Danielle Campbell

Sometimes you have to root for the story. Sometimes, when the home team isn’t playing and you’re wondering which unfamiliar team to support, you have to search a little harder and look at the individuals.

If you like stories of resilience, if you enjoy hearing selfless stars describe playing for the program and its history, then your side won Monday night in Chattanooga. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton finally beat her nemesis, and the fifth-year senior jumped up and down on her surgically repaired knee in celebration.

This was her moment. North Carolina left the court. Candace Parker was nowhere in sight.

It was just Wisdom-Hylton celebrating an 85-70 win over North Carolina, avenging two previous losses to the Tar Heels in tournament play.

“It was finally our turn,” said Wisdom-Hylton, who had 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

Wisdom-Hylton is from Naperville, Ill., and if that city sounds familiar, it’s because that’s where Parker played her high school basketball before becoming a Tennessee legend. Wisdom-Hylton was always the other talented player, always the forgotten one despite her feats at Neuqua Valley High School. Her senior year, Parker’s team even beat Neuqua and Wisdom-Hylton in the sectional finals.

Then there were the losses to North Carolina. The torn ACL in August 2007 while playing for the USA U-21 team in Russia. Wisdom-Hylton doesn’t usually express her emotions to people with tears. By herself in Russia with a torn-up knee, she did. She would miss the 2007 season, her senior season.

The contrast between Wisdom-Hylton and baby-faced freshman Brittany Rayburn during the postgame news conference was astounding. Wisdom-Hylton is a grown woman, a player with one last shot at North Carolina.

And if you watched Wisdom-Hylton on Monday night, you knew Purdue would not crumble against North Carolina this time. She grabbed a key rebound in a 43-43 game. She assisted on a 3-pointer just moments later. She made a jumper to extend Purdue’s lead to five points. She deflected a 3-point attempt.

Late in the game, Wisdom-Hylton tweaked her right ankle and winced. Concerned teammates checked on their leader. She waved them away. Only once did Wisdom-Hylton reach down and grab her ankle. She was not leaving that floor.

“She wasn’t going to let us lose that game,” guard Brittany Rayburn said.

But Wisdom-Hylton wasn’t doing this for herself. She was playing for the Purdue players who cried on the plane ride home after another season-ending loss to North Carolina. She was playing for coach Sharon Versyp. She was playing for the teammates who look up to her, who would get more joy out of seeing Wisdom-Hylton reach the Sweet 16 in her final try than for themselves.

And then you remember that, in high school, it was Wisdom-Hylton who became the first player from Illinois to tally at least 500 points, rebounds, blocks, steals and assists for her career. That’s right. Assists. One of the most prolific scorers in Illinois history was also a tremendous passer.

“She’s the most humble human being that anyone has been around,” Versyp said. “Her inner self-confidence is amazing. It’s all about her teammates. It’s never about her. She wants to continue to help Purdue University do this for women’s basketball and the people that played before her. We’re fortunate and blessed to have someone work so hard. She’s our hardest worker.”

The story isn’t over. Purdue, the 6 seed, will play seventh-seeded Rutgers in the Sweet 16 on a neutral court, not at Rutgers. And you get the feeling Wisdom-Hylton isn’t going to relent now. She already ridded the Boilermakers of their nemesis.

“It was our time. We wanted it more, I feel like,” Wisdom-Hylton said. “We were playing a little bit harder.”

She’s a great story, one of the many reasons to love the NCAA tournament. And the story won Monday night.