Tennessee Renews Rivalry with Louisiana Tech
THE GAME
The #9-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols take to the road for the first time in 20 days and travels to Louisiana Tech for the annual match-up between the two perennial powerhouses.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 31st season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 857-169 overall record...Needs just 23 wins to become the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history...Her 2003-04 squad finished as the NCAA runner-up with a 31-4 record...UT also is the seven-consecutive-time defending SEC regular season champion, and has been picked by both the media and the coaches to finish first in this year's SEC race as well.
Tennessee returns seven letterwinners and welcomes eight newcomers to the lineup...Rookie Alex Fuller (Shelbyville, Tenn.) will redshirt this season after undergoing surgery in October...Fellow rookie standout Candace Parker (Naperville, Ill.) is also currently sidelined...
After a rocky 5-2 start, the Lady Vols will be without the services of senior point guard Loree Moore who will be lost for up to a month after having a tonsillectomy on Dec. 10...Rookie point guard Alexis Hornbuckle earned her first collegiate start against DePaul and will be at quarterback tonight...Fellow frosh guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood will not dress against LaTech due to violation of team rules (also missed DePaul)...SWG was to rejoin the team on the practice floor after sitting-out due to patella tendonitis...
LADY TECHSTERS AT A GLANCE
Louisiana Tech came from 13-points down in the second half on Monday night when the Lady Techsters defeated Alcorn State, 62-61, on the road. After opening the season shooting 52 percent in an 88-70 win at Mississippi, the Lady Techsters (4-2) have hit less than 38 percent of their shots in four of the last five games, including only 24 percent in a 71-65 overtime loss to Illinois. After ranking No. 2 in the nation last year averaging 82.5 points per game, this year's squad - minus four double digits scorers from a year ago - is averaging only 68.3 points a game. A foursome of guards lead the Lady Techsters in scoring thus far this season as Tasha Crain (13.8 ppg), Shan Moore (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Lakiste Barkus (12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Aarica Ray-Boyd (8.0 ppg) are the top offensive threats.
UT'S OFFENSIVE ACCURACY
In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 60%: none 50%FG: none 40%FG: .481 (UTC), .468 (GWU), .435 (DePaul), 30%FG: .373 (N.C. State), .323 Temple, .329 (Texas); 20%FG: .280 (Duke)
DEEE ----- FENSE
In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 60% FG: .604 (Texas), 50%FG: none 40%FG: none 30%FG: .390 (Duke), .333 (Temple), .321 (GWU), .373 (N.C. State) 20%FG: .265 (DePaul), 10%: .135 (UTC)
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
This week, the #9-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols travel to Ruston, La., for a Wed., Dec. 15 meeting at Louisiana Tech on CSS. Next Sunday, Dec. 19, #23/25 TCU visits for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off in Thompson-Boling Arena.
JUMP SHOTS
Lady Vol fans tuning in to the CSS broadcast of the game at Louisiana Tech tonight will be treated to Techster legendary coach and Hall of Famer Leon Barmore as color commentator along with Bob Kesling on the play-by-play...Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has played three line-ups this season...Rookie Alexis Hornbuckle is starting at point guard for Loree Moore who had her tonsils removed on Dec. 10... The team continues to shoot all-time Lady Vol lows -- .378 from the field and .629 from the free throw line...Lady Vol rookie Sybil Dosty is still the best shooter (15-20) and has a sparkling 75 percent from the floor...Dosty was one of five Lady Vols in double-digits as the 6-3 post tallied a career high 11 points and 11 rebounds...The Lady Vol bench outscored DePaul 32-17...The Lady Vols' 78 points against DePaul was the highwater mark for the season...UT managed 71 points against George Washington for the only offensive explosions of the season... Shanna Zolman tied Tiffany Woosley's school record for consecutive charity tosses (45) against DePaul...The junior sharpshooter hit the front end to tie the record and then missed the second shot...Zolman had connected on 45- consecutive dating back to Jan. 29, 2004...During a break in exams, several players visited an area nursing home last week and sang Christmas Carols...
THE SERIES WITH TECH
This marks the 37th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1977-78 season. Since 1987, when the Lady Vols were a horrific 1-11 against the Techsters, UT began closing the gap and have won 18 of the last 24 meetings.
TOTALLY RANKED
Since the series began in 1978, both UT and Tech have been ranked in all but two of the 36 previous meetings between the two schools. The Lady Vols are 15-4 in games when they are ranked higher than Tech and 4-13 in games when they are ranked lower than the Lady Techsters. UT and LTU are great examples of programs that have sustained a winning tradition for nearly four decades.
VERSUS THE WAC
Tennessee has fashioned a 20-17 record all-time against two schools in the Western Athletic Conference. UT is 1-0 vs. San Jose St. and 19-17 against La Tech. LTU formerly played in the Sun Belt.
CAREER STATS VS. TECH
Senior forward Brittany Jackson leads the Lady Vols against LaTech with 13.5 ppg in two meetings. Also in extra digits is junior Shanna Zolman with 13.0 ppg in two meetings. Best UT rebounder is sophomore Sidney Spencer with 6.0 rpg.
