The Tennessee Lady Volunteers overcame sluggish defensive play with accurate shooting against a speedy Virginia team.
Coach Pat Summitt still had an earful for them after their 85-73 win.
"How ugly was that? Goodness," Summitt shouted, carrying her frustration into her postgame press conference. "That was painful to watch. We just came off a 60 point win. We thought we were all that and more. Am I happy that we won? Absolutely. Am I pleased with how we played? Not at all."
Summitt said the struggles on defense could be traced back to a lack of focus in the film room, for which she took credit as coach. She also promised it would improve leading up to Tennessee's meeting with Arizona State on Sunday and that the Lady Vols would learn from their "wake-up call."
"I'd rather have it now than later because we have more tough teams coming up," Tennessee guard Angie Bjorklund said. "ASU on Sunday is going to be a tough game. We have a couple of days to prepare for that and get a lot better on defense."
In the meantime, strong shooting overcame the defensive woes as the Lady Vols shot 53.1 percent against the Cavaliers in the first half. Bjorklund, who scored 24 points in a win at Virginia a season ago, made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points while playing all 40 minutes this time.
Shekinna Stricklen added 15 points for Tennessee, and Meighan Simmons had 12.
Ariana Moorer led Virginia with 24 points, Paulisha Kellum added 18 and Telia McCall had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Virginia got off to a quick start, hitting its first eight shots and used a 9-0 run to take a 17-9 lead with 15:45 in the first half, and controlled the tempo of the game throughout much of the first 20 minutes.
Tennessee switched between their typical man-to-man defense and a zone to slow the Cavaliers down and rally back. A 3-point basket by Stricklen tied the game at 32 with 6:42 in the first half, and the Lady Vols held a 41-39 lead at halftime.
Bjorklund opened the second half with a 3-pointer, launching an 8-0 run that gave Tennessee a 49-39 lead with 15:36 left. Virginia didn't score until a pair of free throws by Ataira Franklin with 14:39 to go.
"I warned my team that they were going to come out with much better intensity, and I knew that they would come out a little more organized, and sure enough they did," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "I felt like that was where they game was decided."
The shooting effort remained cool as the Cavaliers hit only 41.7 percent of their second-half shots. The Lady Vols pushed the margin to as many as 18 points -- enough to sustain a late run by Virginia.
The Cavaliers starters also found themselves in foul trouble early in the second half as Kellum picked up her fourth foul with 16:16 left and Simone Egwu got her fourth with 12:09 to go.
Six of this year's Cavaliers were around for Virginia's 83-82 win over Tennessee two years ago in Knoxville.
"I remembered how our intensity was before and during that game, so I wanted to carry that over to this game," Kellum said. "I think I did that and our team did as well. We showed great leadership on the court."
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Lady Vols Hit 15 Threes in 103-43 Win
Tennessee assistant coach Mickie DeMoss wrote on the board before the fourth-ranked Lady Vols took the court against Chattanooga, "If you're open, do not hesitate."
Not a problem, coach.
Meighan Simmons led four players in double-digit scoring with 26 points as Tennessee hit a school-record 15 3-pointers in a 103-43 romp over Chattanooga on Monday night.
"My teammates are always encouraging me and telling me, 'When you're open, shoot the ball," Simmons said. "I think that kind of boosts my confidence up."
The freshman, who was rewarded for her 22-point performance in her first game as a Lady Vol with a starting role against Chattanooga, got things rolling with a 3-pointer 9 seconds into the game. The Lady Vols (2-0) never let up as they hit four more 3s during their opening 19-0 run.
Smothered by Tennessee's pressing defense, Chattanooga (0-2) didn't score until 14:22 in the first, when Alex Black fought for a jump shot to make it 19-2. Simmons immediately answered with yet another 3-point shot, and the Lady Mocs went through another 4-minute scoring drought.
"When you shoot the ball as well as we did, that gives us a lot of confidence, but I was more excited about our commitment on the defensive end," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "You never know when you'll have an off night shooting the ball, so you have to be ready to go in all aspects."
Tennessee baited the Lady Mocs by going inside to its tall posts and then shooting the ball outside to whichever sharpshooter was wide open. The Lady Vols grabbed a 36-point lead off a Sydney Smallbone jumper with less than a minute to go before the break, but a free throw by Chattanooga's Tenisha Townsend cut it to 51-16.
By then the Lady Vols had shot 58.8 percent from the field, made 11 of 18 from behind the arc and had three players in double-digit scoring. Angie Bjorklund finished with 20 points, Taber Spani had 14 and Kamiko Williams added 12.
"It's kind of like pick your poison," Bjorklund said.
The Lady Mocs, who have won the past 11 Southern Conference championships, couldn't match the effort after committing 17 turnovers and making only 21.7 percent of their shots from the field. Whitney Hood led Chattanooga with 22 points.
"It is definitely a learning experience," Hood said. "All we can do is get better, and when we practice on Wednesday we have to focus on the next game."
An uncontested 3-pointer by Bjorklund was Tennessee's 14th of the game, breaking the school single-game record of 13. The Lady Vols squads had hit 13 three times, most recently by Summitt's eighth national championship squad in a 98-55 win over Arkansas on Jan. 24, 2008.
The Lady Vols led by as many as 36 points in the first half and by 61 late in the second half.
It's Tennessee's 18th consecutive win in the series, one it leads by a 23-6 margin. Chattanooga hasn't won since before Summitt began coaching the Lady Vols in 1974 but came extremely close in the last meeting, a 66-63 victory by Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 21, 2008.
"Today it wasn't a whole lot of fun," Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore said. "I knew they were going to present a whole lot of problems for us."
Not a problem, coach.
Meighan Simmons led four players in double-digit scoring with 26 points as Tennessee hit a school-record 15 3-pointers in a 103-43 romp over Chattanooga on Monday night.
"My teammates are always encouraging me and telling me, 'When you're open, shoot the ball," Simmons said. "I think that kind of boosts my confidence up."
The freshman, who was rewarded for her 22-point performance in her first game as a Lady Vol with a starting role against Chattanooga, got things rolling with a 3-pointer 9 seconds into the game. The Lady Vols (2-0) never let up as they hit four more 3s during their opening 19-0 run.
