Due props to Nelly, the rap star who tells us how proud he is to be from The Lou, but it was Niele who showed us. On a bum ankle, St. Louis native and Notre Dame point guard Niele Ivey dropped a game-high 21 in the national semifinal to shoo played-out Eastern Establishment UConn. Then Ivey handed off to headbanded all-everything center Ruth Riley, whose two thrilling throws finished off a lethal 28-point title-winning show over the neighborhood girlfriends from Purdue.

The gilded Sunday came after a two-week "ride wit" Jackie Stiles, who taught us SMS stands for Show Me, Sister. Only Purdue's wicked wing Katie Douglas and her icy 25 could Stop Miss Stiles in the semi. So KD met Ivey in St. Louie, both with two permanent scars. Our Lady of the Dome had fought back from two ACL tears to bring Riley and the rest of the Irish home to her gritty city. The Boilers' Bomber had endured the loss of both parents to cancer.

Although Ruth scored the final points and Katie nearly sent the epic title game to OT, it was Niele who wrote the final lyric. "This is my team," she said minutes after the final horn. "I'm the captain. I'm the leader. This is my hometown."

Damn proud.

Eric Adelson covered the women's Final Four for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail eric.adelson@espnmag.com.