RICHARDSON, Texas – The number one seed Colorado Chill fell down early to the Chicago Blaze, but rallied behind team MVP Katie Cronin to defeat the Blaze by a final score of 91-78.

Katie Cronin came off of the bench for the first time this season, and provided the spark the Chill needed as they quickly trimmed a 23-12 Blaze lead to 26-24.

Once the gap was closed to two points Colorado went on several runs to end the first half and eventually went to the locker room with a 44-41 lead.

The Chill came out in the second half with the same energy they ended the first half with and they jumped out to a double-digit lead seven minutes into the second half. Colorado would eventually extend the lead to 11 points, before Chicago started to chip away.

Lindsey Yamasaki and Tamika Catchings led the way for Chicago, as they scored 18 and 16 points respectively. Natasha Pointer was the only other player to reach double-figures in the game as she collected 11 points off of the bench.

Cronin was replaced in the starting lineup by former Colorado State teammate Becky Hammon who played in only her third game of the season. The two former Rams combined to score 42 points in the game on 12-of-22 shooting, with Hammon scoring a game-high 28 points.

Colorado only used seven players in the game, with six reaching double-figures. Ruth Riley, Edna Campbell, Helen Darling and Maren Walseth also reach double-figures with 11, 10, 14 and 10 points respectively.

Cronin also pulled-down a game-high 13 rebounds, five on the offensive end, on her way to her team leading fourth double-double of the season.

The Chill will now await the winner of the second semifinal game between interstate rivals Dallas and Houston. Colorado has recorded 2-2 records with each team this season with all teams winning on their home court. Tip-off for the 2004 NWBL Pro Cup Championship is scheduled to tip-off at approximately 6:30 p.m. MST tomorrow evening for the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

The NWBL is a six-team league that features 27 active WNBA players. Other teams in the league include the Birmingham Power (Birmingham, Ala.); Springfield Spirit (Springfield, Mass.); Dallas Fury (Dallas, Texas); Houston Stealth (Houston, Texas); Colorado Chill (Ft. Collins, Colo.) and Chicago Blaze (Naperville, Ill.).

Aaron M. Moore, Media Relations Director
Contact: 720-318-1205

Chill Advances to Pro Cup Final The Colorado Chill took a big step Wednesday night toward its goal of winning the National Women's Basketball League championship in its first year of operation. (Fort Collins Coloradoan)

Colorado Blazes Past Chicago to Earn Berth in President's Cup Final The Colorado Chill called on only seven players Wednesday to come out on top of the Chicago Blaze, 91-78, in the semifinal round of the President's Cup tournament. (Greeley Tribune)

Colorado Chill blazes the Blaze, reaches NWBL championship The dynamic duo of CSU graduates Becky Hammon and Katie Cronin helped the Colorado Chill inch one step closer to giving their fairytale season a fairytale ending, as the Chill defeated the Chicago Blaze 91-78 to advance to the National Women's Basketball League Pro Cup Championship.(Rocky Mountain Collegian)

Chill Keeps Cool, Gets Shot at Title The Colorado Chill didn't worry when it had to battle back from a double-digit deficit. It also knew it couldn't relax when it owned a double-digit lead. (Rocky Mountain News)