Smothered by Tennessee's pressing defense, Chattanooga (0-2) didn't score until 14:22 in the first, when Alex Black fought for a jump shot to make it 19-2. Simmons immediately answered with yet another 3-point shot, and the Lady Mocs went through another 4-minute scoring drought.
"When you shoot the ball as well as we did, that gives us a lot of confidence, but I was more excited about our commitment on the defensive end," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "You never know when you'll have an off night shooting the ball, so you have to be ready to go in all aspects."
Tennessee baited the Lady Mocs by going inside to its tall posts and then shooting the ball outside to whichever sharpshooter was wide open. The Lady Vols grabbed a 36-point lead off a Sydney Smallbone jumper with less than a minute to go before the break, but a free throw by Chattanooga's Tenisha Townsend cut it to 51-16.
By then the Lady Vols had shot 58.8 percent from the field, made 11 of 18 from behind the arc and had three players in double-digit scoring. Angie Bjorklund finished with 20 points, Taber Spani had 14 and Kamiko Williams added 12.
"It's kind of like pick your poison," Bjorklund said.
The Lady Mocs, who have won the past 11 Southern Conference championships, couldn't match the effort after committing 17 turnovers and making only 21.7 percent of their shots from the field. Whitney Hood led Chattanooga with 22 points.
"It is definitely a learning experience," Hood said. "All we can do is get better, and when we practice on Wednesday we have to focus on the next game."
An uncontested 3-pointer by Bjorklund was Tennessee's 14th of the game, breaking the school single-game record of 13. The Lady Vols squads had hit 13 three times, most recently by Summitt's eighth national championship squad in a 98-55 win over Arkansas on Jan. 24, 2008.
The Lady Vols led by as many as 36 points in the first half and by 61 late in the second half.
It's Tennessee's 18th consecutive win in the series, one it leads by a 23-6 margin. Chattanooga hasn't won since before Summitt began coaching the Lady Vols in 1974 but came extremely close in the last meeting, a 66-63 victory by Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 21, 2008.
"Today it wasn't a whole lot of fun," Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore said. "I knew they were going to present a whole lot of problems for us."
Friday, November 12, 2010
Lady Vols Open with 63-50 Win
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Nobody else will overlook Meighan Simmons, not after the way the Tennessee freshman helped the Lady Vols pull out their season opener.
Simmons scored 22 points before a record crowd as No. 4 Tennessee beat Louisville 63-50 on Friday night in the first regular-season game at the new KFC Yum! Center.
"It was devastating," Louisville forward Monique Reid said of Simmons. "She wasn't really on the scouting report. We knew she was able. If you go to Tennessee, we know you're a baller. We didn't really expect it. We wanted somebody else to score other than the main ... like [Angie] Bjorklund, Glory [Johnson] like that. Big ups to her. She's a hooper."
Simmons didn't expect to play as much as she did with 31 minutes coming off the bench. She was 9-of-20 from the floor with eight rebounds.
"I think it was the fact of god using his gift and showing it to the world and letting people know I gave this girl a gift and why not use it at this point in time for my first away game with 22,000 people," Simmons said. "That's just crazy to me, just crazy."
Actually, the game set a Big East women's attendance mark of 22,124. That topped the 19,123 that then-No. 1 Connecticut drew in a visit to Freedom Hall on Jan. 12, 2008. Freedom Hall was a dusty old barn with so much hoops history. People may have been curious to check out the gleaming building with the dazzling scoreboard and all the modern comforts down to a bourbon bar overlooking the Ohio River. Louisville also added a new piece of history by retiring the No. 35 jersey worn by Angel McCoughtry before tipoff.
"What a great place," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said of an arena she compared to Tennessee's home, Thompson-Boling Arena.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz grabbed a microphone at the end and thanked the fans who wore mostly red and not Tennessee orange.
The fans gave him a standing ovation and fans talked of a quick return to the Final Four. He joked later he thought they were standing up to head for the exits.
"They were fantastic. The place got loud," Walz said. Shekinna Stricklen scored 14 points for Tennessee, which improved to 34-3 in season openers in Summitt's 37 seasons.
Reid had 19 points for Louisville in a loss that snapped a five-game winning streak in openers for the Cardinals.
It was a sloppy, physical game as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball or find the basket. Louisville led 8-2 before Tennessee took the lead for good at 11-10 on a layup by Johnson.
This opener pitted experience versus youth.
Tennessee is junior-laden with nearly every player back from a team that went 32-3 last season. The Lady Vols won the championship in 2008 but have made earlier-than-expected exits from the last two NCAA tournaments. Louisville's roster is stocked with the highest recruited group of freshmen in school history. That includes Shoni Schimmel, the highest-ranked player ever to sign with the Cardinals.
But it was tough to tell who had more freshmen as both teams traded turnovers and bad shots throughout.
The Lady Vols wound up with 29 turnovers. Louisville, with the excuse of so many freshmen, had 22.
Early on, it looked as if the Lady Vols didn't realize this game counted. They missed their first seven shots, including a jumper from Stricklen that never came near the rim as it flew over, and they couldn't control the ball, either.
Summitt tried to take advantage of having her two top post players healthy by playing 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and 6-4 Vicki Baugh early. It didn't help as both picked up two quick fouls. Tennessee did wind up controlling the boards 53-29.
Meanwhile, Schimmel had seven of the Cards' 15 turnovers in the first half despite playing only nine minutes. Walz kept playing her too, and she had just one more turnover to go with all of her nine points in the second half.
Simmons got going in her own debut hit a jumper to cap a 10-0 spurt for a 15-10 lead midway through the first half. She wound up playing 31 minutes.
"I was impressed because Pat let her play," Walz said.
Louisville didn't go away, not with that crowd ramping up the energy every time the Cardinals hit a big basket.
Each time the Cardinals scored to trim the lead, Tennessee answered. Reid's fastbreak layup pulled the Cardinals within 32-31 in the opening minutes of the second half, and Cain scored six straight buckets underneath for Tennessee.
Becky Burke hit a 3 that pulled Louisville within 40-36 with 12:40 left. Simmons took over. She got the rebound of her own miss and scored. She then hit back-to-back 3s before Stricklen's layup gave Tennessee its first double-digit lead at 55-44 with 5:11 to go.
Simmons scored 22 points before a record crowd as No. 4 Tennessee beat Louisville 63-50 on Friday night in the first regular-season game at the new KFC Yum! Center.
