KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - If Tennessee needed a wake-up call Saturday afternoon, Coach Pat Summitt supplied it at halftime. The Lady Vols led by two at the half, but after the break was a different story.
Candace Parker had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Shannon Bobbitt had a season-high 17 points to lead No. 4 Tennessee to a 78-54 rout of Notre Dame.
"At halftime, Pat stressed the fact that we looked dead out there," Bobbitt said. "We weren't putting an emphasis on defense first and the boards first, so we had a little meeting among ourselves and we just went out there and were going to show it the second half."
Sidney Spencer added 17 points for the Lady Vols, who were playing a final non-conference game before their Southeastern Conference opener at home against Alabama on Wednesday.
Notre Dame (9-4), led by Charel Allen with 16 points, fell to 0-18 against Tennessee.
Bobbitt was 5-of-7 from 3-point range. She came in averaging 6.6 points.
"Basically, I'm guessing every scouting report against me is I don't have a consistent jump shot, but everybody kind of plays off me," Bobbitt said. "I just take what the defense gives me, and I was shooting it good."
The Lady Vols had 12 blocks, including five by Parker.
Tennessee (12-1) led the entire first half but never by more than eight points. Alexis Hornbuckle hit a 15-footer in transition with 4:11 left to give the Lady Vols a 27-19 lead, but Notre Dame finished the half with an 8-2 run, closing to within 29-27.
The Lady Vols shot just 34.5 percent from the field in the first half and Notre Dame shot 46.2 percent. Tennessee had 11 points off turnovers in the first half.
"At halftime we talked about having energy," Summitt said. "We have to have five people playing with energy. At times we have three people playing hard and a couple not covering passing lanes. We have so many breakdowns because people aren't on the same page as far as intensity."
The Lady Vols opened the second half with an 11-2 run, taking a 40-29 lead on Spencer's two free throws with 16:25 left.
Bobbitt, who hit four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the second half, scored eight straight points in a span of 26 seconds to extend the lead to 26 points. She hit a 3-pointer with 10:38 left, made two foul shots after being intentionally fouled by Tulyah Gaines on a drive, and hit another 3-pointer with 10:12 to play for a 64-38 lead with 10:12 left.
That came during a 22-2 run by the Lady Vols, who rolled to the victory in the last 10 minutes. The Fighting Irish finished with 29 turnovers and the Lady Vols with 15.
"We didn't bring the energy and intensity until the second half," Summitt said. "In the first half, Notre Dame got the shots they wanted. They got good looks. When this team understands that they can generate points off their defense, that will be good."
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Pat Summitt Teleconference
Lady Vols play host to Notre Dame Saturday
On Christmas holidays and Old Dominion game...
"I thought considering that it was a game going right into the holidays, we did some good things. ODU played well in the first half but we managed to open it up. Alexis Hornbuckle, Candace Parker and Shannon Bobbitt did some good things. Our pressure and our defense generated offensive opportunities. As you close out for the holidays, you anticipate that they won't play as well as you hope, but well enough to get the job done. I'm glad they got time off; it was a much needed break."
On Notre Dame...
"We are looking forward to playing Notre Dame. I've been looking at some tape on them. We have to get right back into playing mode, playing another BIG EAST school. It was a tough game last year in South Bend. We have to be ready to play."
On watching film of Lady Vols thus far in the season...
"I think we are a team that at some point in time has to understand that by playing in spurts, you're living on the edge. We have to be more consistent, in particular our bench play. Alex Fuller has been terrific, that's why I started her in the second half at ODU. She's consistent and our best bench player. I've been pleased with Cait McMahan as well, she has done some good things for us. What we're looking for is to be able to count on the players off the bench; not that they have a major impact in the game but to keep us at a certain level and be consistent while they are on the floor."
On the objective of this first practice back from the holidays...
"We're trying to prepare for Notre Dame and to talk about and work on some things that we need to get better at. Looking at tape we need to be more consistent, and our rebounding at both ends. I think our presses are good, we could tighten our traps. Offensively, I like what we're doing, particularly with ball movement. In the half court game we could be more patient. Our transition offense has been improving. Our ability to get people to turn it over has generated points for us. As we get into conference play, we won't be able to force so many scoring opportunities."
On timing of the Notre Dame game and continuing this series...
"We haven't talked beyond next year, but this is a good series for us and something we'll address at some point in time. I look forward to continuing the series if both parties agree. I like playing teams that have strong programs outside our league and Notre Dame is one of those. Coming after the break, kids would rather play than practice, that's for sure. I think with the type of schedule we play up til now, and with two road games right before the break, it will be nice to come back home for our fans over the holidays. This should be a good time and good crowd for us."
On team needing a break...
"It's a difficult time right before you go home for the holidays. Typically we as a staff have to talk about keeping the team focused. We addressed that a number of times, that they needed to have the maturity, leadership and focus to finish out. Because ODU hadn't been as successful, players can look at a record and not an opponent. We emphasis that you have to respect every opponent and not just look at their record. This team realized in the first half that ODU came to play. We had leadership and stepped it up in the second half, but credit ODU, they did some good things."
On the younger players grasping that concept of not underestimating opponents...
"I'm not sure they totally understand it, we talk about it. Teams look one way on film and their intensity level differs in the actual game. As we go through the season, they will understand it better."
On Lady Vol guard Shannon Bobbitt...
"She is looking to score more and she needs to, particularly when we have numbers and we've created some opportunities for her to take it to the basket and to keep pushing tempo and being aggressive. We didn't place a lot of emphasis on her initially to do that, I wanted to see her organization and leadership for this team, first. Right now she seems comfortable with what we've asked her to do and confident and that gives her a little more freedom to score as well."
On Notre Dame...
"I've looked at their style of play and what they like to do in the half court game. They appear to be a team that plays well together. Defensively I expect to see a little more zone than man, but Coach McGraw has been known to mix that up. I'm more worried about us defending them than their defensive scheme. I anticipate zone and a team that plays in the half court."
On the potential of seeing more zone defense in opponents...
"I anticipate that happening, people will be trying to slow us down. We have to have our own game plan about how we can speed up the game. I feel this team has speed and quickness overall but we have to be committed to speeding things up. It's an attitude and a mindset. This team has done a great job of staying quick. This team is a lot faster than last year. They need to understand that we need five people committed. It's glaring when a player is not as inspired, things break down and obviously some combinations are better than others. We like to go deep and rotate players."
On Christmas holidays and Old Dominion game...
"I thought considering that it was a game going right into the holidays, we did some good things. ODU played well in the first half but we managed to open it up. Alexis Hornbuckle, Candace Parker and Shannon Bobbitt did some good things. Our pressure and our defense generated offensive opportunities. As you close out for the holidays, you anticipate that they won't play as well as you hope, but well enough to get the job done. I'm glad they got time off; it was a much needed break."
On Notre Dame...
"We are looking forward to playing Notre Dame. I've been looking at some tape on them. We have to get right back into playing mode, playing another BIG EAST school. It was a tough game last year in South Bend. We have to be ready to play."
On watching film of Lady Vols thus far in the season...
"I think we are a team that at some point in time has to understand that by playing in spurts, you're living on the edge. We have to be more consistent, in particular our bench play. Alex Fuller has been terrific, that's why I started her in the second half at ODU. She's consistent and our best bench player. I've been pleased with Cait McMahan as well, she has done some good things for us. What we're looking for is to be able to count on the players off the bench; not that they have a major impact in the game but to keep us at a certain level and be consistent while they are on the floor."
On the objective of this first practice back from the holidays...
"We're trying to prepare for Notre Dame and to talk about and work on some things that we need to get better at. Looking at tape we need to be more consistent, and our rebounding at both ends. I think our presses are good, we could tighten our traps. Offensively, I like what we're doing, particularly with ball movement. In the half court game we could be more patient. Our transition offense has been improving. Our ability to get people to turn it over has generated points for us. As we get into conference play, we won't be able to force so many scoring opportunities."
On timing of the Notre Dame game and continuing this series...
"We haven't talked beyond next year, but this is a good series for us and something we'll address at some point in time. I look forward to continuing the series if both parties agree. I like playing teams that have strong programs outside our league and Notre Dame is one of those. Coming after the break, kids would rather play than practice, that's for sure. I think with the type of schedule we play up til now, and with two road games right before the break, it will be nice to come back home for our fans over the holidays. This should be a good time and good crowd for us."
On team needing a break...
"It's a difficult time right before you go home for the holidays. Typically we as a staff have to talk about keeping the team focused. We addressed that a number of times, that they needed to have the maturity, leadership and focus to finish out. Because ODU hadn't been as successful, players can look at a record and not an opponent. We emphasis that you have to respect every opponent and not just look at their record. This team realized in the first half that ODU came to play. We had leadership and stepped it up in the second half, but credit ODU, they did some good things."
On the younger players grasping that concept of not underestimating opponents...
"I'm not sure they totally understand it, we talk about it. Teams look one way on film and their intensity level differs in the actual game. As we go through the season, they will understand it better."
On Lady Vol guard Shannon Bobbitt...
"She is looking to score more and she needs to, particularly when we have numbers and we've created some opportunities for her to take it to the basket and to keep pushing tempo and being aggressive. We didn't place a lot of emphasis on her initially to do that, I wanted to see her organization and leadership for this team, first. Right now she seems comfortable with what we've asked her to do and confident and that gives her a little more freedom to score as well."
On Notre Dame...
"I've looked at their style of play and what they like to do in the half court game. They appear to be a team that plays well together. Defensively I expect to see a little more zone than man, but Coach McGraw has been known to mix that up. I'm more worried about us defending them than their defensive scheme. I anticipate zone and a team that plays in the half court."
On the potential of seeing more zone defense in opponents...
"I anticipate that happening, people will be trying to slow us down. We have to have our own game plan about how we can speed up the game. I feel this team has speed and quickness overall but we have to be committed to speeding things up. It's an attitude and a mindset. This team has done a great job of staying quick. This team is a lot faster than last year. They need to understand that we need five people committed. It's glaring when a player is not as inspired, things break down and obviously some combinations are better than others. We like to go deep and rotate players."
Friday, December 22, 2006
No. 5 Tennessee overcomes Old Dominion
NORFOLK, Va. - Candace Parker had 32 points and 10 rebounds and No. 5 Tennessee overcame a stiff defensive test from longtime rival Old Dominion on Friday, beating the Lady Monarchs for the 11th consecutive time, 75-59.
Parker, who made history in Norfolk last season when she dunked twice in an NCAA tournament game against Army, entered the game with three dunks this season, but was booed by the crowd when she passed on a chance for another one late in the first half.
Tennessee (11-1) won its fourth in a row since a 13-point loss at second-ranked North Carolina on Dec. 3. It improved to 31-9 in its history against Old Dominion.
The Lady Monarchs (3-7) lost for the fifth time in six games. Coming off a 15-point loss at Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion will host Rutgers next Saturday before moving into Colonial Athletic Association play seeking its 16th consecutive title.
Sherida Triggs led the Lady Monarchs with 13 points, and T.J. Jordan had 11, all in the first half. Old Dominion forced 18 turnovers, but committed 24.
Tennessee led 38-33 at halftime and didn't move comfortably in front until Parker's three-point play and jumper sparked an 11-2 run to give the Lady Vols a 58-45 lead.
Parker was 12-for-18 from the field and 8-for-8 at the foul line.
The Lady Monarchs closed within 10 twice shortly thereafter, but Tennessee finally pulled away, using a significant height advantage and more depth to wear out ODU.
Shannon Bobbitt added 13 points and Alexis Hornbuckle 10 for Tennessee.
The game drew a crowd of 7,108, the third-largest for a women's game at the Constant Convocation Center. The largest — 7,758 — also came for Tennessee on Jan. 7, 2003, the year the arena opened.
Before the game, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt took part in a ceremony to present Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry with the game ball from her 500th career victory, which came Dec. 9 against Chicago State.
The Lady Vols scored the last five points of the first half to lead 38-33. The last two came on a steal and breakaway layup by Parker, who drew boos when she didn't dunk.
Parker, who made history in Norfolk last season when she dunked twice in an NCAA tournament game against Army, entered the game with three dunks this season, but was booed by the crowd when she passed on a chance for another one late in the first half.
Tennessee (11-1) won its fourth in a row since a 13-point loss at second-ranked North Carolina on Dec. 3. It improved to 31-9 in its history against Old Dominion.
The Lady Monarchs (3-7) lost for the fifth time in six games. Coming off a 15-point loss at Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion will host Rutgers next Saturday before moving into Colonial Athletic Association play seeking its 16th consecutive title.
Sherida Triggs led the Lady Monarchs with 13 points, and T.J. Jordan had 11, all in the first half. Old Dominion forced 18 turnovers, but committed 24.
Tennessee led 38-33 at halftime and didn't move comfortably in front until Parker's three-point play and jumper sparked an 11-2 run to give the Lady Vols a 58-45 lead.
Parker was 12-for-18 from the field and 8-for-8 at the foul line.
The Lady Monarchs closed within 10 twice shortly thereafter, but Tennessee finally pulled away, using a significant height advantage and more depth to wear out ODU.
Shannon Bobbitt added 13 points and Alexis Hornbuckle 10 for Tennessee.
The game drew a crowd of 7,108, the third-largest for a women's game at the Constant Convocation Center. The largest — 7,758 — also came for Tennessee on Jan. 7, 2003, the year the arena opened.
Before the game, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt took part in a ceremony to present Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry with the game ball from her 500th career victory, which came Dec. 9 against Chicago State.
The Lady Vols scored the last five points of the first half to lead 38-33. The last two came on a steal and breakaway layup by Parker, who drew boos when she didn't dunk.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
No. 5 Tennessee tops West Virginia 66-51
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle wanted a peaceful Christmas at home in West Virginia.
Candace Parker helped her cause with 19 points and a dunk, and Hornbuckle added 18 to help the fifth-ranked Lady Vols beat West Virginia 66-51 on Wednesday.
"I might have wanted to play one of the better games I have played yet," said Hornbuckle, a junior from Charleston, W.Va. "I told the girls in one of our huddles before the game, 'Ladies, let's just please play well. I want to go home for Christmas. I won't be able to show my face if we play bad or lose.'"
Parker dunked for the third time this season, drawing a technical foul for popping her jersey as the Lady Vols (10-1) were building a big lead in the first half. She had 13 points by halftime and finished with 10 rebounds.
Hornbuckle picked it up in the second half, scoring 11 points after the break. She was 4-of-6 in 3-point shooting.
The Mountaineers (7-5), who led only once after scoring the first basket of the game, cut the margin to eight early in the second half. But Shannon Bobbitt hit a 3 and Parker scored to push Tennessee's lead to 40-27.
Yet the Lady Vols' lead didn't appear completely safe until the final minutes. Neither team could sustain a long run.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt wanted to renew the series with West Virginia to give Hornbuckle a chance to return to her home state to play. The Lady Vols will travel to West Virginia next season. The teams had not faced each other since 1986.
"If she can play and put up numbers for us and have the kind of efficiency that she had tonight, we're a much better basketball team," Summitt said of Hornbuckle.
Parker has five dunks in her career, the most of any collegiate woman. She got a steal and jammed it with one hand on a breakaway. Afterward, Parker pulled out her jersey to show off the word "Tennessee" across it. The officials conferred with each other and whistled her for the technical.
"I'll have to take total blame for that because actually (official) John Morningstar said that's a new rule," Summitt said. "When we watched the (officiating) video somewhere along the way coach Summitt missed that and so did my entire staff."
Summitt said Parker popped her jersey after dunking in the season opener against Chattanooga but no technical was called then.
"We have played some opponents who have popped their collar at us. I didn't know that was the rule. It is. I learned from it, and it's not going to happen anymore," Parker said.
Ranisha White led West Virginia with a career-high 16 points, while Olayinka Sanni had 10. LaQuita Owens added nine points and nine rebounds.
"When Parker dunked the ball I thought 'Wow, we're in trouble.' You know, the crowd got involved. But give our girls credit, they didn't quit. They kept scrapping," West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. "Their size overwhelmed us at times."
The Lady Vols have won four in a row since losing at No. 2 North Carolina on Dec. 3.
West Virginia's zone defense bothered Tennessee early, and Summitt was upset with the way her reserves played.
"I think for the most part we have to be pleased with our starters and how they got us out to a great start," Summitt said. "I thought when we substituted we lost some rhythm offensively."
The Mountaineers had 24 turnovers and shot only 35 percent (19-of-54) from the field.
Tennessee jumped out to a 20-4 lead capped by Parker's dunk with 12:56 remaining. The Lady Vols went up by as many as 20, but West Virginia had a 7-0 run that made it 27-16 with 6:59 before halftime.
Bobbitt followed with a 3 and Alex Fuller made one of two free throws to increase the lead to 15, but the Mountaineers stayed with Tennessee and were down 32-23 at the break.
Candace Parker helped her cause with 19 points and a dunk, and Hornbuckle added 18 to help the fifth-ranked Lady Vols beat West Virginia 66-51 on Wednesday.
"I might have wanted to play one of the better games I have played yet," said Hornbuckle, a junior from Charleston, W.Va. "I told the girls in one of our huddles before the game, 'Ladies, let's just please play well. I want to go home for Christmas. I won't be able to show my face if we play bad or lose.'"
Parker dunked for the third time this season, drawing a technical foul for popping her jersey as the Lady Vols (10-1) were building a big lead in the first half. She had 13 points by halftime and finished with 10 rebounds.
Hornbuckle picked it up in the second half, scoring 11 points after the break. She was 4-of-6 in 3-point shooting.
