A simple glance at the teams which participated in the 2000 Final Four in Philadelphia and you know that the St. Joseph's women's basketball team (25-6) did its job during the 1999-2000 season. Tennessee Lady Vols: played them. Penn State Lady Lions: played them too. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: faced them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The only team the Hawks didn't face this season that made it to South Philly was Connecticut and former Hawk assistant coach Geno Auriemma.

"We played three of the four teams that are in the Final Four," SJU point guard Angela Zampella said. "That says something about how successful our season was."

"All six of our losses were to teams that made the post-season. That's the sign of a good year to me," SJU head coach Stephanie Gaitley said.

It was a year that included Zampella and Jana Lichnerova each breaking the 1,000 point mark, Gaitley's 300th career coaching win, the program's 500th victory, Zampella reaching 500 assists, and another Big 5 title. What's scary is that no one seems to care about any of it, yet that is precisely why this team was so good.

"It wasn't something we set out to do," said senior co-captain Kathy Costello about all the milestones the Hawks achieved. "Individuals worked hard for the team and they just happened."

"All the individual stuff is great, but without the team you can't do anything," Zampella commented.

The feeling is mutual because without Zampella running the point this year, St. Joe's might not have been able to do much either. Averaging 7.77 apg, second in the nation, Zampella was a strong presence in the Hawks' backcourt. Like any good point guard she knew when to pass, when to drive to the basket, and when to shoot the three-pointer.

Gaitley often referred to her as a "money player" and it was because of Zampella's ability to hit the big jumper or three-pointer when it counted the most in a game. While averaging 10.7 ppg she also had the mentality of a great shooter, "never remember the last shot you took and no matter what: keep shooting."

Named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention, her passing skills improved greatly since last season, as she consistently found the open player underneath the basket, behind the arc, or at the other end of the floor and wide open. She was honored as a first team all-Big Five choice and a second team all-Atlantic 10 pick.

Zampella broke both SJU's single game assist record with 16 against Air Force and the single season mark with 241. Her career average of 6.1 apg is the best in school history. She also became the fastest player in school history to reach 500 assists (84 games).

Also key to this year's success was the play of Lichnerova. Undecided to return to Hawk Hill for her fifth year of eligibility at the end of the last season, Lichnerova averaged 14.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg and was named both the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year. She also earned first team all-Atlantic 10 and Big Five honors.

Listed at 6-4, Lichnerova did it all for St. Joe's on both ends of the floor. She played great defense, and offensively could hit the jumper, three-pointer or score in the paint.

The last of the appropriately named "Big 3" for SJU was sophomore Susan Moran. The Tullamore, Ireland native led the team in scoring 16.4 and rebounding 7.2 for the second year in a row while being named first team all-Big Five and second-team All-Atlantic team member.

Often guarded by players much bigger and taller than her, Moran dominated in the paint, leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring. Highlights included a career high 29 points versus St. John's, a 28-point outburst against Loyola in the Championship game of the Hawk Classic and a 25 point performance in the Hawks' first round win over Texas.

"Not making it to the Sweet Sixteen will make us more committed and we'll work harder for next year," Moran said.

Rounding out the starting five for St. Joe's was junior Cheryl Kulesa and sophomore Colleen McGahan. Kulesa was a consistent defensive player for the Hawks that added some low post scoring for SJU. McGahan, a sophomore three-point shooter, gained valuable experience by starting for the Hawks and looks to use the experience of this year to help for her final two seasons as well.

quot;Going to the second round you find that teams are a lot stronger and you want to work harder to do well," McGahan said.

Maybe they didn't get as much recognition on the scoresheet, but Costello, Jane Meade, Amy Snell, and Barbora Kuklova were a strong force coming off the bench. Costello often drew the honors of guarding the opponent's best player, while Meade chipped in offensively and was one of the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball. Kuklova used a smooth jumper to give SJU some added scoring, and Snell saw some time at the point and contributed defensively as well.

Confident and hungry for national recognition, the Hawks 1999-2000 schedule was created to give the Hawks the opportunity to flash their wares to the nation's best. In addition to facing off against three Final Four participants, the Hawks also clashed with traditional powerhouses Virginia, Texas, Stanford, Virginia Tech and George Washington.

The year opened with a bang, as the Hawks traveled to Charlottesville for the season opener against Virginia. SJU surprised the 25th-ranked Cavaliers, 73-61. For UVA it was their first ever season opening loss at home in the program's 24 year history.

Following the euphoria of their season opening win, the team had little time to revel as they faced another top 25 challenge, #8/9 Penn State in the opening round of the Duke Ronald McDonald Classic. The Crimson and Gray led for much of the first half before the Lady Lions took control of the game, winning 96-64. That defeat, however, served as motivator and SJU responded by thumping Florida A&M in the tournament's second round 75-37.

SJU then reeled off four more wins, downing St. John's and then dispatching city rivals Temple, Penn and Villanova in succession. Those victories set the stage for the two most highly anticipated home games in school history, as national powers Stanford and Tennessee rolled into the Fieldhouse for consecutive contests.

The Cardinal never knew what hit them, as the Hawks crushed Stanford, 69-41. SJU shook off a case of early jitters and received a career-high 25-points from Jana Lichnerova. The victory was the Hawks' sixth straight and pushed them to the brink of the Top 25, while boosting their overall record to 7-1.

Tickets were hard to come by when the second-ranked Lady Vols came to town. The game, which sold out prior to the season opener, represented the first-ever advance sellout of a women's college basketball game in Philadelphia. Tennessee jumped on the Hawks out of the gate sprinting to an 8-0 lead, before coasting to an 82-59 victory.