"It was devastating," Louisville forward Monique Reid said of Simmons. "She wasn't really on the scouting report. We knew she was able. If you go to Tennessee, we know you're a baller. We didn't really expect it. We wanted somebody else to score other than the main ... like [Angie] Bjorklund, Glory [Johnson] like that. Big ups to her. She's a hooper."
Simmons didn't expect to play as much as she did with 31 minutes coming off the bench. She was 9-of-20 from the floor with eight rebounds.
"I think it was the fact of god using his gift and showing it to the world and letting people know I gave this girl a gift and why not use it at this point in time for my first away game with 22,000 people," Simmons said. "That's just crazy to me, just crazy."
Actually, the game set a Big East women's attendance mark of 22,124. That topped the 19,123 that then-No. 1 Connecticut drew in a visit to Freedom Hall on Jan. 12, 2008. Freedom Hall was a dusty old barn with so much hoops history. People may have been curious to check out the gleaming building with the dazzling scoreboard and all the modern comforts down to a bourbon bar overlooking the Ohio River. Louisville also added a new piece of history by retiring the No. 35 jersey worn by Angel McCoughtry before tipoff.
"What a great place," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said of an arena she compared to Tennessee's home, Thompson-Boling Arena.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz grabbed a microphone at the end and thanked the fans who wore mostly red and not Tennessee orange.
The fans gave him a standing ovation and fans talked of a quick return to the Final Four. He joked later he thought they were standing up to head for the exits.
"They were fantastic. The place got loud," Walz said. Shekinna Stricklen scored 14 points for Tennessee, which improved to 34-3 in season openers in Summitt's 37 seasons.
Reid had 19 points for Louisville in a loss that snapped a five-game winning streak in openers for the Cardinals.
It was a sloppy, physical game as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball or find the basket. Louisville led 8-2 before Tennessee took the lead for good at 11-10 on a layup by Johnson.
This opener pitted experience versus youth.
Tennessee is junior-laden with nearly every player back from a team that went 32-3 last season. The Lady Vols won the championship in 2008 but have made earlier-than-expected exits from the last two NCAA tournaments. Louisville's roster is stocked with the highest recruited group of freshmen in school history. That includes Shoni Schimmel, the highest-ranked player ever to sign with the Cardinals.
But it was tough to tell who had more freshmen as both teams traded turnovers and bad shots throughout.
The Lady Vols wound up with 29 turnovers. Louisville, with the excuse of so many freshmen, had 22.
Early on, it looked as if the Lady Vols didn't realize this game counted. They missed their first seven shots, including a jumper from Stricklen that never came near the rim as it flew over, and they couldn't control the ball, either.
Summitt tried to take advantage of having her two top post players healthy by playing 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and 6-4 Vicki Baugh early. It didn't help as both picked up two quick fouls. Tennessee did wind up controlling the boards 53-29.
Meanwhile, Schimmel had seven of the Cards' 15 turnovers in the first half despite playing only nine minutes. Walz kept playing her too, and she had just one more turnover to go with all of her nine points in the second half.
Simmons got going in her own debut hit a jumper to cap a 10-0 spurt for a 15-10 lead midway through the first half. She wound up playing 31 minutes.
"I was impressed because Pat let her play," Walz said.
Louisville didn't go away, not with that crowd ramping up the energy every time the Cardinals hit a big basket.
Each time the Cardinals scored to trim the lead, Tennessee answered. Reid's fastbreak layup pulled the Cardinals within 32-31 in the opening minutes of the second half, and Cain scored six straight buckets underneath for Tennessee.
Becky Burke hit a 3 that pulled Louisville within 40-36 with 12:40 left. Simmons took over. She got the rebound of her own miss and scored. She then hit back-to-back 3s before Stricklen's layup gave Tennessee its first double-digit lead at 55-44 with 5:11 to go.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Lady Vols Defeat Union 86-53
KNOXVILLE -- The University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team cruised to an 86-53 exhibition victory over two-time defending NAIA champions Union (Tenn.) on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Union hung tough for much of the first half and drew to within 21-18 before the Big Orange closed the half on an 18-3 run to take a 39-21 lead into the locker room. Tennessee was keyed by the play of sophomore Glory Johnson, who led Tennessee with 20 points and 11 rebounds, both game-highs.
After being critical of her team's defensive performance on Tuesday night against Carson-Newman, UT coach Pat Summitt spoke much more glowingly about today's defensive effort, but emphasized that the team still has improvements to make.
"I thought our defense was better than it was Tuesday night," Summitt said. "We've got to look at the other team's personnel and have a sense of urgency about finding their best shooters. Our two freshmen will get better, but we expect our upperclassmen to know what to do and communicate."
Tennessee got a spark from the return of Vicki Baugh. A junior forward, Baugh had not played since suffering a second torn ACL on Feb. 3, 2009. She entered the game to a standing ovation from the 11,252 fans at Thompson-Boling Arena, something she said really meant a lot to her.
"It was awesome," Baugh said. "It was just a pleasure to be back on the court. I felt like one of the veterans coming back to play with the young kids. It's just been too long since I've been on the court."
Three other Lady Volunteers scored in double figures, led by Alicia Manning's 13 points. Taber Spani and Shekinna Stricklen added 10. UT pulled down 49 boards (20 offensive) to Union's game total of 23 and forced 19 turnovers.
Union head coach Mark Campbell said he was proud of his team's effort.
"We pride ourselves on being able to play on the same level emotionally no matter what is going on during the game," Campbell said. "I think we competed the entire night."
Kayla Hudson led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-10 from way downtown.
Tennessee will begin the regular season on Friday, Nov. 12 with a trip to Louisville. Tip for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans are reminded to follow the Lady Vols on Twitter at www.twitter.com/UTLadyVols.
Union hung tough for much of the first half and drew to within 21-18 before the Big Orange closed the half on an 18-3 run to take a 39-21 lead into the locker room. Tennessee was keyed by the play of sophomore Glory Johnson, who led Tennessee with 20 points and 11 rebounds, both game-highs.
After being critical of her team's defensive performance on Tuesday night against Carson-Newman, UT coach Pat Summitt spoke much more glowingly about today's defensive effort, but emphasized that the team still has improvements to make.