The Mountaineers (7-5), who led only once after scoring the first basket of the game, cut the margin to eight early in the second half. But Shannon Bobbitt hit a 3 and Parker scored to push Tennessee's lead to 40-27.
Yet the Lady Vols' lead didn't appear completely safe until the final minutes. Neither team could sustain a long run.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt wanted to renew the series with West Virginia to give Hornbuckle a chance to return to her home state to play. The Lady Vols will travel to West Virginia next season. The teams had not faced each other since 1986.
"If she can play and put up numbers for us and have the kind of efficiency that she had tonight, we're a much better basketball team," Summitt said of Hornbuckle.
Parker has five dunks in her career, the most of any collegiate woman. She got a steal and jammed it with one hand on a breakaway. Afterward, Parker pulled out her jersey to show off the word "Tennessee" across it. The officials conferred with each other and whistled her for the technical.
"I'll have to take total blame for that because actually (official) John Morningstar said that's a new rule," Summitt said. "When we watched the (officiating) video somewhere along the way coach Summitt missed that and so did my entire staff."
Summitt said Parker popped her jersey after dunking in the season opener against Chattanooga but no technical was called then.
"We have played some opponents who have popped their collar at us. I didn't know that was the rule. It is. I learned from it, and it's not going to happen anymore," Parker said.
Ranisha White led West Virginia with a career-high 16 points, while Olayinka Sanni had 10. LaQuita Owens added nine points and nine rebounds.
"When Parker dunked the ball I thought 'Wow, we're in trouble.' You know, the crowd got involved. But give our girls credit, they didn't quit. They kept scrapping," West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. "Their size overwhelmed us at times."
The Lady Vols have won four in a row since losing at No. 2 North Carolina on Dec. 3.
West Virginia's zone defense bothered Tennessee early, and Summitt was upset with the way her reserves played.
"I think for the most part we have to be pleased with our starters and how they got us out to a great start," Summitt said. "I thought when we substituted we lost some rhythm offensively."
The Mountaineers had 24 turnovers and shot only 35 percent (19-of-54) from the field.
Tennessee jumped out to a 20-4 lead capped by Parker's dunk with 12:56 remaining. The Lady Vols went up by as many as 20, but West Virginia had a 7-0 run that made it 27-16 with 6:59 before halftime.
Bobbitt followed with a 3 and Alex Fuller made one of two free throws to increase the lead to 15, but the Mountaineers stayed with Tennessee and were down 32-23 at the break.
Pat Summitt On Texas, West Virginia, Old Dominion
UT Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt answers questions about previous games and those next on the schedule
On performance against Texas...
"The Texas game was a really good road test for us. We worked in practice and placed a lot of emphasis on our transition defense and our board play. We were more aggressive physically and had tougher action, particularly in the paint. We had more finesse. It's so important for our front line people to be able to score for us and generate easy baskets. In the second half I thought we did a good job of that. I thought between Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike and Alex Fuller that a lot of good things happened inside. We played extremely well and made a lot of tough shots and big shots in that game. Overall our defense was much improved."
On school being finished for the semester...
"I know they are glad to be out of exams, sometimes it's tough to get them focused. With two games this week, they understand what they need to do. We had a great practice yesterday and that was something I was a little apprehensive about, but they took ownership and we had good leadership."
On the games this week against West Virginia and Old Dominion...
"West Virginia appears to be playing very well. Certainly within their starting five they've got balance on the offensive end. Defense becomes a top priority for us. It's a series we started primarily with Alexis Hornbuckle in mind so we could play them home-and-away before she graduates, so I'm excited she has this opportunity. We are playing an opponent that we're not the familiar with and it's always a challenge to play outside your conference, but we're excited about this series.
Old Dominion is always a team that is up to play us and we have a long-standing rivalry and match-up with them. These are two games that are important and we want to close out with wins before the holidays. We have to be ready to play in both of these games."
On the importance of going into the break with momentum...
"Well, we've been in situations many times where we've gone home for the holidays with a loss, it's tough and not any fun, I can tell you that. We want to continue to play better and to improve in each and every game. It's always good to be able to go on a break on a positive note and hopefully this team can do that."
On Sidney Spencer's development...
"When Sidney came here, she had a different physique; she was thin and unimposing physically. Mentally she was proud to be here, but she didn't have the confidence and the mindset of coming in and being a scorer for our team. She had to grow into that role. That is what has been great to watch. You watch players come in and you never know which of them will buy into the system and work in the off-season. She has a great work ethic, which I knew when I recruited her and got to know her family. It was clear to me that she loved the game and wanted to be a big time player, but I'm not sure she thought she could be initially. The one thing I've had to do in the past is to threaten to take her out and give her a minimum number of shots to take, but not this year and it's been tremendous. She's aggressive and if you look at her offensive game she's attacking and she's got her step-back move, she's taking the ball to the hole and she's been terrific this year from three-point range. She's playing with tremendous confidence, but also with the understanding that she has to be a go-to player for this team."
On Spencer's three-point shooting...
"I don't want to jinx her, she's just been terrific. While I knew she'd shot the ball well, when you look at the percentage, it's hard to believe she can do that. We've played some tough opponents. I know at Texas they tried to key in on her. I was pleased with her movement off the ball. She's much more active and she has the size to shoot over most of the people who guard her. Her size at the three is difficult to guard. I have to give her credit; she took on the challenge of filling in for Shanna Zolman. I told her she had to be our Shanna and knock down the threes, stretch the defense and get on the boards; she was not rebounding at all. She's responded in that area as well. With Sidney, I'm excited for her and for what she brings to our team. It's a different dimension, even just comparing her to Shanna, because of her size. She's added her step back move. She has a tough step back move and she used that at Texas to knock down shots. I think she rushed in the North Carolina game and she learned from it. She missed lay-ups and wide open threes, she got overanxious. At Texas she really settled down."
On the surprise of Sidney and the Lady Vols leading the nation in three-point percentage...
"I really did not know what to expect, because we were going into this season with three new perimeter players. That was the unknown about our team, would we be able to hit the outside shots. As we got into practice, I got a clearer understand of what Shannon and Alberta could bring and where we were with Cait. Cait can make threes and play off the dribble like Bobbitt. As a team overall, I'm really pleased with the balance that we have. In particular, to not hesitate, take and make shots in all positions. Alex Fuller has really stepped up. She was terrific in the Texas game and after watching the George Washington game, I thought she was the best front line defender that we had. A lot of players have stepped up from last year and obviously our new players have made a big impact."
On WVU's balance...
"They play well together. To me, that's more difficult to guard than having just one key player. I think that's something that we're starting to see with our own team. WVU brings to the court a commitment to be a solid team, both offensively and defensively."
On the importance of bringing Alexis back home (to West Virginia) next year as a senior...
"That's been our philosophy, it's a priority for us if they chose to come to Tennessee, to give her family and friends and people in that area of the country to have Alexis back home and to have a homecoming. We try to do that for each and every player that has come here from out of state and obviously that is quite a few players. These players made a choice to leave home and join our family at Tennessee. The sacrifices student-athletes make to leave home, we feel we should reward them by letting them go back and play in front of their families and friends. We appreciate their decision and commitment to be a part of the Tennessee family. I always enjoy games like that because it's truly a homecoming for them. Sometimes they are really nervous and sometimes they have their best games. I just think it's important to do that for our student-athletes that wear the orange."
On newcomers' reaction to road games...
"It's been a gradual growing process in which I think that in particular, Shannon Bobbitt, Alberta Auguste and Cait McMahan have grown with each challenge on the road. In particular, Arizona State was a great environment, it was loud. I thought Alberta played a great game, but both Shannon and Cait were a little over-anxious at times and unsettled offensively. At North Carolina, Shannon and Cait were much better and I certainly saw a big difference. At Texas they both played with a lot of confidence and poise and ran our team. I thought it would be January or February before they settled down but they've shown a lot of leadership and maturity in adverse situations in terms of crowds."
On Candace Parker's potential as a player...
"Candace is a different player than she was a year ago, and I think that's from her USA basketball experience, playing with all the pro players. The coaches played her primarily in the front line. It was good for her to work with Tina Thompson on the low block and at the four spot and to see Tamika Catchings' work ethic and she played with a lot of great names in the game. When she came back, she was much more confident and self-assured of what she could do on the court. I think she has expanded her game and she can play multiple positions for us. I think she is an exciting player and I think her challenge for her is to keep that intensity, especially on the defensive end and on the boards, because to me that's where she could be so imposing. I've really challenged the entire team in those aspects of the game but I do think that she is making strides in those areas."
On WVU's Sparkle Davis...
"We looked at her coming out of high school and she certainly brings the athleticism and the skill to challenge us. For her, she's gone in and made an impact and that's always a priority for us to bring our defensive intensity and to contain. We don't always go into it thinking we have to stop people but in this case we need to really be alert and contain her."
On the Tennessee men's team this year...
"Last night was unbelievable against Oklahoma State. That was a terrific win for them. I've been able to watch a majority of their games. The intensity that they bring on the defensive end and how they attack offensively and disrupt people; it is a lot of fun to watch. I've challenged my team to look at what they do defensively and how all five players play so hard and don't take any possessions off. That's a great example for us to be right here and be able to watch them. They've been an inspiration for us."
On the possible restrictions or banning of using male practice players...
"I don't want them to go. They've been instrumental in helping women's basketball players improve. I know I was one of the first to use males as practice players. I grew up playing against my older brothers and they made me a better player. We have a better game because of the use of practice players. I think it would be a huge mistake to lose that. A lot of people have indicated that it would help some of the teams that are not in the top-20, but I totally disagree with that. At any level, you benefit from the challenge day-in and day-out of going against these males that are there to benefit the teams that they are working with. Our guys check their egos before they get on the court; they genuinely want to help us. They've been a very important part of the women's game. It's not like everyone can't do it, perhaps some coaches don't want to take the time to do it, but it is well worth it."
On performance against Texas...
"The Texas game was a really good road test for us. We worked in practice and placed a lot of emphasis on our transition defense and our board play. We were more aggressive physically and had tougher action, particularly in the paint. We had more finesse. It's so important for our front line people to be able to score for us and generate easy baskets. In the second half I thought we did a good job of that. I thought between Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike and Alex Fuller that a lot of good things happened inside. We played extremely well and made a lot of tough shots and big shots in that game. Overall our defense was much improved."
On school being finished for the semester...
"I know they are glad to be out of exams, sometimes it's tough to get them focused. With two games this week, they understand what they need to do. We had a great practice yesterday and that was something I was a little apprehensive about, but they took ownership and we had good leadership."
On the games this week against West Virginia and Old Dominion...
"West Virginia appears to be playing very well. Certainly within their starting five they've got balance on the offensive end. Defense becomes a top priority for us. It's a series we started primarily with Alexis Hornbuckle in mind so we could play them home-and-away before she graduates, so I'm excited she has this opportunity. We are playing an opponent that we're not the familiar with and it's always a challenge to play outside your conference, but we're excited about this series.
Old Dominion is always a team that is up to play us and we have a long-standing rivalry and match-up with them. These are two games that are important and we want to close out with wins before the holidays. We have to be ready to play in both of these games."
On the importance of going into the break with momentum...
"Well, we've been in situations many times where we've gone home for the holidays with a loss, it's tough and not any fun, I can tell you that. We want to continue to play better and to improve in each and every game. It's always good to be able to go on a break on a positive note and hopefully this team can do that."
On Sidney Spencer's development...
"When Sidney came here, she had a different physique; she was thin and unimposing physically. Mentally she was proud to be here, but she didn't have the confidence and the mindset of coming in and being a scorer for our team. She had to grow into that role. That is what has been great to watch. You watch players come in and you never know which of them will buy into the system and work in the off-season. She has a great work ethic, which I knew when I recruited her and got to know her family. It was clear to me that she loved the game and wanted to be a big time player, but I'm not sure she thought she could be initially. The one thing I've had to do in the past is to threaten to take her out and give her a minimum number of shots to take, but not this year and it's been tremendous. She's aggressive and if you look at her offensive game she's attacking and she's got her step-back move, she's taking the ball to the hole and she's been terrific this year from three-point range. She's playing with tremendous confidence, but also with the understanding that she has to be a go-to player for this team."
On Spencer's three-point shooting...
"I don't want to jinx her, she's just been terrific. While I knew she'd shot the ball well, when you look at the percentage, it's hard to believe she can do that. We've played some tough opponents. I know at Texas they tried to key in on her. I was pleased with her movement off the ball. She's much more active and she has the size to shoot over most of the people who guard her. Her size at the three is difficult to guard. I have to give her credit; she took on the challenge of filling in for Shanna Zolman. I told her she had to be our Shanna and knock down the threes, stretch the defense and get on the boards; she was not rebounding at all. She's responded in that area as well. With Sidney, I'm excited for her and for what she brings to our team. It's a different dimension, even just comparing her to Shanna, because of her size. She's added her step back move. She has a tough step back move and she used that at Texas to knock down shots. I think she rushed in the North Carolina game and she learned from it. She missed lay-ups and wide open threes, she got overanxious. At Texas she really settled down."
On the surprise of Sidney and the Lady Vols leading the nation in three-point percentage...
"I really did not know what to expect, because we were going into this season with three new perimeter players. That was the unknown about our team, would we be able to hit the outside shots. As we got into practice, I got a clearer understand of what Shannon and Alberta could bring and where we were with Cait. Cait can make threes and play off the dribble like Bobbitt. As a team overall, I'm really pleased with the balance that we have. In particular, to not hesitate, take and make shots in all positions. Alex Fuller has really stepped up. She was terrific in the Texas game and after watching the George Washington game, I thought she was the best front line defender that we had. A lot of players have stepped up from last year and obviously our new players have made a big impact."
On WVU's balance...
"They play well together. To me, that's more difficult to guard than having just one key player. I think that's something that we're starting to see with our own team. WVU brings to the court a commitment to be a solid team, both offensively and defensively."
On the importance of bringing Alexis back home (to West Virginia) next year as a senior...
"That's been our philosophy, it's a priority for us if they chose to come to Tennessee, to give her family and friends and people in that area of the country to have Alexis back home and to have a homecoming. We try to do that for each and every player that has come here from out of state and obviously that is quite a few players. These players made a choice to leave home and join our family at Tennessee. The sacrifices student-athletes make to leave home, we feel we should reward them by letting them go back and play in front of their families and friends. We appreciate their decision and commitment to be a part of the Tennessee family. I always enjoy games like that because it's truly a homecoming for them. Sometimes they are really nervous and sometimes they have their best games. I just think it's important to do that for our student-athletes that wear the orange."
On newcomers' reaction to road games...
"It's been a gradual growing process in which I think that in particular, Shannon Bobbitt, Alberta Auguste and Cait McMahan have grown with each challenge on the road. In particular, Arizona State was a great environment, it was loud. I thought Alberta played a great game, but both Shannon and Cait were a little over-anxious at times and unsettled offensively. At North Carolina, Shannon and Cait were much better and I certainly saw a big difference. At Texas they both played with a lot of confidence and poise and ran our team. I thought it would be January or February before they settled down but they've shown a lot of leadership and maturity in adverse situations in terms of crowds."
On Candace Parker's potential as a player...
"Candace is a different player than she was a year ago, and I think that's from her USA basketball experience, playing with all the pro players. The coaches played her primarily in the front line. It was good for her to work with Tina Thompson on the low block and at the four spot and to see Tamika Catchings' work ethic and she played with a lot of great names in the game. When she came back, she was much more confident and self-assured of what she could do on the court. I think she has expanded her game and she can play multiple positions for us. I think she is an exciting player and I think her challenge for her is to keep that intensity, especially on the defensive end and on the boards, because to me that's where she could be so imposing. I've really challenged the entire team in those aspects of the game but I do think that she is making strides in those areas."
On WVU's Sparkle Davis...
"We looked at her coming out of high school and she certainly brings the athleticism and the skill to challenge us. For her, she's gone in and made an impact and that's always a priority for us to bring our defensive intensity and to contain. We don't always go into it thinking we have to stop people but in this case we need to really be alert and contain her."
On the Tennessee men's team this year...
"Last night was unbelievable against Oklahoma State. That was a terrific win for them. I've been able to watch a majority of their games. The intensity that they bring on the defensive end and how they attack offensively and disrupt people; it is a lot of fun to watch. I've challenged my team to look at what they do defensively and how all five players play so hard and don't take any possessions off. That's a great example for us to be right here and be able to watch them. They've been an inspiration for us."
On the possible restrictions or banning of using male practice players...
"I don't want them to go. They've been instrumental in helping women's basketball players improve. I know I was one of the first to use males as practice players. I grew up playing against my older brothers and they made me a better player. We have a better game because of the use of practice players. I think it would be a huge mistake to lose that. A lot of people have indicated that it would help some of the teams that are not in the top-20, but I totally disagree with that. At any level, you benefit from the challenge day-in and day-out of going against these males that are there to benefit the teams that they are working with. Our guys check their egos before they get on the court; they genuinely want to help us. They've been a very important part of the women's game. It's not like everyone can't do it, perhaps some coaches don't want to take the time to do it, but it is well worth it."
Monday, December 18, 2006
Summitt and Conradt don't duck anybody
AUSTIN -- Annually, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt organizes the nation’s most grueling schedule for her team.
“Sometimes I look at it, and it makes me sick,” Summitt said. “But I know why I do it.”
Sunday’s 67-46 victory over Texas provided one reason – the Lady Vols know how to win, even when they aren’t playing well.