Coming off the Tennessee loss, the squad set off on an eight-game winning streak, their longest of the year. The string began with a 59-41 annihilation of Drexel, which represented the 500th victory in the storied history of SJU women's basketball.

Next came the First Union Hawk Classic. The Cityliners made short work of their foes rolling to the tournament title for the third time in school history by blitzing Air Force, 90-62 in the semifinals, and Loyola-Md., coached by former Hawk Cindy Anderson, in the title game 74-54. In the semifinals Zampella set a Hawk record with 16 assists and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Lichnerova and Moran.

Entering the new year brought the Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule and the Hawks delighted their fans by winning two nailbiters against Dayton and Xavier on the road. Against the Flyers, Zampella stepped up and nailed a 16 foot jumper from the top of the key with 1.3 seconds left in regulation to give St. Joseph's a 62-60 win. Clutch free throw shooting was crucial, as the Hawks were flawless hitting on 17-17 free throw attempts for the game.

Then in front of a national television audience on ESPN2, SJU rallied back from a 15-point halftime deficit to stun Xavier 69-67. Kathy Costello stole an inbound pass and then knocked down a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation to give SJU the win.

Three more A-10 victories followed over St. Bonaventure, Fordham and Duquesne, before Virginia Tech snapped the Hawks eight-game winning streak.

The team rebounded from the Tech defeat by sandwiching a pair of wins over Rhode Island around a victory over Massachusetts. On January 27 against the Rams, seniors Angela Zampella (1,003) and Jana Lichnerova (1,000) became the first Hawk duo to both reach the 1000 point plateau in the same game. A week later, the Hawks and Rams squared off again. The game tipped off at 11:45 a.m. and was played in conjunction with SJU's first annual "Fieldtrip to the Fieldhouse" Day, which brought a Fieldhouse capacity crowd of 3,200 youths from throughout the Delaware Valley to Hawk Hill.

Archrival George Washington stopped the Hawks in Washington, D.C. to deliver SJU its first road defeat of the year. The team, however, once again showed its spirit by sprinting off on a six-game win streak that carried the team into the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Back-to-back Big Five wins over La Salle and Temple gave the Hawks their thirteenth City Series crown. The team then capped off the regular season by routing St. Bonaventure for the 300th victory of Stephanie Gaitley's illustrious coaching career.

The postseason now lay at hand for the Hawks. The squad opened the defense of their 1999 A-10 title with a 66-61 quarterfinal win over Dayton. That put the Hawks in a semifinal showdown with Xavier. The Hawks put on a show in the first half against the Musketeers, racing out to a 47-28 halftime lead. The second half, though, was a different story as XU overcame the 19 point halftime deficit to defeat St. Joseph's in overtime, 84-78. Xavier's Amy Waugh hit a three-point basket with six seconds left in regulation to force OT. Susan Moran led SJU with 27 points and 7 rebounds, Angela Zampella had a season-high 25 points. Jana Lichnerova set a career high with 17 rebounds.

Serving as co-hosts of the 2000 Final Four in Philadelphia, SJU now set its sights on a Cinderella NCAA Tournament run that might bring the Hawks all the way home. The Hawk women received a favorable draw, as the team garnered a #10 seed and was placed in a subregional on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., just a short drive up Interstate-95 for Hawk faithful. The Hawks were slated to face #7 seed Texas in the first round with a likely second round meeting with former A-10 rival Rutgers looming on the horizon.

SJU opened NCAA Tournament play on St. Patrick's Day, and the luck of the Irish was certainly with the Hawks. Moran powered SJU with 24 points and 13 rebounds, as the Hawks posted the biggest NCAA Tournament win in school history with a 69-48 victory over Texas. SJU held Longhorn All-American Edwina Brown to just 14 points. The Hawks trailed by as many as 7 points in the first half, but took a 32-30 lead at intermission on a three-point basket by Colleen McGahan. The Hawks took control with an 18-4 run midway through the second half.

The second round brought Rutgers and a matchup between two of the nation's top defensive teams. Playing on St. Joseph's Day, however, did not serve as the answer to Hawk prayers, as the Crimson and Gray fell 59-39. Ranked #8 nationally, RU limited SJU to its lowest point total since a 33-point effort against Cheyney State during the 1982-83 season. Ironically that team was also coach by current RU coach Vivian Stringer. The defeat also snapped SJU's 43-game winning streak when holding opponents to 61 points or less. While, the Hawks held RU's top scorer Shawnetta Stewart to just 5 points, the Knight defense was also up to the task as it was the only game all season that neither Jana Lichnerova nor Susan Moran scored in double figures.

The team concluded the year with an impressive 25-6 record. The 25 wins were the second most in school history. The squad also ranked among the national leaders in six statistical catergories, ranking: 2nd in Scoring Defense (53.1), 16th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (37.9%), 16th in Free Throw Percentage (75.0%), 16th in Scoring Margin (14.4), 18th in Won-Lost Percentage (25-6, .806), and 23rd in Field Goal Percentage (46.1%).

Overall, St. Joe's had an extremely successful season. The team may not have reached the First Union Center and the Final Four as they had hoped, but they were successful in putting SJU on the map as a top women's basketball team.

"I can honestly say that I felt my kids gave everything and that is all I can ever ask," Gaitley said. "If you can walk away feeling like a winner regardless of the score and feeling like you have done things in the right way, you can walk to the Final Four feeling good about yourself."