"I thought our defense was better than it was Tuesday night," Summitt said. "We've got to look at the other team's personnel and have a sense of urgency about finding their best shooters. Our two freshmen will get better, but we expect our upperclassmen to know what to do and communicate."
Tennessee got a spark from the return of Vicki Baugh. A junior forward, Baugh had not played since suffering a second torn ACL on Feb. 3, 2009. She entered the game to a standing ovation from the 11,252 fans at Thompson-Boling Arena, something she said really meant a lot to her.
"It was awesome," Baugh said. "It was just a pleasure to be back on the court. I felt like one of the veterans coming back to play with the young kids. It's just been too long since I've been on the court."
Three other Lady Volunteers scored in double figures, led by Alicia Manning's 13 points. Taber Spani and Shekinna Stricklen added 10. UT pulled down 49 boards (20 offensive) to Union's game total of 23 and forced 19 turnovers.
Union head coach Mark Campbell said he was proud of his team's effort.
"We pride ourselves on being able to play on the same level emotionally no matter what is going on during the game," Campbell said. "I think we competed the entire night."
Kayla Hudson led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-10 from way downtown.
Tennessee will begin the regular season on Friday, Nov. 12 with a trip to Louisville. Tip for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans are reminded to follow the Lady Vols on Twitter at www.twitter.com/UTLadyVols.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Lady Vols Cruise In Opener, 110-66
KNOXVILLE - No. 4 Tennessee began a new women's basketball season on Tuesday night, but a 110-66 exhibition victory over Carson-Newman in Thompson-Boling Arena couldn't silence coach Pat Summitt's usual refrain.
That's defense and rebounding.
"Obviously, we did some really good things," Summitt said. "I guess the one thing that stood out to me in the seven years we have played Carson-Newman, we gave up more points tonight. Why? Because we weren't passionate all the time about playing great defense. I don't know many teams that are going to win championships if they're not passionate about defense and rebounding."
The final score certainly wound up in Tennessee's favor, and the Lady Vols never trailed. Tennessee shot 54 percent from the field, including a 61-percent mark from both the field and from 3-point range in the first half.
"We were hitting offensively," said junior Glory Johnson, who scored a game-high 26 points. "We started struggling with our defense. That's what happens when we still have things to work on. Now we have our defense and our offense to work on."
Exhibition games are all about finding places to improve. And the Lady Vols were without three post players still nursing injuries - Alyssia Brewer, Kelley Cain and Vicki Baugh.
That certainly altered UT's front line, but even without those three (and senior Angie Bjorklund and freshman Lauren Avant) on the court, they still managed to outrebound the Lady Eagles 45-28.
Freshman Meighan Simmons scored 11 points and led the team with five assists in her first game as a Lady Vol.
"I was pretty excited about today," Simmons said. "Just being out there for the first time today, it's a blessing. It's just a dream come true."
Four other Lady Vols scored in double figures Tuesday night as well.
Taber Spani hit four of her six 3-point attempts and finished with 22 points, while Shekinna Stricklen was 4-for-5 beyond the 3-point line and had 15 points.
Forward Alicia Manning didn't have much trouble on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring 15 points. Sydney Smallbone also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes.
Tennessee has one more exhibition game left on Sunday against Union at 3 p.m. before beginning the regular season with a trip to Louisville on Nov. 12. That game, like Tuesday night's, should give the Lady Vols plenty to learn from - good and bad.
"This is why we have the exhibition games," Summitt said. "It's a great learning tool. That's the first thing we'll do when we go back to practice. We'll watch tape and do a really good evaluation of why we did what we did and how we can get better."
That's defense and rebounding.
"Obviously, we did some really good things," Summitt said. "I guess the one thing that stood out to me in the seven years we have played Carson-Newman, we gave up more points tonight. Why? Because we weren't passionate all the time about playing great defense. I don't know many teams that are going to win championships if they're not passionate about defense and rebounding."
The final score certainly wound up in Tennessee's favor, and the Lady Vols never trailed. Tennessee shot 54 percent from the field, including a 61-percent mark from both the field and from 3-point range in the first half.
"We were hitting offensively," said junior Glory Johnson, who scored a game-high 26 points. "We started struggling with our defense. That's what happens when we still have things to work on. Now we have our defense and our offense to work on."
Exhibition games are all about finding places to improve. And the Lady Vols were without three post players still nursing injuries - Alyssia Brewer, Kelley Cain and Vicki Baugh.
That certainly altered UT's front line, but even without those three (and senior Angie Bjorklund and freshman Lauren Avant) on the court, they still managed to outrebound the Lady Eagles 45-28.
Freshman Meighan Simmons scored 11 points and led the team with five assists in her first game as a Lady Vol.
"I was pretty excited about today," Simmons said. "Just being out there for the first time today, it's a blessing. It's just a dream come true."
Four other Lady Vols scored in double figures Tuesday night as well.
Taber Spani hit four of her six 3-point attempts and finished with 22 points, while Shekinna Stricklen was 4-for-5 beyond the 3-point line and had 15 points.
Forward Alicia Manning didn't have much trouble on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring 15 points. Sydney Smallbone also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes.
Tennessee has one more exhibition game left on Sunday against Union at 3 p.m. before beginning the regular season with a trip to Louisville on Nov. 12. That game, like Tuesday night's, should give the Lady Vols plenty to learn from - good and bad.
"This is why we have the exhibition games," Summitt said. "It's a great learning tool. That's the first thing we'll do when we go back to practice. We'll watch tape and do a really good evaluation of why we did what we did and how we can get better."
Friday, October 01, 2010
Summitt Announces Dupree is Leaving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - University of Tennessee Lady Vol head basketball coach Pat Summitt announced this afternoon that redshirt freshman post Faith Dupree intends to transfer after the fall semester.
"This was Faith's decision to leave the program," Summitt said. "She told me she wants to play basketball at a school where she can have an impact right away. "I support her choice and wish her nothing but continued success both on and off the court."
The 6-3 post appeared in the first two games of the 2009-10 season before it was announced on Nov. 23, 2009, that she would redshirt her freshman year due to recurrent lower back pain. Against #7/4-ranked Baylor she logged four minutes and grabbed a rebound. In San Antonio at the ESPNU Road to the Championship, she played 18 minutes and tossed in five points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists in 18 minutes against Texas Tech.