Against UT, the No. 5 Lady Vols made 11 of 35 shots in the first half, and had to close in a fury to even be at a lowly 31 percent. Tennessee was 4 of 15 at the 13:42 mark, 4 of 16 two minutes later, 7 of 25 with 7:29 to play in the first half and 8 of 29 with just more than three minutes to go before the intermission.
“I think it’s really a positive for us not to shoot well, but be able to rebound, and stop (the Longhorns’) go-to players,” Tennessee phenom Candace Parker said. “It’s a real positive for us.”
Summitt agreed, and probably owed herself a small pat on the back.
“We get to play against a lot of different styles,” Summitt said of her handpicked schedule. “We get to play against some of the best players in the country.”
UT coach Jody Conradt utilizes the same philosophy. The Longhorns are finished with a back-to-back spin against Duke and the Lady Vols, both top-5 programs, and they visited New Mexico in November and will host Purdue next month.
This beat-your-head-against-the-wall nonconference strategy was one initially hatched by Conradt and Summitt. They shared the Erwin Center sidelines Sunday – a staggering 1,811 victories between them and counting – and together, that powerful duo helped sculpt the modern women’s game.
And it started with them, bringing two programs together. Sunday marked the 28th meeting between UT and Tennessee, one of the top traditional non-conference rivalries in the country. Oddly enough, though, they have never met during postseason play.
Now, you see other top programs follow the path initially forged by Summitt and Conradt. The likes of Baylor, LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma are adding some formidable opponents in November and December. It makes for better basketball, and better TV opportunities to help the women’s game grow nationwide.
So, it’s fitting that the Summitt-Conradt philosophy – one that was created early to help their two growing programs – now helps a nation full of them. That’s why they are called pioneers.
“Sometimes I look at it, and it makes me sick,” Summitt said. “But I know why I do it.”
Sunday’s 67-46 victory over Texas provided one reason – the Lady Vols know how to win, even when they aren’t playing well.
Against UT, the No. 5 Lady Vols made 11 of 35 shots in the first half, and had to close in a fury to even be at a lowly 31 percent. Tennessee was 4 of 15 at the 13:42 mark, 4 of 16 two minutes later, 7 of 25 with 7:29 to play in the first half and 8 of 29 with just more than three minutes to go before the intermission.
“I think it’s really a positive for us not to shoot well, but be able to rebound, and stop (the Longhorns’) go-to players,” Tennessee phenom Candace Parker said. “It’s a real positive for us.”
Summitt agreed, and probably owed herself a small pat on the back.
“We get to play against a lot of different styles,” Summitt said of her handpicked schedule. “We get to play against some of the best players in the country.”
UT coach Jody Conradt utilizes the same philosophy. The Longhorns are finished with a back-to-back spin against Duke and the Lady Vols, both top-5 programs, and they visited New Mexico in November and will host Purdue next month.
This beat-your-head-against-the-wall nonconference strategy was one initially hatched by Conradt and Summitt. They shared the Erwin Center sidelines Sunday – a staggering 1,811 victories between them and counting – and together, that powerful duo helped sculpt the modern women’s game.
And it started with them, bringing two programs together. Sunday marked the 28th meeting between UT and Tennessee, one of the top traditional non-conference rivalries in the country. Oddly enough, though, they have never met during postseason play.
Now, you see other top programs follow the path initially forged by Summitt and Conradt. The likes of Baylor, LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma are adding some formidable opponents in November and December. It makes for better basketball, and better TV opportunities to help the women’s game grow nationwide.
So, it’s fitting that the Summitt-Conradt philosophy – one that was created early to help their two growing programs – now helps a nation full of them. That’s why they are called pioneers.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
(5) Tennessee 67, (23) Texas 46
AUSTIN, Texas -- Sidney Spencer scored 15 points and No. 5 Tennessee shook off poor shooting in the first half with a scoring burst early in the second for a 67-46 win Sunday over No. 23 Texas.
In a matchup of college basketball's two winningest coaches, Tennessee's Pat Summitt got career win No. 922 and her second in a row over Texas' Jody Conradt, who has 889.
Texas had won four in a row in this rivalry between the traditional women's powers before dropping the last two by an average of 31 points.
Candace Parker added 12 points for the Lady Vols (9-1). Freshman guard Brittainey Raven scored 15 to lead Texas (7-3) in her third career start.
Parker's two quick layups to open the second half and a flurry of 3-pointers by Spencer and Shannon Bobbit turned a tight game into a rout as the Lady Vols expanded a 27-18 halftime lead to 51-31 with about 10 minutes left and cruised from there.
Texas, which came in off a 28-point loss at Duke a week earlier, missed a chance to take advantage of the Lady Vols' 11-of-35 shooting in the first half that included a 1-of-8 effort by Parker, Tennessee's leading scorer this season.
Parker made up for it on the defensive end, helping the Lady Vols shut down Texas' Tiffany Jackson with constant double- and triple-teams in the middle of the Tennessee defense.
Jackson finished with eight points on 2-of-13 shooting. Texas' 18 points tied for the third-lowest mark in a first half in school history.
Parker, who was beating defenders but missing shots in the first half, scored on her first two touches in the second, putting Tennessee up 31-20 before she picked up her third foul and had to back off.
Her teammates quickly filled the gap, finding different players to keep the run going.
In a matchup of college basketball's two winningest coaches, Tennessee's Pat Summitt got career win No. 922 and her second in a row over Texas' Jody Conradt, who has 889.
Texas had won four in a row in this rivalry between the traditional women's powers before dropping the last two by an average of 31 points.
Candace Parker added 12 points for the Lady Vols (9-1). Freshman guard Brittainey Raven scored 15 to lead Texas (7-3) in her third career start.
Parker's two quick layups to open the second half and a flurry of 3-pointers by Spencer and Shannon Bobbit turned a tight game into a rout as the Lady Vols expanded a 27-18 halftime lead to 51-31 with about 10 minutes left and cruised from there.
Texas, which came in off a 28-point loss at Duke a week earlier, missed a chance to take advantage of the Lady Vols' 11-of-35 shooting in the first half that included a 1-of-8 effort by Parker, Tennessee's leading scorer this season.
Parker made up for it on the defensive end, helping the Lady Vols shut down Texas' Tiffany Jackson with constant double- and triple-teams in the middle of the Tennessee defense.
Jackson finished with eight points on 2-of-13 shooting. Texas' 18 points tied for the third-lowest mark in a first half in school history.
Parker, who was beating defenders but missing shots in the first half, scored on her first two touches in the second, putting Tennessee up 31-20 before she picked up her third foul and had to back off.
Her teammates quickly filled the gap, finding different players to keep the run going.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Lady Vols Set For Top-25 Showdown With Texas
KNOXVILLE, TN -- University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt will be coaching in her 1,100th career game, as she takes her #5-ranked Lady Vols (8-1) on the road to face the #23/24-ranked Texas Longhorns (7-2) at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
The matinee tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.
The #23/24-ranked Texas Longhorns are 7-2 on the young season. Like Tennessee, Texas has also been off for the past week. The Longhorns have been enjoying the friendly confines of the Erwin Center facing nine of the first 11 opponents at home. The two Texas road trips resulted in the only losses thus far -- at #23-ranked New Mexico (63-60) and at #4-ranked Duke (80-52). Nevertheless, Texas is off to its best beginning of the season since a 7-0 start in 2003-04. Once again, the burnt orange UT is led by senior All-America candidate Tiffany Jackson who leads the Longhorns statistically: scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg), steals (3.1 spg), and minutes played (30.7). Assisting Jackson in the scoring department is sophomore guard Erika Arriaran chipping in with 10.0 ppg, redshirt freshman forward Earnesia Williams (6.9 ppg), freshman guard Niqky Hughes (7.4 ppg) and junior guard Erneisha Bailey (5.8 ppg).
Texas had Tennessee's number in four consecutive games from 2002-04. With the mini-run, the Longhorns broke a 10-year, 13 loss skein to the Lady Vols. During the four game losing span, which (ironically) found the Lady Vols at the Final Four each season, Tennessee averaged an anemic 61.7 ppg while the Longhorns averaged 69.0 ppg in these contests. UT broke the streak with a 41-point drubbing over Texas last season, 102-61, and ironically missed the Final Four.
The matinee tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.
The #23/24-ranked Texas Longhorns are 7-2 on the young season. Like Tennessee, Texas has also been off for the past week. The Longhorns have been enjoying the friendly confines of the Erwin Center facing nine of the first 11 opponents at home. The two Texas road trips resulted in the only losses thus far -- at #23-ranked New Mexico (63-60) and at #4-ranked Duke (80-52). Nevertheless, Texas is off to its best beginning of the season since a 7-0 start in 2003-04. Once again, the burnt orange UT is led by senior All-America candidate Tiffany Jackson who leads the Longhorns statistically: scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg), steals (3.1 spg), and minutes played (30.7). Assisting Jackson in the scoring department is sophomore guard Erika Arriaran chipping in with 10.0 ppg, redshirt freshman forward Earnesia Williams (6.9 ppg), freshman guard Niqky Hughes (7.4 ppg) and junior guard Erneisha Bailey (5.8 ppg).
Texas had Tennessee's number in four consecutive games from 2002-04. With the mini-run, the Longhorns broke a 10-year, 13 loss skein to the Lady Vols. During the four game losing span, which (ironically) found the Lady Vols at the Final Four each season, Tennessee averaged an anemic 61.7 ppg while the Longhorns averaged 69.0 ppg in these contests. UT broke the streak with a 41-point drubbing over Texas last season, 102-61, and ironically missed the Final Four.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Special events around Women's Basketball vs. Tennessee game Sunday
AUSTIN, Texas -- There will be plenty of action pre-game and post-game on Sunday, Dec. 17 surrounding the Texas-Tennessee women's basketball showdown at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.
The game pits No. 5 Tennessee (8-1) against the No. 23 Longhorns, who are 7-2 overall and undefeated at home this year (7-0). The game tips at 1:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live nationally on FSN TV (FOX Sports Net).
For the first time this season, the FSN College Hoops Tip-Off Show will air from a women's basketball site. This weekly Sunday program special will take place at the Erwin Center, beginning at 1:00 and ending at 1:30 p.m. Prior to tipoff. Mike Goldberg and Debbie Antonelli (who also is the color commentator for the game) will be broadcast partners for this special LIVE half-hour show.
The show features live cutins to the Erwin Center, interviews with Texas head coach Jody Conradt and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt, the two winningest coaches in men's or women's basketball history, along with special features. The Texas women's basketball band, cheer and dance groups also will be involved in the half-hour special ... Along with all fans who come early!
After the game, fans in the Erwin Center are invited to stay for a FREE concert by recording artist Sara Hickman.
Hickman has released more than 15 albums, including a half dozen on major record labels. She has been a guest performer on at least 25 albums released by other musicians. She had a #3 adult contemporary hit "I Couldn't Help Myself", has twice been a guest of NBC's Tonight Show, hosted her own VH-1 special, produced an independent video, "Joy", which won first place in the USA Film Festival, and co-produced a PBS documentary titled "Take It Like A Man".
Hickman is a native of Houston, Texas also is very involved in community issues. She is an avid supporter of numerous charities and organizations benefiting children, women, and health. She has been awarded the Humana "Women Helping Women" award for her generous work with such organizations as Safe Place, Habitat for Humanity, House the Homeless, the SPCA , the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, among others.
This is the first of four post-game concerts around selected UT women's basketball home events this year. On Sunday, Jan. 7 following the Purdue game, Ruthie Foster will perform, with Elana James performing on Sunday, Jan. 21 after the UT-Texas A&M matchup and Patrice Pike performing on Saturday, Feb. 24 after the UT-Texas Tech game.
Fan interested in attending Sunday's Texas-Tennessee game can purchase tickets at www.TexasBoxOffice.com or by calling (800) 982-BEVO or (512) 471-3333. Tickets may be purchased on game-day at the Erwin Center as well.
Several special ticket promotions are in the works for Sunday's game. It is "Team Day", where tickets are $3 each for all players and coaches in team jerseys or t-shirts; "Chamber Night", where all chamber employees will receive a discounted reserved seat; and there is a Regal Cinemas Special, where fans who bring in one Regal Cinemas movie stub from Nov. or Dec. 2006 receive one $7 ticket.
Group packages are also available at an additional discount. For more information, call 512-232-3865 or email UTHoopsCentral@athletics.utexas.edu.
The game pits No. 5 Tennessee (8-1) against the No. 23 Longhorns, who are 7-2 overall and undefeated at home this year (7-0). The game tips at 1:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live nationally on FSN TV (FOX Sports Net).
For the first time this season, the FSN College Hoops Tip-Off Show will air from a women's basketball site. This weekly Sunday program special will take place at the Erwin Center, beginning at 1:00 and ending at 1:30 p.m. Prior to tipoff. Mike Goldberg and Debbie Antonelli (who also is the color commentator for the game) will be broadcast partners for this special LIVE half-hour show.
The show features live cutins to the Erwin Center, interviews with Texas head coach Jody Conradt and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt, the two winningest coaches in men's or women's basketball history, along with special features. The Texas women's basketball band, cheer and dance groups also will be involved in the half-hour special ... Along with all fans who come early!
After the game, fans in the Erwin Center are invited to stay for a FREE concert by recording artist Sara Hickman.
Hickman has released more than 15 albums, including a half dozen on major record labels. She has been a guest performer on at least 25 albums released by other musicians. She had a #3 adult contemporary hit "I Couldn't Help Myself", has twice been a guest of NBC's Tonight Show, hosted her own VH-1 special, produced an independent video, "Joy", which won first place in the USA Film Festival, and co-produced a PBS documentary titled "Take It Like A Man".
Hickman is a native of Houston, Texas also is very involved in community issues. She is an avid supporter of numerous charities and organizations benefiting children, women, and health. She has been awarded the Humana "Women Helping Women" award for her generous work with such organizations as Safe Place, Habitat for Humanity, House the Homeless, the SPCA , the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, among others.
This is the first of four post-game concerts around selected UT women's basketball home events this year. On Sunday, Jan. 7 following the Purdue game, Ruthie Foster will perform, with Elana James performing on Sunday, Jan. 21 after the UT-Texas A&M matchup and Patrice Pike performing on Saturday, Feb. 24 after the UT-Texas Tech game.
Fan interested in attending Sunday's Texas-Tennessee game can purchase tickets at www.TexasBoxOffice.com or by calling (800) 982-BEVO or (512) 471-3333. Tickets may be purchased on game-day at the Erwin Center as well.
Several special ticket promotions are in the works for Sunday's game. It is "Team Day", where tickets are $3 each for all players and coaches in team jerseys or t-shirts; "Chamber Night", where all chamber employees will receive a discounted reserved seat; and there is a Regal Cinemas Special, where fans who bring in one Regal Cinemas movie stub from Nov. or Dec. 2006 receive one $7 ticket.
Group packages are also available at an additional discount. For more information, call 512-232-3865 or email UTHoopsCentral@athletics.utexas.edu.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Pat Summitt On The George Washington, Texas Games
On Tennessee's performance against George Washington...
"I thought we played in spurts. They did a nice job of mixing up some things against us. I thought that again, we struggled with consistency and being able to sustain a certain level of play. Our bench had a little bit of trouble coming in and keeping us at the level we wanted and that was a challenge for us. That is somewhere we should separate ourselves out, with the depth there. We have to make sure our bench understands accountability. In some cases players learning to come off the bench and impact the play or at least keep us where we need to be. I'd been fairly well pleased until the North Carolina and GW games.
On playing Texas...
"I'm looking forward to playing Texas at their place. It's always a challenge for us and a difficult environment. That's why we schedule the way we schedule; to put our players in what could be a postseason like atmosphere. We had that at Arizona State and at North Carolina and I would expect us to have that at Texas."
On wanting team to be more physical...
"I'm talking about our defense, our rebounding and boxing out on the defensive end. We tend to be a team that hasn't initiated contact on the box out. From an offensive standpoint, we need stronger post up play, not just from the post players, but anytime we want to post our guards. We need to be more aggressive and physical on the offensive glass. It became very glaring in the NC game, physically they were so much tougher than us. Even watching our GW game, I did not feel like we were as physically imposing as we have been in past years. It is a very physical game, we have to understand and adapt to situations and realize that we do have to make contact on our box outs and more repetition of that."
On your decision to go the junior college route this year and their transition...
"We went that route because we felt we needed to add depth in the back court, with the transfer of Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood. Being exposed last year because at times we didn't have the quickness, the speed or the depth of quickness and speed. It's been more than I'd anticipated. I thought Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt could both help us, but the fact that they had two years of experience at the juco level gave them a wealth of experience to come in and help us. They didn't seem overwhelmed at all. They seemed much more mature in handling the expectations and getting into our training and conditioning in the summer. It was a very pleasant surprise and I was very pleased. At the same time, the thing that they have struggled with is when we are on the road in hostile environments, in particular Shannon at ASU and Alberta at UNC, they seem to be a little overanxious and bothered in that environment. That's why we do what we do with our scheduling. They have both helped us tremendously but I think there is a still a real upside to what they can do in the future.
On junior college players, when they first arrived...
"I think the conditioning was the biggest shock, the intensity of the training and their conditioning. Aside from that, and I know after Shannon's first workout, a few of the veterans called me and said `Oh coach, Shannon had a difficult time getting through the workout today, but we told her she couldn't quit,' and the same with Alberta. But they bought into it and kept getting better and more confident and comfortable as time went on. But mainly, they are so appreciative of the opportunities they have had here, whether it's how we travel, the gear they receive, the running shoes for conditioning, the basketball shoes for playing. When they got their basketball shoes it was `thank you coach,' they thanked everyone. They appreciate everything. Honestly, it has been a breath of fresh air. These kids really do appreciate everything because this is a different environment and different circumstances."
