Usually Sunday’s are filled with the battle in the trenches, but yesterday there was a War in the Paint.

Chick Evans Field House was the place as NIU and its coveted post players, 6-foot-3 Carol Owens and 6-foot-2 Tammy Hinchee took on 6-foot-2 Beth Hunt and 6-foot-3 Schonna Banner of the 16th-ranked University of South Carolina Lady Gamecocks in the championship of the Seventh Annual Fastbreak Fest.

The matchup turned out to be everything that was expected— plus some.

Hunt, the Fastbreak Fest MVP, led USC to the title with an 87-84 overtime win as she powered in a career-high 33 points and 18 rebounds, while Banner contributed 10 points and 8 rebounds. To counter that attack, Owens and Hinchee, both named to the All-Time Fastbreak Fest Team, pitched in 20 points and 17 points, respectively. Hinchee ripped down 13 rebounds and Owens managed only five because she picked up her fourth foul with 12:25 remaining in the second half.

“That was the critical problem for us,” NIU coach Jane Albright said. “I thought she did a real nice job playing with four fouls, but it took her off the boards.”

The Huskies minus the aggressiveness of Owens on the boards equaled a 54 to 38 rebounding edge for the Lady Gamecocks. USC grabbed 23 offensive boards and took full advantage as they turned them into easy buckets time after time.

Owens was not the only player in foul trouble because there was a lot of hacking inside by all of the players. Owens left the game with five fouls, Hunt and Banner both had four and Hinchee added two. All of the inside players and the coaches felt that it was extremely physical inside the paint.

“It was a war in the paint,” Albright said. “I’m sore just watching those people. Their post players are real similar to ours and I know it was just a real big, big battle.”

“It was the most physical game that I’ve ever played in,” Hunt said.

It also took a lot out of the players, especially the extra five minutes of the overtime period.

“I was dead tired at the end of the game,” Hinchee said.

“It was relentless for 45 minutes,” Hunt said. “I think that they (Owens and Hinchee) did a tremendous job in the game.”

The compliments did not stop there.

“She’s a real, real tough aggressive, physical player,” Owens said about Hunt. “Now, I realize why she’s an All-American. They really worked on boxing us out.”

USC coach Nancy Wilson was impressed with the play of NIU’s big people.

“My big concern was how could we guard those two,” Wison said. “They are so versatile. I thought they did a better job getting it to the post cleanly.”

Owens and Hinchee also played aggressive in the first contest against Ball State earning them the All-Tournament Team honors, as the Huskies beat the Cardinals 97-82. They each had 16 rebounds with Hinchee outscoring Owens by five points, 29-24. Hunt earned her honors with a 21-point, 10-rebound effort as USC downed Wright State, 86-45.