"I have been thinking about this all summer," said Dupree. "There is never a good time to make a decision like this, but I feel like it will be in my best interest to pursue an opportunity where I can be major contributor in the post.
"I will finish this semester at UT in order to transfer in good standing to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in January 2011."
Dupree signed with the Lady Vols in 2009 following an impressive career at the Webb School in Knoxville. During her 124-game career as a Spartan, she scored 1,724 points, snagged 802 rebounds and recorded 244 blocks to go along with 208 assists and 169 steals. Coached by former Lady Vol Shelley Sexton Collier, Dupree averaged 16.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg as senior and was selected as an honorable mention All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
She earned recognition as a three-time all-state honoree (2007, 2008 and 2009) and as a member of two all-state tournament teams (2007 and 2008).
"This was Faith's decision to leave the program," Summitt said. "She told me she wants to play basketball at a school where she can have an impact right away. "I support her choice and wish her nothing but continued success both on and off the court."
The 6-3 post appeared in the first two games of the 2009-10 season before it was announced on Nov. 23, 2009, that she would redshirt her freshman year due to recurrent lower back pain. Against #7/4-ranked Baylor she logged four minutes and grabbed a rebound. In San Antonio at the ESPNU Road to the Championship, she played 18 minutes and tossed in five points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists in 18 minutes against Texas Tech.
"I have been thinking about this all summer," said Dupree. "There is never a good time to make a decision like this, but I feel like it will be in my best interest to pursue an opportunity where I can be major contributor in the post.
"I will finish this semester at UT in order to transfer in good standing to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in January 2011."
Dupree signed with the Lady Vols in 2009 following an impressive career at the Webb School in Knoxville. During her 124-game career as a Spartan, she scored 1,724 points, snagged 802 rebounds and recorded 244 blocks to go along with 208 assists and 169 steals. Coached by former Lady Vol Shelley Sexton Collier, Dupree averaged 16.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg as senior and was selected as an honorable mention All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
She earned recognition as a three-time all-state honoree (2007, 2008 and 2009) and as a member of two all-state tournament teams (2007 and 2008).
Friday, September 10, 2010
Brewer Has Successful Surgery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Jenny Moshak, University of Tennessee Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine, announced this afternoon that Lady Vol basketball junior forward Alyssia Brewer had undergone successful Achilles tendon surgery.
Brewer suffered the freakish non-athletically related injury on August 19 when a candle base broke on the floor in her apartment and a shard of glass cut her leg. Brewer received stitches and was held out of individual workouts. The injury was reevaluated after she continued to feel discomfort in the leg.
"Drs. Greg Mathien and Russell Betcher, UT team orthopaedists, performed surgery on Lyssi's left Achilles tendon this afternoon," said Moshak. "The surgery repaired a tear to her Achilles as a result of her non-athletically related mishap."
According to Moshak, Brewer's surgery went well and she will begin rehabilitation in two weeks. "I anticipate that Lyssi should be able to return to the court this season."
Brewer, a 6-3 junior from Sapulpa, Okla., emerged as a key member of the 2009-10 team earning 13 starting assignments while averaging 10.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg -- practically doubling the scoring output of her rookie campaign. The southpaw registered 17 games in double-figures including a career high 23 points against George Washington University. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament leading her Lady Vol team to the title averaging 14.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg and connecting on 70.4 percent of her field goal attempts in the three game set. Brewer also claimed the 2010 SEC 6th Woman of the Year award.
"The unexpected injury Lyssi suffered is really unfortunate for both Lyssi and our team," said Lady Vol head basketball coach Pat Summitt. "She really worked hard in the off-season and we were hopeful that she could build on the momentum she generated at the end of the 2010 season. This is a tough setback for all of us."
The Lady Vols officially open the 2010-11 campaign on Nov.12 at the University of Louisville in the brand new KFC Yum! Center.
Brewer suffered the freakish non-athletically related injury on August 19 when a candle base broke on the floor in her apartment and a shard of glass cut her leg. Brewer received stitches and was held out of individual workouts. The injury was reevaluated after she continued to feel discomfort in the leg.
"Drs. Greg Mathien and Russell Betcher, UT team orthopaedists, performed surgery on Lyssi's left Achilles tendon this afternoon," said Moshak. "The surgery repaired a tear to her Achilles as a result of her non-athletically related mishap."
According to Moshak, Brewer's surgery went well and she will begin rehabilitation in two weeks. "I anticipate that Lyssi should be able to return to the court this season."
Brewer, a 6-3 junior from Sapulpa, Okla., emerged as a key member of the 2009-10 team earning 13 starting assignments while averaging 10.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg -- practically doubling the scoring output of her rookie campaign. The southpaw registered 17 games in double-figures including a career high 23 points against George Washington University. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament leading her Lady Vol team to the title averaging 14.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg and connecting on 70.4 percent of her field goal attempts in the three game set. Brewer also claimed the 2010 SEC 6th Woman of the Year award.
"The unexpected injury Lyssi suffered is really unfortunate for both Lyssi and our team," said Lady Vol head basketball coach Pat Summitt. "She really worked hard in the off-season and we were hopeful that she could build on the momentum she generated at the end of the 2010 season. This is a tough setback for all of us."
The Lady Vols officially open the 2010-11 campaign on Nov.12 at the University of Louisville in the brand new KFC Yum! Center.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Lady Vols Release 2010-11 Hoops Schedule
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers released the basketball schedule for the 2010-11 season this afternoon.
In addition to the Southeastern Conference slate of 16 games, the Lady Vols will also face a number of non-conference formidable foes, tangling with Baylor, Lamar, Virginia, Arizona State, Texas, Rutgers, Louisville, Stanford and Old Dominion. UT will also welcome in-state rivals UT-Chattanooga and East Tennessee State to the schedule.
A Thanksgiving junket takes the team back to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the first time since 2005 with a three-game appearance in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas from Nov. 25-27. The Lady Vols will take a trip down memory lane facing Missouri (Nov. 25) for the first time since 1978, when associate head coach Holly Warlick was quarterbacking the team, and Georgia Tech (Nov. 26) who appears on UT's schedule for the first time since 1989. Tennessee wraps up the tournament facing first time opponent, Georgetown (Nov. 27).