On pre-conceived notion or reputation of junior college players...
"I think there is a perception there, that they perhaps have more issues. Even for myself, I haven't looked at the juco route, because we've been able to identify and recruit players we know we'll have for four years. When you can have a player for four years, you have the opportunity for more consistency and hopefully they can make an impact for at least three of those four years and hopefully all four years. You don't have the turnover of two years. But, having these two (Alberta and Shannon), has made me rethink looking at jucos in the future."
On what Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood will do for Maryland...
"She is a very talented offensive player and has the ability to push tempo. She is a scoring point guard but likes to get other people involved. She's a very well-rounded offensive player that certainly would impact any team, regardless of the talent pool. On the defensive end, she is very committed. A lot of times her defense starts her offense. She should have a positive influence right away."
On the potential of foul trouble because of being physical...
"I'm speaking more about being aggressive and physical with our bodies. The emphasis on hand checking is what got us in trouble earlier this season. We need to play more with our bodies and our feet, not our hands. That is something we've tried to distinguish, between being aggressive with your feet and physical with your body, as opposed to just trying to play defense with your hands."
On the recent recommendation by the Committee on Women's Athletics to the NCAA on banning male practice players...
"I think it would be detrimental to women's basketball. If you look at what has happened, the parity in the game, the fact that when we have male practice players, they challenge us. It's not like they take away opportunities, on the contrary, they provide opportunities for our teams to work on specific game preparation. If we want to work on our full court press, we can press the guys, they challenge us and they make us better. Everyone on our team has the opportunity to work on that. If we don't have practice guys, and I think this would be true for most coaches, then the last five players on your team become the practice squad. Yes, they may get some reps in that way, but can they be counted on come game time. When I coached the Olympic team in 1984, we played against one female team in the exhibition games. The rest of the time, we played against males and traveled to different cities and did that. The guys made us better. When we were in Colorado Springs, we were training against guys in that area, a lot of former high school and college players. Why? Because it enhances our opportunity to compete at a different level and allowed us to get all of our players involved in whatever aspect we were focusing on."
On the overall perception of other top teams this season...
"I haven't gotten to see a lot of games, but I watched the Duke vs. Texas game. I thought Duke did a great job defensively, extending it and changing it a lot. Early on, a lot of these teams are going to show that their defense is ahead of their offense and that they generate offense from their defense. The same has been true for us, we've had to rely on our defense to generate points for us. We're not as sharp not in our half court offense as we will be in February. Certainly it's consistent with these top teams that the defense has picked up running the offense."
On Texas' Tiffany Jackson...
"She is a great talent. I see more dimensions now to her game. She's handling more in the open floor. She's facing up and putting the ball on the floor even more. Her offensive package, to me, is more extensive now than in the past. Certainly her force on the boards and great defensive presence has a great impact on how that team plays. They've established her as their go-to player and rely heavily on her production game-in and game-out. That will be a real challenge for us."
On Texas' young team...
"With a young team, watching them play against Duke, they are going to be a lot different at home than they were on the road. I see that with Cait McMahan, our freshman point guard who is getting quality minutes and with Alberta and Shannon, because they are comfortable. At halftime of the ASU game, I went up to Shannon and asked `What is the deal, you've got 9,000 people watching you, you have to step up and play on the big stage, why are you so nervous.' She said to me, `Coach, I'm used to hearing Rocky Top.' Well there wasn't any Rocky Top in Arizona and there certainly won't be any played in Texas. I think what you see sometimes when you have those young players, having been in that environment, it can affect their performance."
What do you remember from the last trip to Texas...
"It was like it was last week. The bus broke down, we were getting into taxis, jumping into cars and we got there late. We faced adversity getting there but faced more when the game started. They took it to us. Offensively we were stagnant and I thought looking back that is when we put in some different schemes offensively. We never got comfortable against their defense. Their defense just really took us apart. They got a lot of easy transition baskets. We looked like for the most part that we were in shock. It was a long night."
"I thought we played in spurts. They did a nice job of mixing up some things against us. I thought that again, we struggled with consistency and being able to sustain a certain level of play. Our bench had a little bit of trouble coming in and keeping us at the level we wanted and that was a challenge for us. That is somewhere we should separate ourselves out, with the depth there. We have to make sure our bench understands accountability. In some cases players learning to come off the bench and impact the play or at least keep us where we need to be. I'd been fairly well pleased until the North Carolina and GW games.
On playing Texas...
"I'm looking forward to playing Texas at their place. It's always a challenge for us and a difficult environment. That's why we schedule the way we schedule; to put our players in what could be a postseason like atmosphere. We had that at Arizona State and at North Carolina and I would expect us to have that at Texas."
On wanting team to be more physical...
"I'm talking about our defense, our rebounding and boxing out on the defensive end. We tend to be a team that hasn't initiated contact on the box out. From an offensive standpoint, we need stronger post up play, not just from the post players, but anytime we want to post our guards. We need to be more aggressive and physical on the offensive glass. It became very glaring in the NC game, physically they were so much tougher than us. Even watching our GW game, I did not feel like we were as physically imposing as we have been in past years. It is a very physical game, we have to understand and adapt to situations and realize that we do have to make contact on our box outs and more repetition of that."
On your decision to go the junior college route this year and their transition...
"We went that route because we felt we needed to add depth in the back court, with the transfer of Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood. Being exposed last year because at times we didn't have the quickness, the speed or the depth of quickness and speed. It's been more than I'd anticipated. I thought Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt could both help us, but the fact that they had two years of experience at the juco level gave them a wealth of experience to come in and help us. They didn't seem overwhelmed at all. They seemed much more mature in handling the expectations and getting into our training and conditioning in the summer. It was a very pleasant surprise and I was very pleased. At the same time, the thing that they have struggled with is when we are on the road in hostile environments, in particular Shannon at ASU and Alberta at UNC, they seem to be a little overanxious and bothered in that environment. That's why we do what we do with our scheduling. They have both helped us tremendously but I think there is a still a real upside to what they can do in the future.
On junior college players, when they first arrived...
"I think the conditioning was the biggest shock, the intensity of the training and their conditioning. Aside from that, and I know after Shannon's first workout, a few of the veterans called me and said `Oh coach, Shannon had a difficult time getting through the workout today, but we told her she couldn't quit,' and the same with Alberta. But they bought into it and kept getting better and more confident and comfortable as time went on. But mainly, they are so appreciative of the opportunities they have had here, whether it's how we travel, the gear they receive, the running shoes for conditioning, the basketball shoes for playing. When they got their basketball shoes it was `thank you coach,' they thanked everyone. They appreciate everything. Honestly, it has been a breath of fresh air. These kids really do appreciate everything because this is a different environment and different circumstances."
On pre-conceived notion or reputation of junior college players...
"I think there is a perception there, that they perhaps have more issues. Even for myself, I haven't looked at the juco route, because we've been able to identify and recruit players we know we'll have for four years. When you can have a player for four years, you have the opportunity for more consistency and hopefully they can make an impact for at least three of those four years and hopefully all four years. You don't have the turnover of two years. But, having these two (Alberta and Shannon), has made me rethink looking at jucos in the future."
On what Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood will do for Maryland...
"She is a very talented offensive player and has the ability to push tempo. She is a scoring point guard but likes to get other people involved. She's a very well-rounded offensive player that certainly would impact any team, regardless of the talent pool. On the defensive end, she is very committed. A lot of times her defense starts her offense. She should have a positive influence right away."
On the potential of foul trouble because of being physical...
"I'm speaking more about being aggressive and physical with our bodies. The emphasis on hand checking is what got us in trouble earlier this season. We need to play more with our bodies and our feet, not our hands. That is something we've tried to distinguish, between being aggressive with your feet and physical with your body, as opposed to just trying to play defense with your hands."
On the recent recommendation by the Committee on Women's Athletics to the NCAA on banning male practice players...
"I think it would be detrimental to women's basketball. If you look at what has happened, the parity in the game, the fact that when we have male practice players, they challenge us. It's not like they take away opportunities, on the contrary, they provide opportunities for our teams to work on specific game preparation. If we want to work on our full court press, we can press the guys, they challenge us and they make us better. Everyone on our team has the opportunity to work on that. If we don't have practice guys, and I think this would be true for most coaches, then the last five players on your team become the practice squad. Yes, they may get some reps in that way, but can they be counted on come game time. When I coached the Olympic team in 1984, we played against one female team in the exhibition games. The rest of the time, we played against males and traveled to different cities and did that. The guys made us better. When we were in Colorado Springs, we were training against guys in that area, a lot of former high school and college players. Why? Because it enhances our opportunity to compete at a different level and allowed us to get all of our players involved in whatever aspect we were focusing on."
On the overall perception of other top teams this season...
"I haven't gotten to see a lot of games, but I watched the Duke vs. Texas game. I thought Duke did a great job defensively, extending it and changing it a lot. Early on, a lot of these teams are going to show that their defense is ahead of their offense and that they generate offense from their defense. The same has been true for us, we've had to rely on our defense to generate points for us. We're not as sharp not in our half court offense as we will be in February. Certainly it's consistent with these top teams that the defense has picked up running the offense."
On Texas' Tiffany Jackson...
"She is a great talent. I see more dimensions now to her game. She's handling more in the open floor. She's facing up and putting the ball on the floor even more. Her offensive package, to me, is more extensive now than in the past. Certainly her force on the boards and great defensive presence has a great impact on how that team plays. They've established her as their go-to player and rely heavily on her production game-in and game-out. That will be a real challenge for us."
On Texas' young team...
"With a young team, watching them play against Duke, they are going to be a lot different at home than they were on the road. I see that with Cait McMahan, our freshman point guard who is getting quality minutes and with Alberta and Shannon, because they are comfortable. At halftime of the ASU game, I went up to Shannon and asked `What is the deal, you've got 9,000 people watching you, you have to step up and play on the big stage, why are you so nervous.' She said to me, `Coach, I'm used to hearing Rocky Top.' Well there wasn't any Rocky Top in Arizona and there certainly won't be any played in Texas. I think what you see sometimes when you have those young players, having been in that environment, it can affect their performance."
What do you remember from the last trip to Texas...
"It was like it was last week. The bus broke down, we were getting into taxis, jumping into cars and we got there late. We faced adversity getting there but faced more when the game started. They took it to us. Offensively we were stagnant and I thought looking back that is when we put in some different schemes offensively. We never got comfortable against their defense. Their defense just really took us apart. They got a lot of easy transition baskets. We looked like for the most part that we were in shock. It was a long night."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Parker and Hornbuckle earn national recognition
Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle are on the watch list for one of the highest individual honors in women's college basketball.
The Lady Vols forward and guard are on the pre-season list for the Naismith Trophy.
Parker leads the Lady Vols in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. Hornbuckle leads the Lady Vols in steals.
Parker and Hornbuckle were both named pre-season candidates for the Wooden Award, as well.
The ladies joined their teammates for practice Monday. Because of final exams, they will not play until Sunday when they visit Texas.
During the 10-day break, Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt said she hopes to focus more on fundamentals, with the rigors of an SEC schedule looming.
"We have a long way to go," Coach Summitt said. "We're a good team, but we can be a great team."
Coach Summitt pointed out rebounding and transition defense as two concerns.
"We need to demand more, and they need to give more," she said. "This is a good time to dial it up."
The Lady Vols forward and guard are on the pre-season list for the Naismith Trophy.
Parker leads the Lady Vols in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. Hornbuckle leads the Lady Vols in steals.
Parker and Hornbuckle were both named pre-season candidates for the Wooden Award, as well.
The ladies joined their teammates for practice Monday. Because of final exams, they will not play until Sunday when they visit Texas.
During the 10-day break, Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt said she hopes to focus more on fundamentals, with the rigors of an SEC schedule looming.
"We have a long way to go," Coach Summitt said. "We're a good team, but we can be a great team."
Coach Summitt pointed out rebounding and transition defense as two concerns.
"We need to demand more, and they need to give more," she said. "This is a good time to dial it up."
Thursday, December 07, 2006
(6) Tennessee 85, (21) Geo. Washington 62
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt had a good explanation for why Sidney Spencer's teammates kept getting her the ball.
"I guess they wanted an assist," Summitt said.
Spencer scored 21 points, including two 3-pointers during a key second-half run, to help the No. 6 Lady Vols beat No. 21 George Washington 85-62 on Thursday night.
The Colonials (7-2) looked ready to end their winless streak against Tennessee (8-1), cutting the lead to four points three times early in the second half.
After the last time, Spencer hit a 3 and Candace Parker scored to put Tennessee up 51-42. George Washington scored again, but Spencer made back-to-back 3s and another basket to start a 16-1 run that gave the Lady Vols a 67-45 lead with 8:49 remaining. The Colonials could not muster another rally.
"I knew that the score was close, but it was just an opportunity that I took," Spencer said.
Said Summitt: "She knocked down a lot of great looks for us and helped us break open the game in the second half. The team did a really excellent job of finding her."
Despite the win, Tennessee looked out of sync at times, particularly when some of the reserves replaced starters, and Parker struggled early.
Parker finished with 19 points, Nicky Anosike added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14.
The Lady Vols had trouble guarding George Washington center Jessica Adair, who led the Colonials with a career-high 23 points. Kenan Cole had 14 and Sarah-Jo Lawrence 13 for George Washington.
"Our bench came in and obviously gave up a lot of points. We talked about that at halftime and elected to shorten the bench," Summitt said. "The challenge right now is to find out which players can come in and allow us to keep our intensity and our play at a certain level."
The Colonials fell to 0-8 against the Lady Vols, including last year's loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"I think we had the right idea. We just couldn't execute for 40 minutes," George Washington coach Joe McKeown said. "We just had no answer for Spencer to be honest with you. She just unloaded on us. Pretty simple."
George Washington trailed the entire first half, but got within 32-28 with 3:13 left before halftime on an 8-0 run fueled by three baskets from Lawrence.
Tennessee responded with Spencer's 3-pointer that barely beat the shot-clock buzzer and a pair of free throws by Anosike.
Adair then scored twice in the final 1:16, before and after Parker's first basket since early in the half, to make it 39-32 at the break.
The Lady Vols had their biggest lead of the first half at 29-14 after the Colonials were in a hole early, 13-4.
Parker had a three-point play and a basket in the first six minutes, but went cold until a minute before halftime.
Tennessee outrebounded George Washington 40-20. Both teams had 17 turnovers.
The Colonials haven't beaten a Top 10 team since a win over then-No. 7 Rutgers in 1999.
George Washington had won three straight since a loss to top-ranked Maryland on Nov. 19, and the Colonials were off to their third-best start in school history.
"I guess they wanted an assist," Summitt said.
Spencer scored 21 points, including two 3-pointers during a key second-half run, to help the No. 6 Lady Vols beat No. 21 George Washington 85-62 on Thursday night.
The Colonials (7-2) looked ready to end their winless streak against Tennessee (8-1), cutting the lead to four points three times early in the second half.
After the last time, Spencer hit a 3 and Candace Parker scored to put Tennessee up 51-42. George Washington scored again, but Spencer made back-to-back 3s and another basket to start a 16-1 run that gave the Lady Vols a 67-45 lead with 8:49 remaining. The Colonials could not muster another rally.
"I knew that the score was close, but it was just an opportunity that I took," Spencer said.
Said Summitt: "She knocked down a lot of great looks for us and helped us break open the game in the second half. The team did a really excellent job of finding her."
Despite the win, Tennessee looked out of sync at times, particularly when some of the reserves replaced starters, and Parker struggled early.
Parker finished with 19 points, Nicky Anosike added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14.
The Lady Vols had trouble guarding George Washington center Jessica Adair, who led the Colonials with a career-high 23 points. Kenan Cole had 14 and Sarah-Jo Lawrence 13 for George Washington.
"Our bench came in and obviously gave up a lot of points. We talked about that at halftime and elected to shorten the bench," Summitt said. "The challenge right now is to find out which players can come in and allow us to keep our intensity and our play at a certain level."
The Colonials fell to 0-8 against the Lady Vols, including last year's loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"I think we had the right idea. We just couldn't execute for 40 minutes," George Washington coach Joe McKeown said. "We just had no answer for Spencer to be honest with you. She just unloaded on us. Pretty simple."
George Washington trailed the entire first half, but got within 32-28 with 3:13 left before halftime on an 8-0 run fueled by three baskets from Lawrence.
Tennessee responded with Spencer's 3-pointer that barely beat the shot-clock buzzer and a pair of free throws by Anosike.
Adair then scored twice in the final 1:16, before and after Parker's first basket since early in the half, to make it 39-32 at the break.
The Lady Vols had their biggest lead of the first half at 29-14 after the Colonials were in a hole early, 13-4.
Parker had a three-point play and a basket in the first six minutes, but went cold until a minute before halftime.
Tennessee outrebounded George Washington 40-20. Both teams had 17 turnovers.
The Colonials haven't beaten a Top 10 team since a win over then-No. 7 Rutgers in 1999.
George Washington had won three straight since a loss to top-ranked Maryland on Nov. 19, and the Colonials were off to their third-best start in school history.
