Sunday, November 12, 2006

Gameday Data: Lady Vols Vs. Lady Mocs Sunday

The #5/5-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols open the 2006-07 season facing system sister school Chattanooga in Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Lady Vols won their two preseason exhibition contests defeating Carson-Newman by a whopping 104-49 margin and the Houston Jaguars by 101-51 score.

LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE

This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 913-177 overall record... Collected her 900th coaching win with a 80-68 decision over #19-ranked Vanderbilt on Jan. 19, 2006... She passed Dean Smith (879 wins) for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 victory over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005 ...Her 2005-06 squad advanced to the NCAA Elite...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...

This season, UT returned six letterwinners, welcomed a senior manager turned player, two junior college transfers and a pair of rookies...The 2006-07 season will mark the Lady Vol debut for former senior manager #10 Elizabeth Curry, JC transfers #00 Shannon Bobbitt and #33 Alberta Auguste...True freshman, #2 Cait McMahan, a 5-4 guard from Maryville, Tenn., and #34 Nicci Moats, a 6-2 forward from Daleville, Va., will also see their first action in the Orange and White this season as well...

THE 4-1-1 ON THE LADY MOCS

The Chattanooga Lady Mocs opened their season on Friday with a 80-56 win over Austin Peay at the McKenzie Arena on the UTC campus. They were led in scoring by 6-1 junior forward Alex Anderson who tossed in 23 points.. The Lady Mocs were picked to finish second in the 2007 Southern Conference behind UNC Greensboro by a slim 74-73 margin. Chattanooga won its only preseason exhibition game with a 71-51 victory over nearby Lee University on Nov. 6. Last season, Chattanooga was 27-4 overall and SoCon Champions. The Lady Mocs advanced to the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round to Kentucky, 69-59.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

The #23/23 UCLA Bruins will visit Knoxville and face the Lady Vols on Thursday in a 7 p.m. meeting on CSS. It has been eight years (12-21-98, UT 100-77) since the last Bruin visit to Rocky Top. UCLA also opens the season today and faces UC-Santa Barbara in Pauley Pavilion. Last season, the Bruins were 21-11 overall and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Purdue.


OPENING DAY RECORD

Over the last 32 years on opening day, the Lady Vols have won 29 times and lost just three contests. Coach Pat Summitt lost her very first game as a college head coach -- a heartbreaking one-point decision at home to Mercer, 84-83, on Dec. 7, 1974. The next time UT lost an opening game was in Knoxville on Nov. 21, 1981, to Stephen F. Austin, 80-74. Most recently, UT fell in their first contest of the 1999-2000 campaign dropping a 69-64 decision to Louisiana Tech in Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 14, 1999. Until the loss to the Lady Techsters, the Lady Vols had won 18 consecutive season openers.


FIRST ACTION FOR "CAITY-MAC"

Lady Vol rookie point guard Cait McMahan will be seeing her first career action in an Orange and White uniform against Chattanooga. The 5-4 point guard, McMahan missed the first two exhibition games of the season. The feisty freshman had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on Oct. 20, 2006 by Dr. Greg Mathien, UT team orthopaedist. She was cleared to return to the practice floor on Nov. 6.


FIVE LADY VOL GAMES TO BE VIDEO STREAMED

The 2006-07 University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team already has a record 21 regular season games scheduled for television and now five home games have been added for video streaming on utladyvols.com. Beginning today, Tennessee fans will have the opportunity to watch Lady Vol games versus Chattanooga (Sun., Nov. 12), Stanford (Fri., Nov. 24), UT-Martin (Tues., Dec. 5), George Washington (Thurs., Dec. 7) and West Virginia (Wed., Dec. 20) via the internet. Listeners will be able to hear Mickey Dearstone's radio play-by-play while watching the live action from Thompson-Boling Arena. The Yahoo! Sports University of Tennessee School Pass costs $4.95 per month and features: UT football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and "Vol Calls" radio broadcasts as well as the Pat Summitt TV Show, the Phillip Fulmer TV Show and the Bruce Pearl TV Show during the season. An additional option is the College Pass subscription, which includes broadcasts for more than 100+ schools, and costs $9.95 per month.


MTSU TIP-OFF CHANGED

Tip-off time has changed for Tennessee's game versus Middle Tennessee on Nov. 26. To accommodate television, the tip-off has moved to 4:00 p.m.


