Isn't it cool how somebody from such a tiny, tiny, tiny place has come up huge in two of the biggest games of her life?

	Ruth Riley was 11-for-19 for a career-high 27 points and the WNBA Finals MVP award.

We have a new WNBA champion, and there is credit aplenty to dole out to the Detroit Shock after its 83-78 victory over Los Angeles in Game 3 on Tuesday.

Thank coach Bill Laimbeer for getting interested in women's basketball. Without his clout and force of personality, it's fairly certain there would be no Detroit WNBA team now. And there definitely wouldn't be one this good.

Applaud Swin Cash, who didn't shoot particularly well Tuesday but played one of the smartest games you'll see, missing a triple-double by one assist. How about Cheryl Ford, getting what has become her customary in-the-trenches double-double, including four clutch free throws at the end.

Deanna Nolan swished what felt like the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left that tied the score. She and Elaine Powell got the better of the backcourt matchup Tuesday against L.A.'s very good duo of Tamecka Dixon and Nikki Teasley.

But the star of the game? Well, she hails from a town so little, her college coach Muffet McGraw once said of a recruiting visit there, "We thought we were lost in the middle of nowhere.''

Ruth Riley is from Macy, Ind., or to be specific, just outside of Macy. She is pretty much the epitome of Hoosier-state basketball: hard-working, humble, dedicated to fundamentals.

Tuesday night, she had 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and no turnovers for the Shock.

Flashbacks, anyone?

Riley played one of the great games in NCAA Tournament history two years ago in St. Louis as a Notre Dame senior. In an all-Indiana battle with Purdue, Riley had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks in the NCAA championship game. She clinched the victory at the foul line.

Riley was Final Four MVP, and that night, there just wasn't anything she did wrong. She missed only four shots, none when it got to crunch time. She snared pass after pass, including one near the end you could have sworn a 6-5 person on stilts wasn't going to catch.

	Ruth Riley and Detroit led most of the game but trailed 73-70 with 3:40 left.

But while we're traveling down memory lane, let's go a little further back. Remember Riley's freshman season at Notre Dame? Fouled out eight times. So much talent, but she had the big-kid blues. Opponents could hack, scratch, pinch, pull, shove, nick and flat-out clobber her. She couldn't breathe on them.

At least, that's how it seems when you're 6-5, really good but inexperienced, and you feel like every game you're assigned your own personal referee.

Still, the Irish upset top-seeded Texas Tech in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Then her sophomore and junior years, it was obvious she was figuring it all out.

And as a senior, she was money. She twisted her ankle right before the big regular-season showdown with UConn. Played through it -- she really had no backup all year -- and the Irish won. She scored just three points in the first half of the Final Four semifinal with the Huskies. Came back with 15 after the break and led the Irish to the final.

And then, she won the national championship. Well, Notre Dame did, but it was a title you associate with one person, kind of like Texas Tech/Sheryl Swoopes in 1993 and UConn/Diana Taurasi this year.

Now, sorry if we're getting "all college'' here, but guess what? This Game 3 felt like college -- in the best possible way.

Women's basketball fans haven't yet grown to love the WNBA the way they love college ball. It's in the summer, when there's so much other stuff to do. The attachments aren't as strongly formed. Not everyone has a team even somewhat nearby. The games sometimes can be grueling defensive wars of attrition.

However, the WNBA at its best -- like it was Tuesday -- sends a Cupid's dart at those who already are hooked on the college game. Not to mention bringing in fans new to both levels.

While we're making college analogies ... the Sparks are kind of like Tennessee or UConn of recent years. By the 1999 NCAA Tournament, everyone who didn't have lot of orange clothes in their closet was absolutely dying for Tennessee to get knocked off. Similarly, non-Huskies will hope to see UConn toppled this coming season.

Hey, it's good to have a giant that others want to slay, right? Makes things more exciting. So let's credit the Sparks for ruling the beanstalk the last two years. Yes, we know how many of you can't stand them and were first Lynx fans, then Monarchs fans, then Shock fans in these playoffs.

But the Sparks made this Game 3 as good as it was -- especially Mwadi Mabika, who is just an amazingly good athlete and gave everything she had with 29 points and nine rebounds.

And not to in any way detract from Detroit, but it's worth pondering what might have happened if Lisa Leslie hadn't missed 11 games because of the knee injury she suffered in the All-Star Game. Odds are L.A. would have had the league's best record if Leslie hadn't been sidelined, in which case the Sparks would have had homecourt advantage in the finals.

Also, the Sparks' off-court issues left their bench less effective than it had been the past two seasons. L.A. relied almost entirely on the starting five. And maybe they were a little more weary than the Shock's starters, who were helped by good minutes from Kedra Holland-Corn and Barbara Farris.

Now the target is sort of off the Sparks' backs, although they didn't want it to be. Look for them to be as dangerous as ever next season.

However, it's Detroit's turn on top the mountain now, and well-deserved. Interesting how it all worked out, huh?

Laimbeer got involved with the Shock and gave the franchise credibility. It was unfortunate two other teams disbanded during last offseason, but it ended up being in the WNBA's best interest. And also in the Shock's best interest, as Detroit got Riley from Miami in the dispersal draft.

Earlier this season, Laimbeer said that a half-hour into Riley's first practice with the Shock, everyone was starting to think Christmas had come early. Powell walked over to Laimbeer to give him a high-five, as if to say, "OK, she's a keeper.''

I think Riley is a favorite among women's hoops fans because they've been able to watch her game grow up and appreciate the effort that took. Each season in college, she got noticeably better at something. Now, as a third-year pro, she did it again.

Laimbeer needed her to hit mid-range jumpers. That had not been her gig, to say the least. However, she not only did it consistently against the two-time defending champions, but also stood tall defensively against the best center in the world in Leslie.

It thrilled the big, loud crowd in Detroit. And somewhere out in the "middle of nowhere'' Indiana, we bet there were a few hoots and hollers, too.

Mechelle Voepel of the Kansas City Star is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. She can be reached at mvoepel@kcstar.com.