GAME REPORT 8 - LOUISIANA TECH
Louisiana Tech seems to be suffering from the same ailment afflicting the Lady Vols this season - "field goalitis." Neither squad has been an offensive juggernaut thus far shooting an anemic 30ish percent from the field. Tech struggled to 62 points in their win over Alcorn St. on Monday night.
LOUISIANA TECH'S PROBABLE STARTERS
45 - Tamika Kursh, F, 6-1, So., 7.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg 22 - Ty Moore, C, 6-2, So., 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg 0 - Lakiste Barkus, G, 5-6, Sr., 12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg 10 - Tasha Crain, G, 5-7, Jr., 13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg 21 - Shan Moore, G, 5-10, So., 13.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg
OUR LAST MEETING WITH LOUISIANA TECH
Playing before 11,804 orange-clad faithful and former Lady Vol great Tamika Catchings, who was on hand to have her #24 jersey retired, the third-ranked Tennessee women's basketball team defeated #10/11 Louisiana Tech, 85-65, on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003, at Thompson-Boling Arena. Despite leading the all-time series just 19-17, UT has defeated the Lady Techsters four consecutive times, including seven of the last eight meetings. The Lady Vols were led by junior Shyra Ely, who posted her seventh-career double-double with a 17-point, 11-rebound effort. Ely paced the Orange and White in scoring in each of the first three contests, while notching team-high rebounding marks twice. Tennessee was also aided by the offensive production of sophomore Shanna Zolman, junior Brittany Jackson and junior Loree Moore, who tallied 15, 14 and 10 points, respectively. Zolman, who connected on three of four three-pointers, and Jackson each recorded then-season highs with their performances. Using solid defense and accurate shooting, UT jumped out to a quick 10-point lead, 12-2, less than three minutes into the game following a 20-footer from Zolman. Louisiana Tech, however, would battle back to take a 26-20 lead at the 8:17 mark before Tennessee exploded for a 25-12 run to close the half. After cutting the margin to just six a little more than two minutes into the second half, the Lady Vols gradually extended their lead throughout the remainder of the game. The Big Orange pushed the advantage to as many as 22 points before closing out the contest with its third-straight lopsided victory of the season. On the night, Tennessee shot 46 percent (32-70) from the field, while Tech managed to hit on just 34 percent (23-67) of its shots. UT also dominated the glass, snaring 11 more rebounds than the opposition (50-39). The Lady Vols also had a great night behind the arc, connecting on seven of 14 attempts for 50 percent.
PROGRAM WINS
Both Tennessee and Louisiana Tech boast over 700 all-time wins at their Universities. They are the only women's programs to boast this statistic.
FOND MEMORY VS. TECH
The Lady Vols claimed their first NCAA title in 1987 with a 67-44 drubbing of the Lady Techsters at the Final Four in Austin, Texas.
PECK'S THE ONLY ONE
The roll call goes like this: Sylvia Hatchell, Sharon Fanning, Jane Albright, Lea Henry, Nancy Darsch, Trish Roberts, and now Mickie DeMoss. etc., UT coach Pat Summitt has faced many former players and assistant coaches in a variety of games thru the years but Carolyn Peck is the only one to record a victory over her former boss. While at Purdue, Peck handed Summitt a 78-68 loss on Nov.15, 1998 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in West Lafayette, Ind. The defeat snapped UT's 46- game consecutive winning streak (that was second only to Louisiana Tech's all-time 54- game winning streak).
100 POINT GAMES
Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 69 times. Noteworthy: Tennessee went over 100 points in an NCAA playoff game for the first time ever in 1993-94 with the win over North Carolina A&T, 111-37. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games leading the NCAA.
IN OVERTIME
The Lady Vols are 23-12 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a year was tied last season with four as the Lady Vols went 3-1 in overtime losing to Georgia, 68-66, and defeating Auburn, 68-61, DePaul, 96-89, and Stanford, 70-66. It tied the mark set in 1996-97, when the Lady Vols were 3-1 in overtime contests losing to Georgia, 94-93, and defeating Texas, 68-65, Vanderbilt, 92-79 and LSU, 100-99. Tennessee's 21 points in the extra stanza against Vanderbilt on Jan.19, 1997, was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime.
AN OT STORY
Before the Lady Vols piled up four overtime games in the 2003-04 season, OT contests were few and far-in-between. The Jan. 4, 2003, overtime contest with Connecticut, was the first time Tennessee was involved in an extra stanza game since the 1996-97 season when the Lady Vols played a then-record four overtime affairs.
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS
Besides Louisiana Tech, with 17 wins over UT, only three other teams have recorded double-digit victories against the Lady Vols during the Pat Summitt era of Lady Vol basketball. Georgia has claimed 14 wins in 46 meetings, Connecticut has registered 13 wins in 19 meetings, and Texas 11 wins in 26 meetings
238 WINS IN OUR LAST 264 GAMES
The Lady Vols have won an amazing 238 games in their last 264 basketball contests (.906) spanning nine seasons (starting with NCAA Tournament play in 1997). UT was 6-0 in the 1997 NCAA Tourney, ran the table with a 39-0 record in 1997-98, turned in a 31-3 worksheet in 1998-99, a 33-4 mark in 1999- 2000, a 31-3 overall record in 2000-01, 29-5 in 2001-02, 33-5 in 2002-03, 31-4 in 2003-04 and 5-2 in 2004-05.
OUR LAST MEETING WITH TECH IN RUSTON
The #4/5 Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team (6-1) picked up a key road win with a 60- 35 rout of the #15/13 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters in front of 6,836 fans at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La., on Dec. 4, 2002. In the dominating performance, the Lady Vols held Tech to its lowest point total ever (35) and handed its long-time rival its worst loss ever in the Thomas Assembly Center (25 point-margin). With the victory UT moved in front of Louisiana Tech in the overall series between the two schools, 18-17. On the night, four Lady Vols hit double-figures as Gwen Jackson and Tasha Butts each bucketed 12 points, while Kara Lawson and Shanna Zolman hit for 11 points each. To begin the contest, UT roared out of the locker room with a 10-0 spurt, highlighted by three-point bombs from Jackson and Butts, over the first 2:13. After a brief surge from Louisiana Tech to get back to within 13-6, Tennessee took off again as another bucket from Butts and scores from Loree Moore and Shyra Ely boosted UT's advantage to 21-8 with 11:34 remaining. That's when Tech scored a significant basket to set the score at 21-10 - significant because it would be Louisiana Tech's last bucket for 7:19 as the Lady Vols embarked on a 10-0 run to move out to a 21-point advantage at 31-10. Over the last 11:00, UT outscored Tech 20-4 and headed into the locker room with a capacity-crowd quieting 41-14 lead. La Tech opened the second half with a 7-2 run to get as close as it would again at 43-21, before Jackson and Zolman hit two buckets each to boost UT out to its largest advantage of the night at 54-23, before cruising in to the 25-point win. On the night, UT dominated the boards 55-36 and shot 40.0%, including a blistering 54.2% in the first half. Tech was held to only 14-of-70 from the field for 20.0%, a mark that tied the lowest FG% ever by a UT opponent.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Lady Vols have narrowly outscored the Lady Techsters 69.9 to 69.1 in their 36- game series...All seven returning players have seen time against Louisiana Tech in the series...Brittany Jackson leads current Lady Vols with 13.5 points per game against La. Tech while Sidney Spencer leads the battle of the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game against the Lady Techsters...Despite the historical parity evidenced by a slim 19-17 series lead, Tennessee obliterated the Lady Techsters with stifling defense, 60-35, in Ruston, La., on Dec. 4, 2002...The 35 points scored by La Tech's was their lowest total ever and the 25-point margin of defeat was its worst setback in Thomas Assembly Center...
BEEN ON OUR DANCE CARD
Tennessee and Louisiana Tech are not NCAA postseason strangers. The Lady Vols and the Lady Techsters have been attending the Final Four on a pretty regular basis since 1982. In fact, there have been just four Final Fours all-time not attended by UT or La Tech - 1985, 1992, 1993 and 2001. Tennessee and Tech have attended six Big Dances together - 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1998. In fact, the Lady Vols celebrated their first NCAA Championship in 1987 with a 67-44 victory over the Lady Techsters and its most recent NCAA title in 1998 with a 93-75 win over the Techsters.
WE ENJOYED THE 90s AND NOW THE 00s
It's hard to believe that the Tennessee versus Louisiana Tech series has spanned into four decades -- the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. If you ask the Lady Vols which decade they've enjoyed the most it would be the 90's where Tennessee finally found a little winning dominance over the Techsters with a 10-4 record after suffering through the 80's (4-11) and the 70's (1-2). UT's 21st century record stands at 4-0 as the Lady Vols now lead the series, 19-17.
GET STREAKY WITH ME
During the 1999-2000 season, Louisiana Tech broke UT's 40-game home court winning streak that started right after UConn broke the Lady Vols' NCAA leading 69- game winning streak on Jan. 6, 1996. In the Nov. 30, 1998 meeting in Ruston, Tech had won 52-consecutive games dating back to 1995 when UT was the second-to-the-last team to beat the Lady Techsters in the Thomas Assembly Center. The Lady Vols preserved their 69-game streak by snapping Tech's 52-game streak with a 92-73 win.
TECH HAD TO GET BY UT FOR ITS TWO TITLES
Louisiana Tech has been crowned NCAA Champions twice since 1982. On both occasions, the Lady Techsters had to get by Tennessee for their two titles. In 1982, Tech beat the Lady Vols, 69-46, in the semifinals in Norfolk, Va. In 1988, the defending NCAA Champion Lady Vols were defeated by Tech, 68-59, in the semifinals in Tacoma, Wash. In 1994, Tech knocked the Lady Vols off in the semifinals of the Mideast Regionals, 71-68. The Lady Techsters would have won the NCAA title that year but a buzzer-beater trey by North Carolina's Charlotte Smith upset them, 60-59.
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