Lady Vols Host GW Tonight
GAME NOTES
THE GAME
The #6/5-ranked University of Tennessee Lady Vols (7-1) faces their last opponent before a 10-day break for final exams as #21/19 George Washington University (7-1) visits "The Summitt" at Thompson-Boling Arena.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 920-178 overall record... Is just 80 wins away from a staggering 1,000 career victories...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 marks 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., also see their first action in the Orange and White this season.
THE 4-1-1 ON THE COLONIALS
In their last contest before traveling to Tennessee, #21/19 George Washington defeated Stony Brook, 68-55, at Stony Brook Arena on Dec. 2 as four Colonials reached double-figures and junior Whitney Allen grabbed a game- and career-high 14 rebounds. The GWU scoring charge was led by senior Kenan Cole and junior Sarah-Jo Lawrence each tossing in 13 points, while junior Kimberly Beck and sophomore Jessica Adair finished with 12 apiece. In addition to her 14 boards, Allen also contributed seven points, four steals, three assists and a block. GW trailed by 11 points, 23-12, midway through the first half, but quickly snapped out of its sluggish start. Redshirt sophomore Lisa Steele, Lawrence and Cole all hit three-pointers to spark a 19-6 surge which put the Colonials ahead by two points, 31-29, at the break. Led by Allen's career-high, the Colonials won the battle of the boards, 42-39 but shot just 41.7 percent (25-of-60). The Colonials are now 7-1 on the season, marking the third best start in school history and best since the 1994-95 Colonials won 11 of their first 12 games.
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Lady Vols have a relatively light schedule this week. This week, UT faced Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 5, an 85-29 win) and #21/19 George Washington (Dec. 7). The team will then be off for final exams until a Dec. 17 meeting at #22 Texas.
LADY VOLS ON TV
A record 21 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for national/regional television this season. Five non-televised games will be available as streaming video with voice-over from Mickey Dearstone on utladyvols.com. UT is 4-1 on TV this season.
ON THIS DAY
UT is 8-1 in games played on Dec. 7. The Lady Vols are 3-1 at home, 4-0 on the road and 1-0 on neutral courts. The last time out on Dec. 7, the Lady Vols registered a 59-43 victory over George Washington on the road in 2005.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 8-0 and had just defeated #George Washington, 59-43.
PLAYING 12 RANKED TEAMS
Tennessee will play 12 teams in 14 games and five of the nation's top 10 teams ranked this season in the AP and USA TODAY ESPN poll North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Arizona St., Vanderbilt, Kentucky, UCLA, George Washington and Texas.
UT'S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Chattanooga (.579), MTSU (.565), Arizona St. (.548), UCLA (.531), UT-Martin (.509), Stanford (.500); 40%FG: Louisiana Tech (.483); 30%FG: North Carolina (.362)
DEEE ----- FENSE
In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: none, 40%FG: Arizona St. (.469), Stanford (.456), MTSU (.453), UCLA (.451), North Carolina (.444), Chattanooga (.431), 30%FG: none; 20%FG: Louisiana Tech (.295), UT-Martin (.204)
2006-07 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL
Wins: +56 (1), +30 (1), +24 (1), +23 (1), +21 (1), +17 (1), +9 (1),
Losses: -13 (1)
UPCOMING OPPONENT - TEXAS
The #22 Texas Longhorns are 6-1 on the season going into their game against UT-Pan American... UT is on a three-game winning streak and has moved up to a ranking of 22 in both polls.... The Longhorns are off to their best start since a 7-0 start in 2003-04 ... They finish their four-game homestand -- their longest of the year - against UT-Pan American ... Then, Texas faces its stiffest back-to-back competition of the year when it travels to Durham, N.C. to face No. 4 Duke (Sunday, Dec. 10, noon on ESPNU TV) ... One week later, Texas is at home to go up against No. 6/5 Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 17 in an FSN-televised game from the Erwin Center with a 12:30 p.m. CT tip...Senior forward Tiffany Jackson continues to lead the UT effort, averaging 19.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.6 blocks per game... Sophomore guard Erika Arriaran chips in with 10.1 ppg, 2.9 apg and a team-high seven 3-pointers, while redshirt freshman forward Earnesia Williams (8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), freshman guard Niqky Hughes (7.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg and junior guard Erneisha Bailey (7.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) round out the stat leaders...
EXPECTING A LITTER THIS WEEKEND
Please excuse Tennessee Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt if she seems a little preoccupied this week. Sure, she has been busy preparing for games against UT-Martin and #21/19 George Washington. Summitt, however, has been keeping an eye on the family dog, a yellow Lab named Sally Sue. Sally is expecting her first litter of puppies on Dec. 10 and Mom will be on delivery duty since 16-year old son Tyler will be out-of-town. An ultrasound taken on Dec. 1 revealed at least eight puppies. Shouldn't be a problem for Summitt, an old farm girl and 4-H'er.
GEORGE WASHINGTON NOTEBOOK
The #21/19 George Washington Colonials will put its three-game winning streak and 7-1 mark on the line against #6/5 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday at 7:00 pm. The Colonials 7-1 start is the third best in school history, eclipsing the 1977-78 and 1980-81 teams 6-1 starts. After beginning the 1991-92 season by splitting against nationally-ranked teams Texas (W, 70-62) and Stanford (L, 74-71), GW won 11 straight games for the best start in program annals. Three years later the Colonials put together six- and five-game winning streaks around a neutral site loss to Penn State for an 11-1 start. Four players are averaging double-figures, paced by Sarah-Jo Lawrence's 15.0 ppg. Junior Kimberly Beck is once again leading the A-10 in assists at 5.88 apg and is ranked in the top-six in six other categories. The Colonials improved to No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll this week, but remained at No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll. GW is 0-7 all-time against Tennessee, including a pair of losses last season. UT escaped the Smith Center with a 59-43 victory on Dec. 7, 2005, a game in which the Colonials led midway through the first half. The Lady Vols then knocked GW out of the NCAA Tournament last March with a 66-53 second-round win. The 13-point margin was the tightest in the seven-game series.
ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGS
DATE RANK SITE W/L SCORE
12/29/92 1/nr N64 W 73-53
11/27/01 2/22 A W 88-57
11/26/02 4/21 H W 83-61
12/30/03 5/nr A W 65-51
11/23/04 1/nr H W 71-41
12/7/05 1/nr A W 59-43
3/21/06 8/nr N118 W 66-53
GWU SERIES
This marks the eighth meeting between the two schools dating back to the inaugural contest in 1992 at the Maryland Invitational Tournament. Coach Pat Summitt brought her Lady Vol team back east to play near All-America Dana Johnson's Baltimore home. In the 2001-02 season, UT visited GWU for Kara Lawson's homecoming game in 2001 and were treated to the first sell-out crowd ever for women's hoops at GWU. Last season, the two teams met twice - once during the regular season in Washington, D.C. and in UT's 34th game of the season at the NCAA Second Round in Norfolk, Va.
AVERAGE SCORE WITH GWU
The average score of a UT-GWU game is 72.1 for UT and 51.2 for GWU - a +20.9 ppg winning margin for the Lady VOls
VERSUS THE A-10
Tennessee has taken on eight teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference all-time and sports a 16-1 record, with the only loss coming to Xavier, 80-65, on March 24, 2001. Last season, the Lady Vols had three meetings with Atlantic 10 opponents. UT constructed a 3-0 record registering wins at George Washington, 59-43 on Dec. 7, 2005; a 75-50 victory at Temple on Dec. 28, 2005, and an NCAA Second Round win over GWU, 66-53, in Norfolk, Va., on Mar. 21, 2006.
THAT A-10 LOSS
UT's lone loss to an Atlantic 10 Conference team came in the 2001 NCAA Mideast Regionals. The Lady Vols were shocked, 80-65, by #12/11 ranked Xavier.
WE MEET AGAIN
Tennessee and George Washington have met just seven times in history, but six of those have come in each of the past five seasons, including 2005-06. UT has claimed each of those, in addition to a 73-53 win in the 1992-93 campaign at the Maryland Invitational. UT registered a 59-43 win on Dec. 7, 2005, and earned 71-41, 65-51, 83-61 and 88-57 the previous four years, respectively. The squads met in NCAA Tournament play for the first time last March as UT won 66-53 in Second Round action on Mar. 21, 2006.
OUR LAST MEETING
In the Second Round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Tennessee's Shanna Zolman scored 19 points and Candace Parker added 15, and the second-seeded Lady Vols used a fast start to send eighth-seeded George Washington reeling in a 66-53 victory on March 21, 2006. UT Coach Pat Summitt improved to 38-0 in the first and second rounds in her career, and gave Tennessee (30-4) its 16th 30-win season in her 32 years as coach. With the win, the Lady Vols have now advanced to 25 consecutive regional semifinals. The Lady Vols players and staff, miffed at earning a #2 seed, turned it into a positive. "We're going to continue to use that (the seeding) as motivation," said Zolman whose three-pointer with 3:52 left in the first half gave her the UT career three-point record. George Washington (23-9) trailed by double digits almost the whole way after the Lady Vols' opening 16-2 burst. After 11 minutes, Zolman had 11 points and Parker had 10, both exceeding the Colonials' total and Tennessee was up 25-8 and cruising. GWU missed its first nine shots, but used an 11-3 run to begin the second half to get within 43-34 with 13:50 to go. But Zolman and Sidney Spencer hit back-to-back 3-pointers, sparking a 13-0 run that put the Colonials back in a hole. Jessica Simmonds led the Colonials with 14 points. The Colonials shot just 30 percent and were outrebounded 53-37. Spencer added 12 points and Nicky Anosike had nine and a season-high 12 rebounds.
TENNESSEE GW
OVERALL RECORD 7-1 7-1
SCORING 80.8 67.9
SCORING DEFENSE 59.9 60.5
POINT MARGIN +20.9 + 7.4
REBOUNDS 36.1 38.5
OPP. REBOUNDS 32.0 38.2
REBOUND MARGIN + 4.1 + 0.3
FG% .511 .432
OPPONENT FG% .401 .372
THREE POINT FG% .436 .394
OPPONENT 3FG% .376 .357
FT% .707 .663
OPPONENT FT% .647 .636
ASSISTS 17.9 14.3
BLOCKS AVERAGE 6.3 4.9
STEALS AVERAGE 14.5 9.4
TURNOVER AVERAGE 16.9 15.5
OUR FIRST MEETING WITH GWU LAST SEASON
Candace Parker scored 14 points, and Tennessee held George Washington scoreless for 8 1/2 minutes in the second half en route to a 59-43 victory Dec. 7, 2005, despite playing little like the nation's No. 1 team for stretches. Parker also added eight rebounds. Shanna Zolman added 12 points for the Lady Vols (8-0), who were closing a five-game road trip in which they logged more than 13,000 miles by the time they returned home. Jessica Simmonds led GWU (2-3) with 13 points. Before the game, there was little reason to think it would be as close as it was into the second half. The Lady Vols came in having outscored opponents by an average of 26.7 points this season and without a loss to an unranked opponent in 3 1/2 years. The Colonials, meanwhile, had never lost by fewer than 14 points in five previous games against UT. But the Lady Vols were shaky, committing 23 turnovers in the game and shooting just 43 percent in the first half. That helped the Colonials make a game of it, leading for most of the first 10 minutes. Trailing 40-35, GW had a chance to cut its deficit to three, but Simmonds - a 29 percent free throw shooter - missed both attempts from the line. Six minutes into the second half, Jazmine Adair's baseline jumper drew the Colonials to 42-37. But that's when UT turned up its defense, forcing poor shots, air balls, shot-clock violations and steals. By the time GW scored again, on Simmonds' jumper with 5 1/2 minutes left, Tennessee had used a 12-0 run to take control at 54-37. The Lady Vols held GW to 22 percent shooting in the second half and finished the game with 12 steals, five by Alexis Hornbuckle. Tennessee outrebounded GW 39-27. The Lady Vols didn't take their first lead until more than 9 1/2 minutes had elapsed, on Sidney Spencer's jumper near the foul line that made it 15-14. Jessica Adair's inside basket gave GW what would be its final lead of the game, 16- 15. The Colonials went scoreless for more than 3 minutes as Tennessee used a 10-2 run and appeared to be pulling away. But a late spurt by GW made its deficit just 34-29 at halftime. That matched Tennessee's lowest output in a half. The 14 points scored by GW in the second half tied for the second fewest by an opponent in the second period in Tennessee history.
TENNESSEE TOPS AP ALL-TIME
The Tennessee Lady Vols are the top-ranked team in the history of the Top 25 rankings in the Associated Press poll. The poll, now in its 31st season, has found Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols ranked in 508 of a possible 522 polls. Through the poll released on Dec. 4, the top five team poll rankings are: 1. Pat Summitt, TENNESSEE - 508 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history) 2. Andy Landers, Georgia - 400 3. Jody Conradt, Texas - 391 4. C.Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) - 349 5. Rene Portland (St. Joseph, Penn St.) - 336
PARKER'S A FOUL MAGNET
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker has been a foul magnet in 2006-07. With all of the double and triple-teaming she has seen this season, 25 percent of the opponent's 155 total fouls have been inflicted on her. In seven games this season, Parker has drawn 39 fouls. In games against Arizona State, Stanford and North Carolina, players guarding Parker were whistled for nine fouls.
ELITE COMPANY FOR BIG NICK
Junior post Nicky Anosike has moved into an elite Lady Vol club. "Big Nick" has joined Tennessee greats Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings as the only Lady Vols all-time to accumulate at least 500+ points, 400+ rebounds, 80+ blocked shots, 100+ assists and 100+ steals. The mobile 6-4 Anosike has generated 556 points, 447 rebounds, 92 blocked shots, 131 assists, and 110 steals in 79 career games.
UT REBOUNDED VS. MARTIN
After suffering its first defeat of the season, Tennessee rebounded with a big win over Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin. The Lady Vols opened the game on an 18-0 run. UTM did not score until 11:43 left in the first half. Martin's 13 first half points tie for the seventh fewest by a UT opponent in and their 16 second half points tie for the eighth fewest by a UT opponent in history. Overall, UTM's 29 total points tie for the fourth fewest by a UT opponent. For the first time this season, all 11 Lady Vols scored. Best of all, Tennessee had its lowest turnover total (9) of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 44. She has made a steal in 65 of 72 career games; Candace Parker...Reached double figures for the 22nd consecutive time, the 41st time in her career. She also recorded a double-double for the second straight game, the third time this season and the 13th time of her career. Remained perfect from the three-point line this season; Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 14 points; Sidney Spencer ...Reached double figures for the seventh time this season, the 34th time of her career; Nicci Moats...Scored her first career field goal and had a career-high three points, former manager Elizabeth Curry ...Scored her first career points.
THE WHEELS FELL OFF
Tennessee's trip to #2 North Carolina had few things to write home about as the wheels fell off for the first time this season. Against the Tar Heels, Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season dropping the Lady Vols' record to 6-1. UT was in unfamiliar territory as they trailed at the half for the first time this season. After connecting on better than 50 percent from the field in five games, UT's field goal percentage (.362) was the lowest of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...-Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 43. She has recorded at least one steal in 64 of 71 career games; Candace Parker... Reached double figures for 21st consecutive game, and for the 40th time in her career, Nicky Anosike...
Moved into a tie for 11th place on the career blocks list (88) and rookie Cait McMahan...deserved the "Spunk Award" after getting tangled up with UNC's Ivory Latta - Caity Mac did not back down.
BOBBITT BACK IN LINE-UP
UT junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt was back in the starting line-up against #2-ranked North Carolina. Bobbitt (5.7 ppg, 4.0 apg) missed the contest at Louisiana Tech due to a test in one of her classes. Rookie Cait McMahan started in Bobbitt's place in the 71-50 win over the Lady Techsters. McMahan had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.
VERSUS THE RANKED
In #21/19-ranked George Washington, the Lady Vols will face their fifth ranked opponent in nine games. UT recorded wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60), at #11 Arizona State (83-74) and against #11 Stanford (77-60) but lost to UNC 70-57. Next week, UT takes on #22-ranked Texas after final exams.
SUMMITT CAPTURED ROAD WIN NUMBER 300 AT LA TECH
Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt notched her 300th career victory on the road at Louisiana Tech. Summitt has now fashioned a 300-78 all-time record in hostile arenas - which equates to an amazing 80 percent winning mark on the road in 33 seasons at the helm of the Lady Vols.
CONFERENCE CALL
In addition to the 14-game Southeastern Conference schedule, Tennessee will take on teams from 10 other conferences this season. The Lady Vols will be doing their best impression as members of the Pac-10 and the BIG EAST facing three opponents from each of those conferences. UT will play two foes from the ACC and one each from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Colonial, Ohio Valley, Southern, Sun Belt and WAC.
CAN THIS TEAM DEFEND THE 3?
Coach Pat Summitt has not been pleased with the Lady Vols' commitment to defending the three-pointer. On the season, UT's opponents have connected on 6.3 treys per game and are shooting at a 38 percent clip of their attempts. Chattanooga recorded a school record 31 attempts from three-point land versus the Lady Vols. MTSU registered 13-26 (50%) from three-point land.
STEALS, STEALS EVERYWHERE
The Pat Summitt mantra of "let your defense start your offense" hasn't fallen on deaf ears with the Lady Vols so far this season. Tennessee already has 116 thefts on the year against quality opposition for an average of 15.0 spg. Alexis Hornbuckle is leading the team individually with over four steals per game.
PARKER NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Candace Parker was tabbed the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 27, after leading her team to victories over #11-ranked Stanford, 77-60 and Middle Tennessee, 88-64. The Naperville, Ill., native averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games. Parker connected on both three-point attempts and made 65 percent of her shots from the field. Additionally, she dished four assists and nabbed six steals in the pair of contests. She also slammed home her second dunk of the 2006-07 season and fourth of her career in the win over the Cardinal. Parker earned the honor for the second time this season.
