the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Connecticut (32-2) and Notre Dame (32-2) will match up in the other semifinal. The winners meet Sunday night for the championship.

After dealing with adversity on and off the court, Cooper said it's important to have fun and to play for one another.

However, Purdue senior All-American Katie Douglas said the team has realized a sense of urgency, especially in the tournament.

"It was a great feeling our sophomore years to go out on top, but we knew that we were going to be able to put on another Purdue jersey, so we had that comfort," said Douglas. "But this year, it is something special. You never know — we talk about it every time before we go onto the floor. You never know in the NCAA tournament when your last game is. So you have to play your 40 minutes like it's your last 40 minutes.

"I know that feeling and I'm sure Camille did, going out on top our sophomore years and we'd like to continue that tradition."

Kodak All-America Honors

Douglas has been named a first-team Kodak All-American for the second straight season.

She joins Connecticut's Svetlana Abrosimova, Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, Oklahoma's Stacey Dales, Louisiana State's Marie Ferdinand, Georgia's Kelly Miller, Duke's Georgia Schweitzer, Southwest Missouri State's Jackie Stiles, and Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas.

Douglas, Miller, Abrosimova, Catchings and Thomas are repeat selections from last season.

Stiles and her shoes

Like many players, Stiles will be wearing black shoes when she plays tonight. But they won't be a usual pair of shoes.

"I wear Cynthia Cooper shoes, and they are the '97 model. So they are old," said Stiles. "I just love those shoes. They fit my feet so well. If you don't know, I'm very superstitious to say the least."

That superstition led Stiles to take some extra measures when she ran out of Cynthia Coopers earlier this season. Because Stiles often pushes hard off her left foot, the left sides of her shoes suffer some wear. And after going through 10 pairs of the '97-model Coopers this season, Stiles couldn't find anymore.

"So I mentioned it in some papers, and Nike has been looking all over and I think they pulled out a pair of size nine Cynthia Coopers out of the archives," said Stiles. "I just got them right before we went and played Duke in Washington. So I've never worn black shoes before, but I'll wear black because they're my coveted Cynthia Cooper shoes."

Related Coverage

Headlines

Final Four Coverage:

ND-Purdue matchup offers team balance

Boilers hope to overcome December Irish loss with maturity

Two state teams battle for title in St. Louis

What happened in December matchup?

Rebounding pushes Purdue to title game

Stopping Lady Bears' leader was top priority

Notre Dame 90, Connecticut 75

Purdue vs. Notre Dame for NCAA championship

Friday Coverage: