Thursday, January 20, 2005

Lady Vols on road again at Auburn

KNOXVILLE -- This will be a week full of nostalgia for Pat Summitt, but the Tennessee women's basketball head coach hopes the walk down memory lane is better for her than others.

Summitt faces former player Carla McGhee and recent assistant coach Mickie DeMoss in Southeastern Conference play this week.

DeMoss, whom the Lady Vols play on Sunday, is in her second year as head coach for the Kentucky program. McGee is now an assistant coach at Auburn. She won two national championships under Summitt.

The seventh-ranked Lady Vols will face Auburn at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum at 9 p.m. for their second straight road contest. The first didn't go quite as well as Summitt had wanted.

Tennessee (12-3, 2-0) had to rally to beat Vanderbilt on the road trailing in both halves of play. Summitt said her team should find a better offensive rhythm against the Lady Tigers.

``We played down (against Vandy) but our depth really allowed us to get back in it,'' Summitt said. ``It's nice to have that as backup, but we have to play aggressive and sound from the beginning.

``Trailing wears on a team at some point. I want our players to remember that.''

In their last showdown with Auburn, the Lady Vols needed overtime to grab a victory in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Tigers (9-7, 0-3) will look to Natasha Brackett to find similar success against Tennessee in this game. In three seasons and six games, the senior guard averages 15.3 points versus Summitt's team. Last year, Brackett never left the game earning her first-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

She leads Auburn with 15.4 points per contest this season.

The Lady Vols have found improved play with movement in the starting lineup. Junior guard Shanna Zoleman scored 20 points off the bench against the Commodores after starting most of the early season.

Summitt said she is handling the reserve position well.

``In the last couple games, she has been a lot more comfortable, confident and relaxed,'' Summitt said. ``She is just letting the game come to her. Certainly, the way she has shot the basketball the last two games has taken the pressure off everyone else.''

That missing pressure is evident on the Lady Vols' frontcourt. Freshman forward Nicky Anosike and senior center Tye'sha Fluker have added a boost to the UT offense.

``I think she (Fluker) has become a much more aggressive player in the paint and is feeling a lot better,'' Summitt said, ``while also being more active defensively and on the boards. This (the match-up with Auburn's Marita Payne) will be a good challenge for her, as Payne can not only block shots, but she can make shots. She can post up and she can face up to the basket, so this will be a big test for Ty.''

Tennessee is 26-8 all-time against the Lady Tigers and 7-3 at Auburn.

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