"This is another aggressive and demanding line-up of opponents for the coming year," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 37th season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the campaign with a 1,037-196 overall record. "This schedule is also exciting and challenging and will help to prepare us for post-season play."
Twenty of UT's 25 opponents in the coming season participated in 2010 post season play appearing in the NCAA or WNIT Tournaments. In all, UT will be facing competition from nine different conferences in the coming year including the Atlantic Sun, ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Colonial, Pac 10, Southeastern, Southern and Southland Conferences.
"Once again, I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity for 17 home dates (including the exhibition games) in our arena. Our great fans will be treated to a tremendous home schedule," said Summitt.
The season gets underway with a pair of exhibition tune-ups in Knoxville as Carson-Newman comes to town on Nov. 2 and two-time defending NAIA National Champion Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) heads to Rocky Top for a game on Nov. 7. Following the dress rehearsal contests, the Lady Vols officially open the season on the road taking on BIG EAST foe Louisville in the basketball opening of the brand new 22,000 seat KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 12 in the "Derby City." Tennessee kicks-off the home portion of the 2010-11 slate against visiting UT-Chattanooga on Nov. 15 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The remainder of the November schedule features contests at home against Virginia (Nov. 18) and Arizona State (Nov. 21) before the Lady Vols jet to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving for the Paradise Jam and three tough games.
Tennessee opens the December edition of the schedule at home facing its 185th all-time opponent, Lamar University on Dec. 1. The Lady Vols will then travel to meet Old Dominion (Dec. 5) before taking a week off for final exams. UT will resume playing hoops with a swing through the state of Texas taking on Texas on Dec. 12 and then traveling to Waco for the first time ever to meet the Baylor Lady Bears (Dec. 14) on ESPN2. Prior to the Christmas holidays, Tennessee will welcome 2010 NCAA runner-up Stanford (Dec. 19) on ESPN2 and East Tennessee State (Dec. 22) to Thompson-Boling Arena. Following a break for the holidays, UT concludes the 2010 portion of the non-conference schedule with a game against Rutgers in Knoxville on Dec. 30.
In January, the Lady Vols open the 2011 side of the slate with another aggressive SEC line-up traveling to LSU (Jan. 2) before opening conference play at home on Jan. 6 against Alabama. The first month of the year continues with home games versus Mississippi (Jan. 9), Vanderbilt (Jan. 15) on ESPN and Mississippi State (Jan. 27). UT will hit the road to play at Florida (Jan. 13), South Carolina (Jan. 20), Auburn (Jan. 23) and Arkansas (Jan. 30).
Tennessee opens the month of February with a pivotal game on ESPN2 at Kentucky on Feb. 7 followed by away games at Vanderbilt (Feb. 13) and Mississippi (Feb. 24). February home dates include Florida (Feb. 10), South Carolina (Feb. 17), a "Big Monday" meeting with Georgia on ESPN2 (Feb. 21) and the Senior Day Celebration on Feb. 27 against LSU.
In the 16-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols play home-and-home games with Florida, LSU, Mississippi and South Carolina once again this season, to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"The SEC will be as strong and unpredictable as it has ever been," professed Summitt. "From the top team to the 12th team, everyone is going to have to bring its' A game every night in this league. Great coaching minds and some more incredible young talent are going to make an always tough league, even tougher."
In the postseason, the 2011 SEC Tournament returns to the Music City in Nashville, Tenn., Mar. 3-6. When the height of March Madness begins and the NCAA Tournament is announced on Mar. 14, four teams will be heading to Thompson-Boling Arena as women's basketball fans will be treated to NCAA First/Second Round action in Knoxville, Tenn., Mar. 19 & 21. Other NCAA First/Second Round games will be played at 15 additional sites from Mar. 19-22. The NCAA Regional Championships will be contested, Mar. 26-29 and the season will culminate with the 2011 NCAA Final Four at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., April 3 and 5.
In addition to the Southeastern Conference slate of 16 games, the Lady Vols will also face a number of non-conference formidable foes, tangling with Baylor, Lamar, Virginia, Arizona State, Texas, Rutgers, Louisville, Stanford and Old Dominion. UT will also welcome in-state rivals UT-Chattanooga and East Tennessee State to the schedule.
A Thanksgiving junket takes the team back to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the first time since 2005 with a three-game appearance in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas from Nov. 25-27. The Lady Vols will take a trip down memory lane facing Missouri (Nov. 25) for the first time since 1978, when associate head coach Holly Warlick was quarterbacking the team, and Georgia Tech (Nov. 26) who appears on UT's schedule for the first time since 1989. Tennessee wraps up the tournament facing first time opponent, Georgetown (Nov. 27).
"This is another aggressive and demanding line-up of opponents for the coming year," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 37th season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the campaign with a 1,037-196 overall record. "This schedule is also exciting and challenging and will help to prepare us for post-season play."
Twenty of UT's 25 opponents in the coming season participated in 2010 post season play appearing in the NCAA or WNIT Tournaments. In all, UT will be facing competition from nine different conferences in the coming year including the Atlantic Sun, ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Colonial, Pac 10, Southeastern, Southern and Southland Conferences.
"Once again, I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity for 17 home dates (including the exhibition games) in our arena. Our great fans will be treated to a tremendous home schedule," said Summitt.
The season gets underway with a pair of exhibition tune-ups in Knoxville as Carson-Newman comes to town on Nov. 2 and two-time defending NAIA National Champion Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) heads to Rocky Top for a game on Nov. 7. Following the dress rehearsal contests, the Lady Vols officially open the season on the road taking on BIG EAST foe Louisville in the basketball opening of the brand new 22,000 seat KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 12 in the "Derby City." Tennessee kicks-off the home portion of the 2010-11 slate against visiting UT-Chattanooga on Nov. 15 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The remainder of the November schedule features contests at home against Virginia (Nov. 18) and Arizona State (Nov. 21) before the Lady Vols jet to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving for the Paradise Jam and three tough games.