All-Time Series Meetings

UT leads 20-6

DATE SITE W/L SCORE
Feb. 8, 1924 H W 19-4
Feb. 17, 1925 A W 39-16
Jan. 9, 1926 H W 45-8
Feb. 11, 1926 A W 45-15
Feb. 4, 1971 A L 52-60
Feb. 26, 1971 H L 47-53
Mar. 5, 1971 N3 L 22-46
Feb. 8, 1972 A W 58-48
Feb. 26, 1972 H L 49-50
Feb. 26, 1972 H W 56-53
Mar. 3, 1972 H L 52-56
Jan. 26, 1973 H L 55-58
Feb. 24, 1973 N4 W 55-51
Jan. 25, 1975 N4 W 77-73
Feb. 22, 1975 H W 90-78
Feb. 28, 1975 N12 W 112-88
Jan. 31, 1976 H W 96-62
Feb. 28, 1976 A W 67-66
Jan. 18, 1980 A W 73-53
Feb. 29, 1980 N10 W 71-63
Dec. 4, 1980 H W 90-56
Dec. 5, 1984 H W 78-54
Nov. 16, 2001 A W 97-57
Nov. 23, 2003 H W 83-52
Nov. 19, 2004 A W 68-34
Nov. 21, 2005 H W 92-50



THE SERIES

This marks the 27th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1924 season. The Lady Vols dominated the series in the 1920s rolling up a 4-0 record. Chattanooga enjoyed its six-win success over UT in the early 1970 pre-Pat Head (Summitt) Era. Summitt's Lady Vols have won the last 14 consecutive games over the Lady Mocs.


AVERAGE SCORE

The average score of a UT-UTC game during the Summitt Era is 84.1 (1094 points) for UT and 60.4 (786 points) for UTC.


VERSUS THE SoCon

Tennessee has fashioned a 37-20 record all-time against six schools in the Southern Conference. UT is 3-5 vs. Appalachian St., 1-0 vs. the College of Charleston, 4-0 vs. Furman, 0-2 vs. UNC Greensboro, 20-6 vs. Chattanooga and 9-7 vs. Western Carolina.


FROM THE VOLUNTEER STATE

The Tennessee Lady Vols feature one player on the roster from the Volunteer State - sophomore Alex Fuller (Shelbyville). UTC has five players from the state of Tennessee: Courtney Atkinson (Chattanooga), Ashley Huff (New Market), Laura Hall (Oliver Springs), Kristen Spann (Lawrenceburg), and Erin Ogan (Knoxville).


WES IS AMONG BEST

UTC coach Wes Moore is the fifth winningest coach in the NCAA by percentage among active coaches. He trails Tennessee's Pat Summitt, Geno Auriemma (UConn), Gail Goestenkors (Duke), and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford).


CHATTANOOGA NOTEBOOK

The 2006-07 edition of the Chattanooga basketball team tipped things off Friday night with an 80-56 victory over Austin Peay in the season opener for both teams. The Lady Mocs shot 47 percent on the night and were 7-of-25 from the 3-point line. With just three athletes who surpass the 6-foot plateau, UTC managed five blocks against the Lady Govs. Junior Alex Anderson led all scorers with 23 points. Chattanooga was 14-of-33 in the first half led by Anderson's 12 point performance. Brooke Hand scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half including a pair of 3-pointers. Freshman Tagan Hatchett, making her first collegiate start, pushed the Lady Moc lead to nine with a 3-pointer to help spur an 11-1 run to close the first period with a 38-22 lead. In the second half, UTC freshman Shanara Hollinquest tallied 12 of her 13 scores. She pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and had one block. Kristen Spann scored a career-high 10 points for Chattanooga making 4-of-6 attempts including two 3-pointers. UTC out-rebounded APSU, 44-36, and offered 18 helpers on the night. Sophomore Lady Moc Erin Ogan hails from Knoxville, Tenn., where she attended Powell High School.


LADY VOLS VS. LADY MOCS STAT COMPARISON

TENNESSEE
06-07 Exhib stats CHATTANOOGA
06-07 Season stats
OVERALL RECORD 2-0 1-0
SCORING 102.5 80.0
SCORING DEFENSE 50.0 56.0
POINT MARGIN +52.5 +24.0
REBOUNDS 46.0 44.0
OPP. REBOUNDS 33.5 36.0
REBOUND MARGIN +12.5 + 8.0
FG% .497 .470
OPPONENT FG% .371 .345
THREE POINT FG% .355 .280
OPPONENT 3FG% .296 .348
FT% .702 .579
OPPONENT FT% .541 .571
ASSISTS 23.5 18.0
BLOCKS AVERAGE 4.5 5.0
STEALS AVERAGE 22.0 8.0
TURNOVER AVERAGE 15.0 12.0



OUR LAST MEETING

Shanna Zolman scored 20 points and second-ranked Tennessee beat Chattanooga 92-50 on Nov. 21, 2005. Rookie Candace Parker added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Lady Vols (2-0), who beat Stetson 83-33 in their opener just 24-hours earlier. UT was playing in back-to-back contests prior to traveling to the three-day Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Nov. 24-26. The Lady Mocs (1-2) gave Tennessee a little bit more of a challenge than the Stetson Hatters, just a day earlier. The teams were even in the opening minutes until the Lady Vols broke a tie and went ahead on a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Zolman. Tennessee pushed its lead to 12 and then put the game away with a 17-2 run to go up 42-17 with three minutes left before halftime. The Lady Vols opened the second half with a 14-2 run to stretch the lead to 35. The win was Tennessee's 14th straight over its sister school in the university system about 100 miles south. Chattanooga was led by Katasha Brown 11 points, and Alex Anderson and Tiffani Roberson each had 10 points. Sybil Dosty added 11 rebounds for the Lady Vols. Zolman shot 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Tennessee coach Pat Summitt used all 11 players in various combinations, and everyone scored at least four points apiece. Rookie phenom Parker had chances to dunk several times but chose to finger roll the ball into the bucket. Parker appeared to hurt her knee in the first half when she was fouled and fell, but she was on the bench for only a short time.


EXHIBIONISTS I TELL YOU

In two 2006-07 preseason exhibition tilts against Carson-Newman and the Houston Jaguars, the Lady Vols averaged 102.5 ppg while giving up 50.0 ppg. UT connected on 49.7 percent from the field and cashed in on 70.2 percent from the line. Tennessee's defense forced 35.5 turnovers per game and came away with 22.0 steals per outing.


SIX IN DOUBLE-FIGS

Another interesting stat from the exhibition contests found six Lady Vols registering double-digits. Leader of the pack was sophomore forward Alex Fuller who tossed in 15.5 ppg while also grabbing a team leading 11.5 rpg. Fuller was followed in the scoring parade by senior Dominique Redding (15.0 ppg), sophomore Candace Parker (15.0 ppg), junior Alexis Hornbuckle (15.0 ppg), junior Nicky Anosike (12.5 ppg) and senior Sidney Spencer (11.5 ppg). Junior College transfers Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta "Bird" Auguste were impressive in their Lady Vol debut. Bobbitt started at point guard and averaged 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.5 spg. Auguste averaged 7.5 ppg, grabbed 5.5 rpg and handed out 4.0 apg.


62 INCHES OF DYNAMITE

Lady Vol junior college transfer Shannon Bobbitt is listed at 5'2" and is the shortest player on the roster since Diane Brady donned uniform number 20 for Tennessee during the 1973-75 seasons.


FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST

In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols will face eight foes. Three teams hail from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols will face Chattanooga (Nov. 12), Middle Tennessee (Nov. 26) and Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin (Dec. 5). UT will seem like a member of the PAC-10, eastern division, as the Lady Vols face three ranked PAC-10 schools in consecutive games: #23 UCLA (Nov. 16), at #13/12 Arizona State (Nov. 19) and #4 Stanford (Nov. 24). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (Nov. 28) and #2-ranked North Carolina (Dec. 3) round out the first month of the season.


FIVE MINUTES WITH SID

Senior Sidney Spencer spent five minutes sharing some answers to these questions:

What does the Tennessee Tradition mean to you? A legacy I must uphold - competition, desire, passion, intensity

Most memorable experience at UT? There are two - one is the SEC Championship win over LSU in 2006, and the other is when Shanna Zolman wore my #1 jersey for the first time after I was injured for the season.

If you could be head coach of this team for a day, what would you do? Play scrabble.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I would like to be a women's basketball coach at a major Division I school, and also a missionary.

If you could play any other sport at UT, which would it be? Football...linebacker.


PARKER NAMED TO AP A-A

Lady Vols' Candace Parker was named to yet another preseason All-America team earning the nod from the Associated Press on Nov. 9, 2006. Joining Parker (45 votes) on the team was leading vote getter Courtney Paris of Oklahoma (47 votes out of 50). Also named to the team was North Carolina's Ivory Latta (43), Stanford's Candice Wiggins (35) and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne (28). Parker, the 2006 SEC rookie of the year, is returning for her second season at Tennessee after winning a bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the world championships in Brazil.


WOODEN AWARD NOMINEES

Tennessee Lady Vols Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle were named to the list of 30 preseason candidates for the 2006-07 John R. Wooden Women's Award. Defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Maryland and No. 2-ranked North Carolina placed three athletes each on the list, while Duke, Rutgers and Tennessee each added two players. The 30 candidates are comprised of the top returning players. The award, which is voted on by sports writers and broadcasters, is entering its fourth year.


PARKER UP FOR THE WADE

Lady Vol basketball star Candace Parker has been named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) preseason "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year for the 2006-2007 season. The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are members of an NCAA Division I institution and are selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. The national awards committee who selects these candidates is comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators.

