The Lady Techsters, represented the Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, were led by head coach Sonja Hogg in her 8th season at the school. After winning the AIAW tournament championship the year prior, the Lady Techsters opened the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, a spot they would not relinquish. The team won their first 20 games of the season and extended their overall win streak to 54 games before losing at No. 7 Old Dominion.[4]
In the inaugural NCAA tournament, Louisiana Tech defeated Tennessee Tech, Arizona State, and Kentucky to reach the Final Four.[5] They won 69–46 over Tennessee in the national semifinal to reach the national championship game.
The Wolves, represented Cheyney State College, a Division II school in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, were led by head coach C. Vivian Stringer in her 11th season at the school. They began the season No. 7 in the AP Poll and moved up to the No. 2 spot where they stayed for the final five rankings of the season.
Cheyney State received an invitation to the NCAA tournament and defeated Auburn, NC State, and Kansas State to reach the Final Four. The Wolves defeated No. 3 Maryland, 76–66,[6] to extend their winning streak to 23 games and set up the championship game matchup with Louisiana Tech.
Early in the game, Cheyney State played multiple zone defenses to confuse Louisiana Tech. The Wolves, who scored on 8 of their first 11 possessions, took a 16–8 lead after eight minutes. In need of a spark, Louisiana Tech employed a full court man-to-manpress defense and substituted Debra Rodman into the game. The Lady Techsters regained the lead at 24–22 after a basket by Kim Mulkey and outscored Cheyney State 20–4 to close out the first half as Valerie Walker and Debra Walker had to sit with three fouls each.
Cheyney drew to within 8 points after a 16–10 run brought the score to 50–42 with 11:39 remaining. That's as close as the game would get down the stretch and Louisiana Tech took home the victory, 76–62.