Tennessee opens the December edition of the schedule at home facing its 185th all-time opponent, Lamar University on Dec. 1. The Lady Vols will then travel to meet Old Dominion (Dec. 5) before taking a week off for final exams. UT will resume playing hoops with a swing through the state of Texas taking on Texas on Dec. 12 and then traveling to Waco for the first time ever to meet the Baylor Lady Bears (Dec. 14) on ESPN2. Prior to the Christmas holidays, Tennessee will welcome 2010 NCAA runner-up Stanford (Dec. 19) on ESPN2 and East Tennessee State (Dec. 22) to Thompson-Boling Arena. Following a break for the holidays, UT concludes the 2010 portion of the non-conference schedule with a game against Rutgers in Knoxville on Dec. 30.
In January, the Lady Vols open the 2011 side of the slate with another aggressive SEC line-up traveling to LSU (Jan. 2) before opening conference play at home on Jan. 6 against Alabama. The first month of the year continues with home games versus Mississippi (Jan. 9), Vanderbilt (Jan. 15) on ESPN and Mississippi State (Jan. 27). UT will hit the road to play at Florida (Jan. 13), South Carolina (Jan. 20), Auburn (Jan. 23) and Arkansas (Jan. 30).
Tennessee opens the month of February with a pivotal game on ESPN2 at Kentucky on Feb. 7 followed by away games at Vanderbilt (Feb. 13) and Mississippi (Feb. 24). February home dates include Florida (Feb. 10), South Carolina (Feb. 17), a "Big Monday" meeting with Georgia on ESPN2 (Feb. 21) and the Senior Day Celebration on Feb. 27 against LSU.
In the 16-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols play home-and-home games with Florida, LSU, Mississippi and South Carolina once again this season, to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"The SEC will be as strong and unpredictable as it has ever been," professed Summitt. "From the top team to the 12th team, everyone is going to have to bring its' A game every night in this league. Great coaching minds and some more incredible young talent are going to make an always tough league, even tougher."
In the postseason, the 2011 SEC Tournament returns to the Music City in Nashville, Tenn., Mar. 3-6. When the height of March Madness begins and the NCAA Tournament is announced on Mar. 14, four teams will be heading to Thompson-Boling Arena as women's basketball fans will be treated to NCAA First/Second Round action in Knoxville, Tenn., Mar. 19 & 21. Other NCAA First/Second Round games will be played at 15 additional sites from Mar. 19-22. The NCAA Regional Championships will be contested, Mar. 26-29 and the season will culminate with the 2011 NCAA Final Four at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., April 3 and 5.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Update on Lady Vol Basketball Player Amber Gray
The University of Tennessee Women's Athletic Department announced today that after careful consideration and consultation with medical experts, Lady Vol redshirt sophomore basketball student-athlete Amber Gray will not be cleared by the department's medical staff to resume team-related athletic activities with respect to intercollegiate competition at UT.
"Amber is a courageous young woman, and we hope she will remain at UT as a student," women's athletic director Joan Cronan said. "If she decides she would like to pursue a playing opportunity at another university, we will support her decision to do so. We only want what is best for Amber."
"Amber is a courageous young woman, and we hope she will remain at UT as a student," women's athletic director Joan Cronan said. "If she decides she would like to pursue a playing opportunity at another university, we will support her decision to do so. We only want what is best for Amber."
Friday, May 07, 2010
Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell's Cruisin' For A Cause Heads to Niagara Falls
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - University of Tennessee Associate Head Basketball Coach Holly Warlick and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Head Basketball Coach and former Lady Vol Nikki Caldwell are back on their motorcycles once again! The duo is proud to announce the Fourth Annual Cruisin' For A Cause presented by FedEx Office - a long haul motorcycle ride dedicated to raising funds and awareness for a cure for breast cancer - as part of their partnership in founding the charitable organization, Champions For A Cause.
This year, for their Fourth Annual Crusin' For A Cause trip, Warlick and Caldwell have their collective sights set on a ride to Niagara Falls, N.Y., with stops along the way on the ride out to Washington D.C. and New York City.
"Our goal is pretty simple," said Warlick. "We want to ride thousands of miles to raise thousands of dollars to recruit thousands of people to join the fight against breast cancer." Also a passionate crusader for breast cancer awareness and research, Caldwell noted, "More than 185,000 women are diagnosed and more than 41,000 women die from breast cancer every year. This ride is one of our advocacy efforts to encourage the health community to advance their work on finding a cure for this life threatening illness."
Kicking off Cruisin' For A Cause is Knoxville's local fundraising event, the TaTa Tour on Saturday, May 8. Warlick and Caldwell are inviting local motorcyclists to join them on a short ride beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET at the Wild Wing Café (Campbell Station Road, I-40), including a special stop at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame at 10:45 a.m. Following the ride, participants and supporters are welcome to join Warlick and Caldwell back at the Wild Wing Café at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET for the TaTa Tour Celebration. Slots are limited for the Knoxville ride and online registration is encouraged.
Following the TaTa Tour ride, Warlick and Caldwell, along with the Cruisin' Crew, an entourage of supporters, will hop back on their bikes at 2:00 p.m. at Wild Wing Café to start the first leg of the 2010 Cruisin' For A Cause, an 1850-mile round-trip to Niagara Falls and back. The motorcycle ride will begin in Knoxville and the crew will stop to host fundraisers and meet fans along the route, including planned events in Washington D.C., at the National Institutes of Health at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 10; in New York City on May 11 with an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America (8:30 a.m. segment with GMA host Robin Roberts); at the U.S. Military Academy on Wednesday, May 12 and in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Thursday, May 13. The route home will take them through Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, May 14 where they will be recognized at the St. Louis Cardinals at the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball game before their return to Knoxville on Saturday, May 15.
Warlick and Caldwell, along with the Cruisin' Crew, stop by Children's Hospital in Knoxville before celebrating their Knoxville homecoming back at the Wild Wing Café on May 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Past Cruisin' For A Cause events included the inaugural ride in 2007 from San Francisco to Knoxville; a 2008 round-trip from Knoxville to Key West, Fla., and last year's ride, a 1500-mile round-trip along the Natchez Trace. Since 2007, the Cruisin' Crew has traveled more than 6,000 miles and the annual event has contributed to the nearly $100,000 raised by the charitable organization, Champions For A Cause.