LEFTOVERS FROM RUSTON
With Tennessee's sloppy 71-50 win over Louisiana Tech, it marked the Lady Vols seventh consecutive victory over the Lady Techsters. The 71 points were the fewest scored by the Lady Vols this season and the 50 points scored by Tech were the fewest of an opponent this season. The UT starting lineup of Cait McMahan, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sidney Spencer, Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike was used for the first time this season. Starting point guard Shannon Bobbitt stayed in Knoxville to take a test. Tennessee's smothering defense forced 10 Lady Techster turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game. The 19 first half turnovers by LTU were the most by a UT opponent this season. UT's halftime lead (+27) was the largest halfway margin since the opening game against Chattanooga (+28). In the bad news department, the smaller Tech squad embarrassed the Lady Vols on the boards with a 46-37 rebounding margin. Individually, Cait McMahan... Got her first career start...Made her first career free throw attempt and earned career-highs in points (7) and rebounds (4)...Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 42. She has made at least one steal in 63 of 70 career games. Her six steals against Tech moved her past Kellie Jolly (177) into 20th place in the UT record books for career steals (180). She had four steals in the first eight minutes of the game in Ruston...Candace Parker... Became the eighth Lady Vol of all time to reach the 100-blocks plateau and she reached it in just 42 games. On the first two offensive plays of the game for LTU, Parker blocked both attempts. Her seven blocks tied her own personal-best, tie for the most by ever by a UT sophomore and vaulted her into seventh place in the UT record books for career blocks (103), past Daedra Charles (97), Vonda Ward (98) and Abby Conklin (102). Also, she scored in double figures for the 20th game in a row, the 39th time in her career...Alberta Auguste...The only Lady Vol in history to hail from the state of Louisiana, she played in Ruston, about five hours (340 miles) from her hometown of Marrero, La. Against the Techsters, and in front of a bunch of family from Marrero, she had a career-high eight steals, five of which came in the first half...Sidney Spencer...The first of four Lady Vols to reach double figures, her 10 points marked her seventh consecutive 10+ point game... Dominique Redding... Spencer's senior sidekick had a career-high 13 points on a career-high six field goals.
LADY VOL BITS & PIECES FROM THE MTSU GAME
Tennessee made 10 three-pointers, tying for the 10th most in program history...All 11 Lady Vols saw playing time... Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 19th game in a row dating back to last season and moved into fourth place in career field goal percentage (.462) with her 7-of-9 shooting... Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with a steal to 41 and now has at least one steal in 62 of 69 career games. She moved into a tie for 21st place in the Lady Vol record books with 174 career thefts...Sidney Spencer-Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season, the sixth time in a row dating back to the North Carolina game on March 28, 2006. The streak of six consecutive double-digit scoring outings is the longest of her career. She also made four three-pointers, the most by a Lady Vol this season...Alex Fuller-The first of four Lady Vols to reach double-digits in the game. Her 12 points are a career-high and her two three-pointers tied a career-high...Nicky Anosike-Had a season-high 13 points, marking her 15th career game with a double-digit output. She moved into a tie for 13th place for career blocks (88)...Nicci Moats-Scored her first points at UT.
LADY VOLS: THE BEST AND THE WORST OF 2006-07
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME:102 points ....vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME: 57 points .........at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 74 points ....at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 29 points ...... vs. UT-Martin (12/5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD:
57 points............85-28 vs. UT-Marin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT:
15 points .............55-70 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD IN A LOSS: 5 points.....9-4 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT IN A WIN: 6 points ......13-7 vs. MTSU (11/26)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME LEAD: 30 points.....43-13 vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME DEFICIT: 5 points...25-30 at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.636 (21-33) ....... vs. MTSU (11/26)
WORST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.346(9-26) ............. at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.609 (14-23) .............. vs. Stanford (11/24)
WORST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.375 (12-32) ........... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 59 points ......vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 25 points ......... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 38 points.......at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 13 points ..... vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 43 points ...... vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 29 points ......... at La Tech (11/28)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 41 points .........vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 16 points ........vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
TENNESSEE has led in the first half of every game ...
TENNESSEE has never trailed in the first half of seven games...
TENNESSEE has led at halftime of 7 games...
TENNESSEE has trailed at halftime of 1 game
TENNESSEE has led in the second half of 7 games...
TENNESSEE has never led in the second half of 1 game...
TENNESSEE has led in rebounding in 5 games...
TENNESSEE has been outrebounded in 3 games (43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...
NEW SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Candace Parker broke Michelle Snow's school record for most dunks in a career in the game with #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker's one-handed slam with 10:55 left in the first half was the fourth of Parker's career and the second of the season. Snow registered three dunks (1998-2002) during her career.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
After opening games shooting at .613 (UTC), .531 (UCLA), .516 (Arizona St.) - UT had its first stinker in the opening 20 minutes making just 13-31 field goals for a season-low .419 shooting percentage in the first half against Stanford ...UT responded with .609 accuracy in the second half (14-23) for the best second half field goal performance of the season...
UT-STANFORD WRAP-UP
All Lady Vols who played scored...UT missed only one free throw, shooting at a 94.7 percent clip... Individually, Candace Parker... Sank her first three-point attempt of the season, recorded her second dunk of the season, her first career dunk against a ranked opponent, Was the first of two Lady Vols to reach double-figures, Eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game and the 13th time in her career, Surpassed 700 points for her career, Recorded five blocks, tying for the 10th-most in a single game by a Lady Vol (She now has 93 for her career, moving past Tiffani Johnson (89) and Cindy Noble (91) into 10th place in the Lady Vol record books); Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 40. She has made at least one steal in 61 of 68 career game; Sidney Spencer... Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, the 31st time in her career.
UT LEADS PAC-10 AT 3-0
The Tennessee Lady Vols have finished their Pac-10 slate with a 3-0 record against three ranked teams in consecutive games. During the stretch of wins over #20/21 UCLA, at #11 Arizona State and #11 Stanford in the last week, UT averaged 81.0 ppg and gave up 64.7 ppg for a 16.3 scoring margin. The Lady Vols shot .528 from the field, .455 from three point land and .760 from the line. UT forced the opposition in an average of 23.0 turnovers per game while coming up with 14.0 steals per contest. Individually, Candace Parker tossed in 24.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg and registered two dunks.
FIFTY IS NIFTY
With the victory over Stanford, Tennessee has now claimed 52 victories all-time against teams from the Pac-10. Outside of the Southeastern Conference (365 wins), the Lady Vols have recorded 77 wins over teams from the ACC and 66 victories over BIG EAST Conference schools. The Pac-10 ranks as the fourth most defeated conference by UT.
FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST
In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols have eight foes scheduled. Three teams hail from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols will face Chattanooga (a 102-72 win), Middle Tennessee (an 88-64 win) 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 faced three ranked Pac-10 schools in consecutive games: #20/21 UCLA (an 83-60 win), at #11 Arizona State (an 83-74 win ) and #11 Stanford (a 77-60 win). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (a 71-50 victory) and #2-ranked North Carolina (Dec. 3) round out the first month of the season.
Candace Parker EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Tennessee sophomore basketball standout Candace Parker was named the SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 13-19) for her performances in wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60) and at #11 Arizona State (83-74). Last season, Parker received the league's Freshman of the Week honor on four occasions, and the Player of the Week award once during her rookie campaign. In two games, Parker averaged 23.5 points and eight rebounds along with four steals and a pair of blocks. In the game against Arizona State, the Naperville, Ill., native picked up her 11th career double-double and first of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 10-of-15 from the field against UCLA and stayed perfect from the line (2-of-2) for 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to earn Philips Player of the Game accolades. The scoring occurrences marked the 35th and 36th double figure games in her 39-game career. The match-ups were also the 10th and 11th game with 20 or more points.
LADY VOL SPOILERS
The Lady Vols have enjoyed the role of spoiler snapping long-standing winning streaks on a number of opponent's home floors over the years. On Nov. 19, Tennessee halted Arizona State's 26-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena with an 83-74 win. Last season, Stanford had amassed a 23-game winning streak at Maples Pavilion before the Lady Vols grabbed a 74-67 win on Dec. 4, 2005.
FREE THROW WOES
Good thing that the Lady Vols exploded to as much as a 24-point lead against Arizona State. Had Tennessee been forced to rely on relief from the charity stripe down the stretch, it would have been a bad outcome. UT made only 12-21 free throws against the Sun Devils for just 57.1 percent. Candace Parker missed four (7-11), Shannon Bobbitt missed the front end of two 1+1 situations (0-2) and Alex Fuller, uncharacteristically, missed both of her bonus tosses (0-2).
UCLA WAS 370TH WIN VS. RANKED
Tennessee's victory over UCLA improved its record 2-0 on the season and gave the Lady Vols their 370th all-time win over a ranked foe. The Big Orange is now 372-145 in games against Top-25 ranked opposition. At halftime, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt challenged her team to get off to a quick start in the second half and hunker down on defense. Challenge answered. Tennessee opened the second half with a 10-0 run and UCLA did not score a field goal until 3:55 into the second stanza. Individually: Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 38 straight contests; Sidney Spencer...The first of three Lady Vols to reach double-figures -- it was the 29th double-digit game of her career; Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the 35th time in her 38-game career -- it was her 11th career contest of 20 or more points. No dunks against the Bruins. However, her repertoire of shots was simply amazing; Nicky Anosike...Surpassed the 500-point plateau for her career -- she now has 503 career points and Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 10.
NEW UNIFORM PATCH
This year, University of Tennessee student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in the classroom have a "VS" patch on their uniform. The "VS" stands for Vol Scholar. Every Lady Vol basketball player (except for the newcomers -- rookies Cait McMahan and Nicci Moats and junior college transfers Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt) are proudly displaying the patch on their uniform jerseys this season.
THREE 100 POINT GAMES
In the two preseason exhibition tilts and in the first game of the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols registered at least 100 points in all three contests. It marks the first time in program history that a Lady Vol team had tallied triple digits in back-to-back-to-back contests. UT dropped in 102 points against Chattanooga in the season opener and recorded games of 104 points versus Carson-Newman and 101 points against the Houston Jaguars in a pair of exhibition match-ups.
"SOMETHING SPECIAL"
In her first handful of games in a Lady Vol uniform, 5'2" junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt has quickly become a crowd favorite. The diminutive Bobbitt is so quick with the ball, she has left defenders shaking their heads more than once. Hailing from Manhattan, N.Y., Bobbitt earned her hoops rep on some of the toughest courts in the city. The guys at the famed hoops mecca, Rucker Park, nicknamed her "something special." After watching some of her moves in the first two games, a more accurate nickname might be "the ankle breaker."
CANDACE JAMS
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker gave Lady Vols fans the dunk they had been waiting to see at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 12, 2006, with UT leading Chattanooga, 75-43, Parker stole the ball from the Lady Mocs' Brooke Hand near the sideline. The 6-4 forward took off for the other end of the court and slammed the rock in with her right hand with 16:02 left in the game as cheers shook the Arena. The rangy soph brought the crowd to their collective feet in Thompson-Boling Arena again recording her first dunk against a ranked opponent throwing one down at the 10:55 mark in the first half against #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker elected to finger roll a couple of shots last year but never dunked at home. She finally dunked twice as a rookie in the NCAA First Round game versus Army last season. Prior to Parker's dunking exploits, Michelle Snow dunked three times as a Lady Vol. Unfortunately, the dunks occurred on the road at Maui, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. In Snow's final game at Thompson-Boling Arena, she went in to dunk against Notre Dame in the waning seconds of UT's NCAA Second Round victory over the Irish, but she was fouled instead and the dunk never went down. Parker's dunk against #11 Stanford passed Snow for the Lady Vol records for "dunks in a career" with four.
FIRST GAME IMPRESSIONS
The 102-72 win over Chattanooga improves Tennessee to 68-3 in 100-point games...Tennessee made its first six shots of the game from the field and its first 11 free throws...In the first half, the Lady Vols shot a sizzling 60 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 10 attempts...Every Lady Vols saw playing time in the first half... Chattanooga broke the opponent record for three-pointers in a game with 13...The previous opponent record was 12, by Stanford in Knoxville on Dec. 21, 1992...The Lady Vols reached the century scoring mark when rookie Cait McMahan drove the length of the floor for a lay up with just over five minutes remaining in the game...This was the first 100+ point season-opening game for the Lady Vols since a 112-39 victory over Stetson on Nov. 26, 1989...Shannon Bobbitt was the first of six Lady Vols to reach double-figure scoring...Alex Fuller tied a career high in blocks (2) in the first half and scored a career-high nine points...Cait McMahan's first bucket in a Lady Vol uniform came when she snuck around the defense for her first career lay-up...Alexis Hornbuckle extended her streak of games to 37 with at least one steal and she shattered her own career-best mark with seven steals against UTC...Candace Parker scored in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game dating back to last season and dunked for the first time at home in her 37-game career -- It was the first recorded dunk by a woman in a game in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
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. UT'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.
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 270-16 (.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 33 years producing a 423-40 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.
221 OF 234 AT HOME
UT has won 221 of their last 234 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 372-146 (.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 won five games at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Dec. 3, 2006 at UNC, since then, UT not played on the road. 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.
THE GAME
The #6/5-ranked University of Tennessee Lady Vols (7-1) faces their last opponent before a 10-day break for final exams as #21/19 George Washington University (7-1) visits "The Summitt" at Thompson-Boling Arena.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 920-178 overall record... Is just 80 wins away from a staggering 1,000 career victories...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 marks 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., also see their first action in the Orange and White this season.
THE 4-1-1 ON THE COLONIALS
In their last contest before traveling to Tennessee, #21/19 George Washington defeated Stony Brook, 68-55, at Stony Brook Arena on Dec. 2 as four Colonials reached double-figures and junior Whitney Allen grabbed a game- and career-high 14 rebounds. The GWU scoring charge was led by senior Kenan Cole and junior Sarah-Jo Lawrence each tossing in 13 points, while junior Kimberly Beck and sophomore Jessica Adair finished with 12 apiece. In addition to her 14 boards, Allen also contributed seven points, four steals, three assists and a block. GW trailed by 11 points, 23-12, midway through the first half, but quickly snapped out of its sluggish start. Redshirt sophomore Lisa Steele, Lawrence and Cole all hit three-pointers to spark a 19-6 surge which put the Colonials ahead by two points, 31-29, at the break. Led by Allen's career-high, the Colonials won the battle of the boards, 42-39 but shot just 41.7 percent (25-of-60). The Colonials are now 7-1 on the season, marking the third best start in school history and best since the 1994-95 Colonials won 11 of their first 12 games.
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Lady Vols have a relatively light schedule this week. This week, UT faced Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 5, an 85-29 win) and #21/19 George Washington (Dec. 7). The team will then be off for final exams until a Dec. 17 meeting at #22 Texas.
LADY VOLS ON TV
A record 21 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for national/regional television this season. Five non-televised games will be available as streaming video with voice-over from Mickey Dearstone on utladyvols.com. UT is 4-1 on TV this season.
ON THIS DAY
UT is 8-1 in games played on Dec. 7. The Lady Vols are 3-1 at home, 4-0 on the road and 1-0 on neutral courts. The last time out on Dec. 7, the Lady Vols registered a 59-43 victory over George Washington on the road in 2005.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 8-0 and had just defeated #George Washington, 59-43.
PLAYING 12 RANKED TEAMS
Tennessee will play 12 teams in 14 games and five of the nation's top 10 teams ranked this season in the AP and USA TODAY ESPN poll North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Arizona St., Vanderbilt, Kentucky, UCLA, George Washington and Texas.
UT'S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Chattanooga (.579), MTSU (.565), Arizona St. (.548), UCLA (.531), UT-Martin (.509), Stanford (.500); 40%FG: Louisiana Tech (.483); 30%FG: North Carolina (.362)
DEEE ----- FENSE
In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: none, 40%FG: Arizona St. (.469), Stanford (.456), MTSU (.453), UCLA (.451), North Carolina (.444), Chattanooga (.431), 30%FG: none; 20%FG: Louisiana Tech (.295), UT-Martin (.204)
2006-07 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL
Wins: +56 (1), +30 (1), +24 (1), +23 (1), +21 (1), +17 (1), +9 (1),
Losses: -13 (1)
UPCOMING OPPONENT - TEXAS
The #22 Texas Longhorns are 6-1 on the season going into their game against UT-Pan American... UT is on a three-game winning streak and has moved up to a ranking of 22 in both polls.... The Longhorns are off to their best start since a 7-0 start in 2003-04 ... They finish their four-game homestand -- their longest of the year - against UT-Pan American ... Then, Texas faces its stiffest back-to-back competition of the year when it travels to Durham, N.C. to face No. 4 Duke (Sunday, Dec. 10, noon on ESPNU TV) ... One week later, Texas is at home to go up against No. 6/5 Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 17 in an FSN-televised game from the Erwin Center with a 12:30 p.m. CT tip...Senior forward Tiffany Jackson continues to lead the UT effort, averaging 19.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.6 blocks per game... Sophomore guard Erika Arriaran chips in with 10.1 ppg, 2.9 apg and a team-high seven 3-pointers, while redshirt freshman forward Earnesia Williams (8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), freshman guard Niqky Hughes (7.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg and junior guard Erneisha Bailey (7.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) round out the stat leaders...