In 2006, Parker guided the Lady Vols to a 31-5 record, the SEC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight during her rookie season. The Naperville, Ill., native led the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg) and was named a Kodak/WBCA All-American. Parker became the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the only woman to dunk twice in the same contest, when she slammed two home against Army in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2006. She was a first team All-SEC selection, the SEC Freshman of the Year and the conference tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning shot to lift Tennessee past LSU, 63-62.


THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA WELCOME TO "THE SUMMITT"

The playing court in the Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus donned a new look for the 2005-06 season. After Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt passed Dean Smith for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 win over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005, UT named the TBA court, "The Summitt." The floor had a complete overhaul with permanent logos of both the Lady Vols and Vols painted directly in front of the scorer's table; the free throw lanes were painted orange with "SEC" reversed out; the giant jump circle/mid-court TENNESSEE was given a new brighter color scheme, and "The Summitt," Coach Summitt's actual signature adorns the sidelines opposite the team benches.


ON OUR WAY TO 300 WINS

Tennessee recorded its 200th win in Thompson-Boling Arena when the Lady Vols defeated the University of Southern California on Nov. 18, 2001, 106-66. UT has now amassed a 265-16 (.943) record since the Orange and White moved into the Thompson-Boling Arena to start the 1987-88 season 19-years ago. Along the way, the Lady Vols have produced nine flawless home records in 1988-89 (15-0), 1991-92 (14-0), 1992-93 (13-0), 1993-94 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 2000-01 (15-0) and 2002-03 (16-0). UT also registered an NCAA record 69-game home court-winning streak from Feb. 1, 1991 thru Jan. 2, 1996.


JUST 16 LOSSES

The Tennessee Lady Vols rarely lose at home. In fact, since moving to the Thompson-Boling Arena for the 1987-88 campaign, UT has lost two games in one season just six times. UT lost two games in TBA during the inaugural 1987-88 campaign, 1996-97, 1999-00, 2001-02, 2003-04 and the 2005-06 seasons. The 16 all-time losses at Thompson-Boling Arena have come at the hands of just nine teams: Florida (2006), LSU (2006), Duke (2004), Connecticut (2004, 2002, 2000, 1996), Louisiana Tech (1999, 1989), Georgia (1996, 1991), Texas (2003, 2002, 1987), Stanford (1996) and Auburn (1988).


HOME SWEET HOME -- 400th HOME WIN

The victory over Georgia on Jan. 31, 2005, was the Lady Vols 400th home win since Pat Summitt took over as head coach in 1974. Summitt has won 91.4 percent of all home games in 32 years producing a 418-40 overall record. Home losses (in the Summitt era) include: six in Alumni Gym from 1974-76; 18 in Stokely Athletics Center from 1976-87; and 16 in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1987.


216 OF 229 AT HOME

UT has won 216 of their last 229 games in Thompson-Boling Arena dating back to 2-1-91. UT's 13 losses during this time have been to Florida, LSU, Duke, Louisiana Tech, UConn (four times), Stanford, Texas (three times) and Georgia (OT).


500 GAMES VERSUS RANKED

Tennessee's game versus #13 Georgia on Feb. 16, 2006 was the Lady Vols' 500th all-time versus a ranked team since the inception of the polls in 1976. UT is an amazing 369-145 (.703) versus ranked teams. Last year, Tennessee was 13-3 versus ranked teams.


LADY VOL STREAKS

The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against Florida, 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006 -- since then, UT has not played at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Jan. 26, 2006 at Kentucky, since then, UT has won three road games. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against North Carolina, 75-63, in the NCAA Elite 8 game on Mar. 28, 2006 Since then, UT has not played on a neutral court.


LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM?

Florida became the second unranked team in the 2005-06 season to knock off the Lady Vols, when they won 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006. Exactly one month earlier, unranked Kentucky turned the trick with a 66-63 win over #1/3-ranked Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2006 at Rupp Arena. Previously, it had been four years since an unranked team upset the Lady Vols. So before Florida and Kentucky had their way with UT, when was the last time Tennessee lost to an unranked team? That would have been to LSU on Mar. 2, 2002 at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. LSU had been in and out of the Top 25 polls in late January and February. Prior to that, UT's last loss to an unranked team was five years previous (to the day) losing to Auburn on Mar. 2, 1997 at the SEC Tournament.


100 POINT GAMES

Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 71 times. This season, UT has eclipsed 100 points in two games - Princeton, 107 and #16/18 Texas, 102. 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 24-13 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a year was tied in 2003-04 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. UT's 22 points in the OT against Florida (2-3-05), was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime. UT's most recent OT affair was a 95-93 loss to Florida on 2-26-06.

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