EXPECTING A LITTER THIS WEEKEND
Please excuse Tennessee Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt if she seems a little preoccupied this week. Sure, she has been busy preparing for games against UT-Martin and #21/19 George Washington. Summitt, however, has been keeping an eye on the family dog, a yellow Lab named Sally Sue. Sally is expecting her first litter of puppies on Dec. 10 and Mom will be on delivery duty since 16-year old son Tyler will be out-of-town. An ultrasound taken on Dec. 1 revealed at least eight puppies. Shouldn't be a problem for Summitt, an old farm girl and 4-H'er.
GEORGE WASHINGTON NOTEBOOK
The #21/19 George Washington Colonials will put its three-game winning streak and 7-1 mark on the line against #6/5 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday at 7:00 pm. The Colonials 7-1 start is the third best in school history, eclipsing the 1977-78 and 1980-81 teams 6-1 starts. After beginning the 1991-92 season by splitting against nationally-ranked teams Texas (W, 70-62) and Stanford (L, 74-71), GW won 11 straight games for the best start in program annals. Three years later the Colonials put together six- and five-game winning streaks around a neutral site loss to Penn State for an 11-1 start. Four players are averaging double-figures, paced by Sarah-Jo Lawrence's 15.0 ppg. Junior Kimberly Beck is once again leading the A-10 in assists at 5.88 apg and is ranked in the top-six in six other categories. The Colonials improved to No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll this week, but remained at No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll. GW is 0-7 all-time against Tennessee, including a pair of losses last season. UT escaped the Smith Center with a 59-43 victory on Dec. 7, 2005, a game in which the Colonials led midway through the first half. The Lady Vols then knocked GW out of the NCAA Tournament last March with a 66-53 second-round win. The 13-point margin was the tightest in the seven-game series.
ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGS
DATE RANK SITE W/L SCORE
12/29/92 1/nr N64 W 73-53
11/27/01 2/22 A W 88-57
11/26/02 4/21 H W 83-61
12/30/03 5/nr A W 65-51
11/23/04 1/nr H W 71-41
12/7/05 1/nr A W 59-43
3/21/06 8/nr N118 W 66-53
GWU SERIES
This marks the eighth meeting between the two schools dating back to the inaugural contest in 1992 at the Maryland Invitational Tournament. Coach Pat Summitt brought her Lady Vol team back east to play near All-America Dana Johnson's Baltimore home. In the 2001-02 season, UT visited GWU for Kara Lawson's homecoming game in 2001 and were treated to the first sell-out crowd ever for women's hoops at GWU. Last season, the two teams met twice - once during the regular season in Washington, D.C. and in UT's 34th game of the season at the NCAA Second Round in Norfolk, Va.
AVERAGE SCORE WITH GWU
The average score of a UT-GWU game is 72.1 for UT and 51.2 for GWU - a +20.9 ppg winning margin for the Lady VOls
VERSUS THE A-10
Tennessee has taken on eight teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference all-time and sports a 16-1 record, with the only loss coming to Xavier, 80-65, on March 24, 2001. Last season, the Lady Vols had three meetings with Atlantic 10 opponents. UT constructed a 3-0 record registering wins at George Washington, 59-43 on Dec. 7, 2005; a 75-50 victory at Temple on Dec. 28, 2005, and an NCAA Second Round win over GWU, 66-53, in Norfolk, Va., on Mar. 21, 2006.
THAT A-10 LOSS
UT's lone loss to an Atlantic 10 Conference team came in the 2001 NCAA Mideast Regionals. The Lady Vols were shocked, 80-65, by #12/11 ranked Xavier.
WE MEET AGAIN
Tennessee and George Washington have met just seven times in history, but six of those have come in each of the past five seasons, including 2005-06. UT has claimed each of those, in addition to a 73-53 win in the 1992-93 campaign at the Maryland Invitational. UT registered a 59-43 win on Dec. 7, 2005, and earned 71-41, 65-51, 83-61 and 88-57 the previous four years, respectively. The squads met in NCAA Tournament play for the first time last March as UT won 66-53 in Second Round action on Mar. 21, 2006.
OUR LAST MEETING
In the Second Round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Tennessee's Shanna Zolman scored 19 points and Candace Parker added 15, and the second-seeded Lady Vols used a fast start to send eighth-seeded George Washington reeling in a 66-53 victory on March 21, 2006. UT Coach Pat Summitt improved to 38-0 in the first and second rounds in her career, and gave Tennessee (30-4) its 16th 30-win season in her 32 years as coach. With the win, the Lady Vols have now advanced to 25 consecutive regional semifinals. The Lady Vols players and staff, miffed at earning a #2 seed, turned it into a positive. "We're going to continue to use that (the seeding) as motivation," said Zolman whose three-pointer with 3:52 left in the first half gave her the UT career three-point record. George Washington (23-9) trailed by double digits almost the whole way after the Lady Vols' opening 16-2 burst. After 11 minutes, Zolman had 11 points and Parker had 10, both exceeding the Colonials' total and Tennessee was up 25-8 and cruising. GWU missed its first nine shots, but used an 11-3 run to begin the second half to get within 43-34 with 13:50 to go. But Zolman and Sidney Spencer hit back-to-back 3-pointers, sparking a 13-0 run that put the Colonials back in a hole. Jessica Simmonds led the Colonials with 14 points. The Colonials shot just 30 percent and were outrebounded 53-37. Spencer added 12 points and Nicky Anosike had nine and a season-high 12 rebounds.
TENNESSEE GW
OVERALL RECORD 7-1 7-1
SCORING 80.8 67.9
SCORING DEFENSE 59.9 60.5
POINT MARGIN +20.9 + 7.4
REBOUNDS 36.1 38.5
OPP. REBOUNDS 32.0 38.2
REBOUND MARGIN + 4.1 + 0.3
FG% .511 .432
OPPONENT FG% .401 .372
THREE POINT FG% .436 .394
OPPONENT 3FG% .376 .357
FT% .707 .663
OPPONENT FT% .647 .636
ASSISTS 17.9 14.3
BLOCKS AVERAGE 6.3 4.9
STEALS AVERAGE 14.5 9.4
TURNOVER AVERAGE 16.9 15.5
OUR FIRST MEETING WITH GWU LAST SEASON
Candace Parker scored 14 points, and Tennessee held George Washington scoreless for 8 1/2 minutes in the second half en route to a 59-43 victory Dec. 7, 2005, despite playing little like the nation's No. 1 team for stretches. Parker also added eight rebounds. Shanna Zolman added 12 points for the Lady Vols (8-0), who were closing a five-game road trip in which they logged more than 13,000 miles by the time they returned home. Jessica Simmonds led GWU (2-3) with 13 points. Before the game, there was little reason to think it would be as close as it was into the second half. The Lady Vols came in having outscored opponents by an average of 26.7 points this season and without a loss to an unranked opponent in 3 1/2 years. The Colonials, meanwhile, had never lost by fewer than 14 points in five previous games against UT. But the Lady Vols were shaky, committing 23 turnovers in the game and shooting just 43 percent in the first half. That helped the Colonials make a game of it, leading for most of the first 10 minutes. Trailing 40-35, GW had a chance to cut its deficit to three, but Simmonds - a 29 percent free throw shooter - missed both attempts from the line. Six minutes into the second half, Jazmine Adair's baseline jumper drew the Colonials to 42-37. But that's when UT turned up its defense, forcing poor shots, air balls, shot-clock violations and steals. By the time GW scored again, on Simmonds' jumper with 5 1/2 minutes left, Tennessee had used a 12-0 run to take control at 54-37. The Lady Vols held GW to 22 percent shooting in the second half and finished the game with 12 steals, five by Alexis Hornbuckle. Tennessee outrebounded GW 39-27. The Lady Vols didn't take their first lead until more than 9 1/2 minutes had elapsed, on Sidney Spencer's jumper near the foul line that made it 15-14. Jessica Adair's inside basket gave GW what would be its final lead of the game, 16- 15. The Colonials went scoreless for more than 3 minutes as Tennessee used a 10-2 run and appeared to be pulling away. But a late spurt by GW made its deficit just 34-29 at halftime. That matched Tennessee's lowest output in a half. The 14 points scored by GW in the second half tied for the second fewest by an opponent in the second period in Tennessee history.
TENNESSEE TOPS AP ALL-TIME
The Tennessee Lady Vols are the top-ranked team in the history of the Top 25 rankings in the Associated Press poll. The poll, now in its 31st season, has found Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols ranked in 508 of a possible 522 polls. Through the poll released on Dec. 4, the top five team poll rankings are: 1. Pat Summitt, TENNESSEE - 508 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history) 2. Andy Landers, Georgia - 400 3. Jody Conradt, Texas - 391 4. C.Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) - 349 5. Rene Portland (St. Joseph, Penn St.) - 336
PARKER'S A FOUL MAGNET
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker has been a foul magnet in 2006-07. With all of the double and triple-teaming she has seen this season, 25 percent of the opponent's 155 total fouls have been inflicted on her. In seven games this season, Parker has drawn 39 fouls. In games against Arizona State, Stanford and North Carolina, players guarding Parker were whistled for nine fouls.
ELITE COMPANY FOR BIG NICK
Junior post Nicky Anosike has moved into an elite Lady Vol club. "Big Nick" has joined Tennessee greats Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings as the only Lady Vols all-time to accumulate at least 500+ points, 400+ rebounds, 80+ blocked shots, 100+ assists and 100+ steals. The mobile 6-4 Anosike has generated 556 points, 447 rebounds, 92 blocked shots, 131 assists, and 110 steals in 79 career games.
UT REBOUNDED VS. MARTIN
After suffering its first defeat of the season, Tennessee rebounded with a big win over Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin. The Lady Vols opened the game on an 18-0 run. UTM did not score until 11:43 left in the first half. Martin's 13 first half points tie for the seventh fewest by a UT opponent in and their 16 second half points tie for the eighth fewest by a UT opponent in history. Overall, UTM's 29 total points tie for the fourth fewest by a UT opponent. For the first time this season, all 11 Lady Vols scored. Best of all, Tennessee had its lowest turnover total (9) of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 44. She has made a steal in 65 of 72 career games; Candace Parker...Reached double figures for the 22nd consecutive time, the 41st time in her career. She also recorded a double-double for the second straight game, the third time this season and the 13th time of her career. Remained perfect from the three-point line this season; Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 14 points; Sidney Spencer ...Reached double figures for the seventh time this season, the 34th time of her career; Nicci Moats...Scored her first career field goal and had a career-high three points, former manager Elizabeth Curry ...Scored her first career points.
THE WHEELS FELL OFF
Tennessee's trip to #2 North Carolina had few things to write home about as the wheels fell off for the first time this season. Against the Tar Heels, Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season dropping the Lady Vols' record to 6-1. UT was in unfamiliar territory as they trailed at the half for the first time this season. After connecting on better than 50 percent from the field in five games, UT's field goal percentage (.362) was the lowest of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...-Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 43. She has recorded at least one steal in 64 of 71 career games; Candace Parker... Reached double figures for 21st consecutive game, and for the 40th time in her career, Nicky Anosike...
Moved into a tie for 11th place on the career blocks list (88) and rookie Cait McMahan...deserved the "Spunk Award" after getting tangled up with UNC's Ivory Latta - Caity Mac did not back down.
BOBBITT BACK IN LINE-UP
UT junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt was back in the starting line-up against #2-ranked North Carolina. Bobbitt (5.7 ppg, 4.0 apg) missed the contest at Louisiana Tech due to a test in one of her classes. Rookie Cait McMahan started in Bobbitt's place in the 71-50 win over the Lady Techsters. McMahan had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.
VERSUS THE RANKED
In #21/19-ranked George Washington, the Lady Vols will face their fifth ranked opponent in nine games. UT recorded wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60), at #11 Arizona State (83-74) and against #11 Stanford (77-60) but lost to UNC 70-57. Next week, UT takes on #22-ranked Texas after final exams.
SUMMITT CAPTURED ROAD WIN NUMBER 300 AT LA TECH
Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt notched her 300th career victory on the road at Louisiana Tech. Summitt has now fashioned a 300-78 all-time record in hostile arenas - which equates to an amazing 80 percent winning mark on the road in 33 seasons at the helm of the Lady Vols.
CONFERENCE CALL
In addition to the 14-game Southeastern Conference schedule, Tennessee will take on teams from 10 other conferences this season. The Lady Vols will be doing their best impression as members of the Pac-10 and the BIG EAST facing three opponents from each of those conferences. UT will play two foes from the ACC and one each from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Colonial, Ohio Valley, Southern, Sun Belt and WAC.
CAN THIS TEAM DEFEND THE 3?
Coach Pat Summitt has not been pleased with the Lady Vols' commitment to defending the three-pointer. On the season, UT's opponents have connected on 6.3 treys per game and are shooting at a 38 percent clip of their attempts. Chattanooga recorded a school record 31 attempts from three-point land versus the Lady Vols. MTSU registered 13-26 (50%) from three-point land.
STEALS, STEALS EVERYWHERE
The Pat Summitt mantra of "let your defense start your offense" hasn't fallen on deaf ears with the Lady Vols so far this season. Tennessee already has 116 thefts on the year against quality opposition for an average of 15.0 spg. Alexis Hornbuckle is leading the team individually with over four steals per game.
PARKER NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Candace Parker was tabbed the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 27, after leading her team to victories over #11-ranked Stanford, 77-60 and Middle Tennessee, 88-64. The Naperville, Ill., native averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games. Parker connected on both three-point attempts and made 65 percent of her shots from the field. Additionally, she dished four assists and nabbed six steals in the pair of contests. She also slammed home her second dunk of the 2006-07 season and fourth of her career in the win over the Cardinal. Parker earned the honor for the second time this season.
LEFTOVERS FROM RUSTON
With Tennessee's sloppy 71-50 win over Louisiana Tech, it marked the Lady Vols seventh consecutive victory over the Lady Techsters. The 71 points were the fewest scored by the Lady Vols this season and the 50 points scored by Tech were the fewest of an opponent this season. The UT starting lineup of Cait McMahan, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sidney Spencer, Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike was used for the first time this season. Starting point guard Shannon Bobbitt stayed in Knoxville to take a test. Tennessee's smothering defense forced 10 Lady Techster turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game. The 19 first half turnovers by LTU were the most by a UT opponent this season. UT's halftime lead (+27) was the largest halfway margin since the opening game against Chattanooga (+28). In the bad news department, the smaller Tech squad embarrassed the Lady Vols on the boards with a 46-37 rebounding margin. Individually, Cait McMahan... Got her first career start...Made her first career free throw attempt and earned career-highs in points (7) and rebounds (4)...Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 42. She has made at least one steal in 63 of 70 career games. Her six steals against Tech moved her past Kellie Jolly (177) into 20th place in the UT record books for career steals (180). She had four steals in the first eight minutes of the game in Ruston...Candace Parker... Became the eighth Lady Vol of all time to reach the 100-blocks plateau and she reached it in just 42 games. On the first two offensive plays of the game for LTU, Parker blocked both attempts. Her seven blocks tied her own personal-best, tie for the most by ever by a UT sophomore and vaulted her into seventh place in the UT record books for career blocks (103), past Daedra Charles (97), Vonda Ward (98) and Abby Conklin (102). Also, she scored in double figures for the 20th game in a row, the 39th time in her career...Alberta Auguste...The only Lady Vol in history to hail from the state of Louisiana, she played in Ruston, about five hours (340 miles) from her hometown of Marrero, La. Against the Techsters, and in front of a bunch of family from Marrero, she had a career-high eight steals, five of which came in the first half...Sidney Spencer...The first of four Lady Vols to reach double figures, her 10 points marked her seventh consecutive 10+ point game... Dominique Redding... Spencer's senior sidekick had a career-high 13 points on a career-high six field goals.
LADY VOL BITS & PIECES FROM THE MTSU GAME
Tennessee made 10 three-pointers, tying for the 10th most in program history...All 11 Lady Vols saw playing time... Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 19th game in a row dating back to last season and moved into fourth place in career field goal percentage (.462) with her 7-of-9 shooting... Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with a steal to 41 and now has at least one steal in 62 of 69 career games. She moved into a tie for 21st place in the Lady Vol record books with 174 career thefts...Sidney Spencer-Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season, the sixth time in a row dating back to the North Carolina game on March 28, 2006. The streak of six consecutive double-digit scoring outings is the longest of her career. She also made four three-pointers, the most by a Lady Vol this season...Alex Fuller-The first of four Lady Vols to reach double-digits in the game. Her 12 points are a career-high and her two three-pointers tied a career-high...Nicky Anosike-Had a season-high 13 points, marking her 15th career game with a double-digit output. She moved into a tie for 13th place for career blocks (88)...Nicci Moats-Scored her first points at UT.
LADY VOLS: THE BEST AND THE WORST OF 2006-07
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME:102 points ....vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME: 57 points .........at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 74 points ....at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 29 points ...... vs. UT-Martin (12/5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD:
57 points............85-28 vs. UT-Marin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT:
15 points .............55-70 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD IN A LOSS: 5 points.....9-4 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT IN A WIN: 6 points ......13-7 vs. MTSU (11/26)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME LEAD: 30 points.....43-13 vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME DEFICIT: 5 points...25-30 at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.636 (21-33) ....... vs. MTSU (11/26)
WORST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.346(9-26) ............. at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.609 (14-23) .............. vs. Stanford (11/24)
WORST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.375 (12-32) ........... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 59 points ......vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 25 points ......... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 38 points.......at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 13 points ..... vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 43 points ...... vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 29 points ......... at La Tech (11/28)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 41 points .........vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 16 points ........vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
TENNESSEE has led in the first half of every game ...
TENNESSEE has never trailed in the first half of seven games...
TENNESSEE has led at halftime of 7 games...
TENNESSEE has trailed at halftime of 1 game
TENNESSEE has led in the second half of 7 games...
TENNESSEE has never led in the second half of 1 game...
TENNESSEE has led in rebounding in 5 games...
TENNESSEE has been outrebounded in 3 games (43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...
NEW SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Candace Parker broke Michelle Snow's school record for most dunks in a career in the game with #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker's one-handed slam with 10:55 left in the first half was the fourth of Parker's career and the second of the season. Snow registered three dunks (1998-2002) during her career.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
After opening games shooting at .613 (UTC), .531 (UCLA), .516 (Arizona St.) - UT had its first stinker in the opening 20 minutes making just 13-31 field goals for a season-low .419 shooting percentage in the first half against Stanford ...UT responded with .609 accuracy in the second half (14-23) for the best second half field goal performance of the season...
UT-STANFORD WRAP-UP
All Lady Vols who played scored...UT missed only one free throw, shooting at a 94.7 percent clip... Individually, Candace Parker... Sank her first three-point attempt of the season, recorded her second dunk of the season, her first career dunk against a ranked opponent, Was the first of two Lady Vols to reach double-figures, Eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game and the 13th time in her career, Surpassed 700 points for her career, Recorded five blocks, tying for the 10th-most in a single game by a Lady Vol (She now has 93 for her career, moving past Tiffani Johnson (89) and Cindy Noble (91) into 10th place in the Lady Vol record books); Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 40. She has made at least one steal in 61 of 68 career game; Sidney Spencer... Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, the 31st time in her career.
UT LEADS PAC-10 AT 3-0
The Tennessee Lady Vols have finished their Pac-10 slate with a 3-0 record against three ranked teams in consecutive games. During the stretch of wins over #20/21 UCLA, at #11 Arizona State and #11 Stanford in the last week, UT averaged 81.0 ppg and gave up 64.7 ppg for a 16.3 scoring margin. The Lady Vols shot .528 from the field, .455 from three point land and .760 from the line. UT forced the opposition in an average of 23.0 turnovers per game while coming up with 14.0 steals per contest. Individually, Candace Parker tossed in 24.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg and registered two dunks.
FIFTY IS NIFTY
With the victory over Stanford, Tennessee has now claimed 52 victories all-time against teams from the Pac-10. Outside of the Southeastern Conference (365 wins), the Lady Vols have recorded 77 wins over teams from the ACC and 66 victories over BIG EAST Conference schools. The Pac-10 ranks as the fourth most defeated conference by UT.
FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST
In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols have eight foes scheduled. Three teams hail from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols will face Chattanooga (a 102-72 win), Middle Tennessee (an 88-64 win) 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 faced three ranked Pac-10 schools in consecutive games: #20/21 UCLA (an 83-60 win), at #11 Arizona State (an 83-74 win ) and #11 Stanford (a 77-60 win). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (a 71-50 victory) and #2-ranked North Carolina (Dec. 3) round out the first month of the season.
Candace Parker EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Tennessee sophomore basketball standout Candace Parker was named the SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 13-19) for her performances in wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60) and at #11 Arizona State (83-74). Last season, Parker received the league's Freshman of the Week honor on four occasions, and the Player of the Week award once during her rookie campaign. In two games, Parker averaged 23.5 points and eight rebounds along with four steals and a pair of blocks. In the game against Arizona State, the Naperville, Ill., native picked up her 11th career double-double and first of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 10-of-15 from the field against UCLA and stayed perfect from the line (2-of-2) for 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to earn Philips Player of the Game accolades. The scoring occurrences marked the 35th and 36th double figure games in her 39-game career. The match-ups were also the 10th and 11th game with 20 or more points.
LADY VOL SPOILERS
The Lady Vols have enjoyed the role of spoiler snapping long-standing winning streaks on a number of opponent's home floors over the years. On Nov. 19, Tennessee halted Arizona State's 26-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena with an 83-74 win. Last season, Stanford had amassed a 23-game winning streak at Maples Pavilion before the Lady Vols grabbed a 74-67 win on Dec. 4, 2005.
FREE THROW WOES
Good thing that the Lady Vols exploded to as much as a 24-point lead against Arizona State. Had Tennessee been forced to rely on relief from the charity stripe down the stretch, it would have been a bad outcome. UT made only 12-21 free throws against the Sun Devils for just 57.1 percent. Candace Parker missed four (7-11), Shannon Bobbitt missed the front end of two 1+1 situations (0-2) and Alex Fuller, uncharacteristically, missed both of her bonus tosses (0-2).
UCLA WAS 370TH WIN VS. RANKED
Tennessee's victory over UCLA improved its record 2-0 on the season and gave the Lady Vols their 370th all-time win over a ranked foe. The Big Orange is now 372-145 in games against Top-25 ranked opposition. At halftime, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt challenged her team to get off to a quick start in the second half and hunker down on defense. Challenge answered. Tennessee opened the second half with a 10-0 run and UCLA did not score a field goal until 3:55 into the second stanza. Individually: Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 38 straight contests; Sidney Spencer...The first of three Lady Vols to reach double-figures -- it was the 29th double-digit game of her career; Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the 35th time in her 38-game career -- it was her 11th career contest of 20 or more points. No dunks against the Bruins. However, her repertoire of shots was simply amazing; Nicky Anosike...Surpassed the 500-point plateau for her career -- she now has 503 career points and Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 10.
NEW UNIFORM PATCH
This year, University of Tennessee student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in the classroom have a "VS" patch on their uniform. The "VS" stands for Vol Scholar. Every Lady Vol basketball player (except for the newcomers -- rookies Cait McMahan and Nicci Moats and junior college transfers Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt) are proudly displaying the patch on their uniform jerseys this season.
THREE 100 POINT GAMES
In the two preseason exhibition tilts and in the first game of the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols registered at least 100 points in all three contests. It marks the first time in program history that a Lady Vol team had tallied triple digits in back-to-back-to-back contests. UT dropped in 102 points against Chattanooga in the season opener and recorded games of 104 points versus Carson-Newman and 101 points against the Houston Jaguars in a pair of exhibition match-ups.
"SOMETHING SPECIAL"
In her first handful of games in a Lady Vol uniform, 5'2" junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt has quickly become a crowd favorite. The diminutive Bobbitt is so quick with the ball, she has left defenders shaking their heads more than once. Hailing from Manhattan, N.Y., Bobbitt earned her hoops rep on some of the toughest courts in the city. The guys at the famed hoops mecca, Rucker Park, nicknamed her "something special." After watching some of her moves in the first two games, a more accurate nickname might be "the ankle breaker."
CANDACE JAMS
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker gave Lady Vols fans the dunk they had been waiting to see at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 12, 2006, with UT leading Chattanooga, 75-43, Parker stole the ball from the Lady Mocs' Brooke Hand near the sideline. The 6-4 forward took off for the other end of the court and slammed the rock in with her right hand with 16:02 left in the game as cheers shook the Arena. The rangy soph brought the crowd to their collective feet in Thompson-Boling Arena again recording her first dunk against a ranked opponent throwing one down at the 10:55 mark in the first half against #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker elected to finger roll a couple of shots last year but never dunked at home. She finally dunked twice as a rookie in the NCAA First Round game versus Army last season. Prior to Parker's dunking exploits, Michelle Snow dunked three times as a Lady Vol. Unfortunately, the dunks occurred on the road at Maui, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. In Snow's final game at Thompson-Boling Arena, she went in to dunk against Notre Dame in the waning seconds of UT's NCAA Second Round victory over the Irish, but she was fouled instead and the dunk never went down. Parker's dunk against #11 Stanford passed Snow for the Lady Vol records for "dunks in a career" with four.
FIRST GAME IMPRESSIONS
The 102-72 win over Chattanooga improves Tennessee to 68-3 in 100-point games...Tennessee made its first six shots of the game from the field and its first 11 free throws...In the first half, the Lady Vols shot a sizzling 60 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 10 attempts...Every Lady Vols saw playing time in the first half... Chattanooga broke the opponent record for three-pointers in a game with 13...The previous opponent record was 12, by Stanford in Knoxville on Dec. 21, 1992...The Lady Vols reached the century scoring mark when rookie Cait McMahan drove the length of the floor for a lay up with just over five minutes remaining in the game...This was the first 100+ point season-opening game for the Lady Vols since a 112-39 victory over Stetson on Nov. 26, 1989...Shannon Bobbitt was the first of six Lady Vols to reach double-figure scoring...Alex Fuller tied a career high in blocks (2) in the first half and scored a career-high nine points...Cait McMahan's first bucket in a Lady Vol uniform came when she snuck around the defense for her first career lay-up...Alexis Hornbuckle extended her streak of games to 37 with at least one steal and she shattered her own career-best mark with seven steals against UTC...Candace Parker scored in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game dating back to last season and dunked for the first time at home in her 37-game career -- It was the first recorded dunk by a woman in a game in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
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. UT'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.
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 270-16 (.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 33 years producing a 423-40 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.
221 OF 234 AT HOME
UT has won 221 of their last 234 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 372-146 (.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 won five games at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Dec. 3, 2006 at UNC, since then, UT not played on the road. 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.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Teleconference Transcript
Lady Vols host George Washington Thursday before breaking for exams
Dec. 6, 2006
Opening comments...
"Overall I think our team has had valuable experiences with our schedule, in particular at North Carolina with a challenging but good environment and against a team who was very impressive. That's why we play that schedule. Last night, UT-Martin was not the same caliber of team that we played against at North Carolina, Arizona State or versus Stanford. It was more about us. I thought we did a good job of maintaining our intensity. We got to work on some aspects of the game that we haven't spent a lot of time on and really concentrate in that area. Looking ahead to George Washington; they present a different look. They extend their defense and are very aggressive due to their high-level action. Their guards are very capable of running the ball up our backs, so we have to be ready for some baseline-to-baseline action."
On George Washington being the fifth ranked team UT has played this season...
"I think we get more than just the benefit of playing teams that are well-coached and that challenge us throughout the regular season. It allows our basketball team to understand that they have to be ready to play every night. Our schedule is tough enough that on any given night if we aren't ready to play, it could be really costly for us. It's all about the postseason for me, understanding that you can have a near-perfect regular season, but if you're not ready for postseason, then anything is possible in that situation."
On preparing for George Washington and Texas during final exams...
"It only gives us one day of preparation, and that's today. Our staff has been watching tape on them. I think with our team and some of the things we'll see, we have obviously seen that before this season. The preparation time is not on our side, but we are familiar with them having played them on other occasions. That gives us a little more knowledge of what we will face."
On the series with George Washington...
"I like playing teams in different conferences because you see teams with different styles. The SEC gives us one style of play, so the opportunity to play other schools in other conferences, it has allowed us to prepare for a lot of different looks. George Washington does a good job of varying its action defensively to give you different looks. I think it has been good for us, and also I have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of fans and alumni in that area which is good for them to have a chance to see us. We're going to extend the series."
On watching tape of George Washington...
"I have watched tape and there are a lot of similarities to what we saw last year. I think their man-defense gave us some problems when we played them in the NCAA playoffs, so we have to be in tune with that. Their perimeter players are very aggressive, and they can break you down off the dribble. That definitely will challenge us. It depends on whether they want to run with us or not. Some people come in and like to run up and down. George Washington does a good job of keeping you off balance."
On the friendship with George Washington head coach Joe McKeown...
"When I was working with the Mystics I got to visit with him and we got to sit together and talk basketball. He's a great father and family man and a very sincere but competitive individual. I've enjoyed getting to know him. He is someone in the profession that I feel like if I needed someone, I could call him. Come game time, however, we are extremely competitive."
On the pregnancy of Summitt's dog Sally Sue...
"She is hanging in there. She is probably going to have eight puppies this weekend, so thank goodness I will have basketball behind me for a break. With the ultrasound they said eight, but you can always expect one or two more, so we will have a house full of puppies. I have several people who have been through this, so they are going to help me."
Dec. 6, 2006
Opening comments...
"Overall I think our team has had valuable experiences with our schedule, in particular at North Carolina with a challenging but good environment and against a team who was very impressive. That's why we play that schedule. Last night, UT-Martin was not the same caliber of team that we played against at North Carolina, Arizona State or versus Stanford. It was more about us. I thought we did a good job of maintaining our intensity. We got to work on some aspects of the game that we haven't spent a lot of time on and really concentrate in that area. Looking ahead to George Washington; they present a different look. They extend their defense and are very aggressive due to their high-level action. Their guards are very capable of running the ball up our backs, so we have to be ready for some baseline-to-baseline action."
On George Washington being the fifth ranked team UT has played this season...
"I think we get more than just the benefit of playing teams that are well-coached and that challenge us throughout the regular season. It allows our basketball team to understand that they have to be ready to play every night. Our schedule is tough enough that on any given night if we aren't ready to play, it could be really costly for us. It's all about the postseason for me, understanding that you can have a near-perfect regular season, but if you're not ready for postseason, then anything is possible in that situation."
On preparing for George Washington and Texas during final exams...
"It only gives us one day of preparation, and that's today. Our staff has been watching tape on them. I think with our team and some of the things we'll see, we have obviously seen that before this season. The preparation time is not on our side, but we are familiar with them having played them on other occasions. That gives us a little more knowledge of what we will face."
On the series with George Washington...
"I like playing teams in different conferences because you see teams with different styles. The SEC gives us one style of play, so the opportunity to play other schools in other conferences, it has allowed us to prepare for a lot of different looks. George Washington does a good job of varying its action defensively to give you different looks. I think it has been good for us, and also I have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of fans and alumni in that area which is good for them to have a chance to see us. We're going to extend the series."
On watching tape of George Washington...
"I have watched tape and there are a lot of similarities to what we saw last year. I think their man-defense gave us some problems when we played them in the NCAA playoffs, so we have to be in tune with that. Their perimeter players are very aggressive, and they can break you down off the dribble. That definitely will challenge us. It depends on whether they want to run with us or not. Some people come in and like to run up and down. George Washington does a good job of keeping you off balance."
On the friendship with George Washington head coach Joe McKeown...
"When I was working with the Mystics I got to visit with him and we got to sit together and talk basketball. He's a great father and family man and a very sincere but competitive individual. I've enjoyed getting to know him. He is someone in the profession that I feel like if I needed someone, I could call him. Come game time, however, we are extremely competitive."
On the pregnancy of Summitt's dog Sally Sue...
"She is hanging in there. She is probably going to have eight puppies this weekend, so thank goodness I will have basketball behind me for a break. With the ultrasound they said eight, but you can always expect one or two more, so we will have a house full of puppies. I have several people who have been through this, so they are going to help me."
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
(6) Tennessee 85, Tenn-Martin 29
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Candace Parker scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help No. 6 Tennessee respond to its first loss by beating Tennessee-Martin 85-29 on Tuesday night.
The Lady Vols (7-1) lost 70-57 at second-ranked North Carolina on Sunday, struggling against the Tar Heels' defensive pressure.
UT-Martin, the alma mater of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, was not expected to challenge the Lady Vols, and the Skyhawks (4-2) didn't.
The Lady Vols were ahead 18-0 before Jennifer Angler scored for UT-Martin with 11:43 left in the first half.
The Ohio Valley Conference team last played its sister school in 1999, and Tennessee won 133-60.
Reserve Alex Fuller added 14 points for the Lady Vols while Sidney Spencer had 13 and Nicky Anosike 10.
Tennessee was ahead 43-13 at halftime and continued to pull away in the second half. The Skyhawks had trouble getting off shots, and the buzzer often sounded for shot clock violations. They were smaller than the Lady Vols and struggled to defend and rebound.
The Lady Vols had the rebounding edge, 46-24.
Parker scored 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the first half and then sat and watched until halftime. She added six points in the second half before going to the bench with most of the other starters with 10:15 remaining and the Lady Vols ahead by 41.
UT-Martin named its basketball court in Summitt's honor in 1997.
The Skyhawks were led in scoring by Nicole Holman, Phyllisha Mitchell and Andreika Jackson each with six points. UT-Martin made 10 of 49 shots from the field.
The Lady Vols (7-1) lost 70-57 at second-ranked North Carolina on Sunday, struggling against the Tar Heels' defensive pressure.
UT-Martin, the alma mater of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, was not expected to challenge the Lady Vols, and the Skyhawks (4-2) didn't.
The Lady Vols were ahead 18-0 before Jennifer Angler scored for UT-Martin with 11:43 left in the first half.
The Ohio Valley Conference team last played its sister school in 1999, and Tennessee won 133-60.
Reserve Alex Fuller added 14 points for the Lady Vols while Sidney Spencer had 13 and Nicky Anosike 10.
Tennessee was ahead 43-13 at halftime and continued to pull away in the second half. The Skyhawks had trouble getting off shots, and the buzzer often sounded for shot clock violations. They were smaller than the Lady Vols and struggled to defend and rebound.
The Lady Vols had the rebounding edge, 46-24.
Parker scored 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the first half and then sat and watched until halftime. She added six points in the second half before going to the bench with most of the other starters with 10:15 remaining and the Lady Vols ahead by 41.
UT-Martin named its basketball court in Summitt's honor in 1997.
The Skyhawks were led in scoring by Nicole Holman, Phyllisha Mitchell and Andreika Jackson each with six points. UT-Martin made 10 of 49 shots from the field.
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