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Champions For A Cause has raised and donated nearly $100,000 to help support the fight against breast cancer. The money raised through these events supports efforts such as the University of Tennessee Breast Health Outreach Program, Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, and The Wellness Community of East Tennessee. These organizations have provided thousands of mammograms, countless treatments, and hours of education for those who could not otherwise afford these life saving services. Champions For A Cause is a non-profit (501(c)-3) fundraising organization started by UT Associate Head Basketball Coach Holly Warlick and UCLA Head Basketball Coach Nikki Caldwell, with the mission to advance and support the cause of charitable organizations who advocate and act to better the quality of life and health for individuals at risk or in need. For more information, visit Champions For A Cause at www.championsforacause.org and on Facebook and Twitter.
This year, for their Fourth Annual Crusin' For A Cause trip, Warlick and Caldwell have their collective sights set on a ride to Niagara Falls, N.Y., with stops along the way on the ride out to Washington D.C. and New York City.
"Our goal is pretty simple," said Warlick. "We want to ride thousands of miles to raise thousands of dollars to recruit thousands of people to join the fight against breast cancer." Also a passionate crusader for breast cancer awareness and research, Caldwell noted, "More than 185,000 women are diagnosed and more than 41,000 women die from breast cancer every year. This ride is one of our advocacy efforts to encourage the health community to advance their work on finding a cure for this life threatening illness."
Kicking off Cruisin' For A Cause is Knoxville's local fundraising event, the TaTa Tour on Saturday, May 8. Warlick and Caldwell are inviting local motorcyclists to join them on a short ride beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET at the Wild Wing Café (Campbell Station Road, I-40), including a special stop at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame at 10:45 a.m. Following the ride, participants and supporters are welcome to join Warlick and Caldwell back at the Wild Wing Café at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET for the TaTa Tour Celebration. Slots are limited for the Knoxville ride and online registration is encouraged.
Following the TaTa Tour ride, Warlick and Caldwell, along with the Cruisin' Crew, an entourage of supporters, will hop back on their bikes at 2:00 p.m. at Wild Wing Café to start the first leg of the 2010 Cruisin' For A Cause, an 1850-mile round-trip to Niagara Falls and back. The motorcycle ride will begin in Knoxville and the crew will stop to host fundraisers and meet fans along the route, including planned events in Washington D.C., at the National Institutes of Health at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 10; in New York City on May 11 with an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America (8:30 a.m. segment with GMA host Robin Roberts); at the U.S. Military Academy on Wednesday, May 12 and in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Thursday, May 13. The route home will take them through Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, May 14 where they will be recognized at the St. Louis Cardinals at the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball game before their return to Knoxville on Saturday, May 15.
Warlick and Caldwell, along with the Cruisin' Crew, stop by Children's Hospital in Knoxville before celebrating their Knoxville homecoming back at the Wild Wing Café on May 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Past Cruisin' For A Cause events included the inaugural ride in 2007 from San Francisco to Knoxville; a 2008 round-trip from Knoxville to Key West, Fla., and last year's ride, a 1500-mile round-trip along the Natchez Trace. Since 2007, the Cruisin' Crew has traveled more than 6,000 miles and the annual event has contributed to the nearly $100,000 raised by the charitable organization, Champions For A Cause.
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Champions For A Cause has raised and donated nearly $100,000 to help support the fight against breast cancer. The money raised through these events supports efforts such as the University of Tennessee Breast Health Outreach Program, Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, and The Wellness Community of East Tennessee. These organizations have provided thousands of mammograms, countless treatments, and hours of education for those who could not otherwise afford these life saving services. Champions For A Cause is a non-profit (501(c)-3) fundraising organization started by UT Associate Head Basketball Coach Holly Warlick and UCLA Head Basketball Coach Nikki Caldwell, with the mission to advance and support the cause of charitable organizations who advocate and act to better the quality of life and health for individuals at risk or in need. For more information, visit Champions For A Cause at www.championsforacause.org and on Facebook and Twitter.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Mickie DeMoss Returns to the Lady Vol Basketball Sidelines
After seven years away from the University of Tennessee, Mickie DeMoss has decided to return to the university and the women's basketball program she called home for 18 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach.
The announcement was made by Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt this morning.
DeMoss replaces Tennessee staffer Stephanie Glance who became the head coach at Illinois State University on April 20, 2010.
"I guess Mickie had the `seven-year itch'," joked Summitt. "Seriously, we are thrilled to have Mickie back in the Lady Vol program. She is tied in to so much of our championship success throughout the years. She is a tremendous recruiter, teacher of the game and a great bench coach as well.
"While she was away, she had a chance to be a successful head coach at Kentucky and also to serve on the staff at the University of Texas. Mickie's forte has always been recruiting and working with the post players. Her résumé is so much richer now as a result of her experiences over the past seven years.
"She is excited about coming back and helping us to continue to compete for championships," said Summitt.
DeMoss and current Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick both joined Tennessee's coaching staff prior to the 1985-86 season. For the next 18 years, the coaching trio of Summitt, DeMoss and Warlick, posted six NCAA Championship titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998) while advancing to 12 NCAA Final Fours. During this span, the Lady Vols had a 554-77 overall record (.878). In 2000, DeMoss was promoted to associate head coach at Tennessee.
"It is just great to be coming back to Knoxville," said DeMoss. "When I left Tennessee to become the head coach at the University of Kentucky, it just seemed to be the right time in my development and growth as a coach. Following that, the opportunity I had to become an assistant coach at the University of Texas was what I needed at the time. As a result, I gained a different perspective and grew a great deal as a coach and person from those experiences.
"Now, I really feel like I'll be coming home. The University of Tennessee, the Lady Vol family and the Knoxville community have always been such a big part of my life. I was honored and excited when Pat asked if I would be interested in coming back to Tennessee," said DeMoss.
DeMoss, who just finished her 33rd season on the sidelines as a women's basketball coach, left the Lady Vols after the 2002-03 season to take the head coaching job at Kentucky. In four seasons, she guided the Wildcats to a 71-56 record including consecutive 20-win seasons (for the first time in 16 years) and three postseason appearances (one NCAA and two WNIT) for the first time in school history.
In 2005-06, DeMoss was named the SEC Coach of the Year, a first for a UK coach, as she guided the 22-9 Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons and punctuated the trip with an NCAA win. This breakout year also included a victory over number one ranked Tennessee, 66-63, in Rupp Arena in front of a school-record crowd of 13,689. It marked UK's first win over a top-ranked team in school history. In 2006-07, UK was 20-14 and advanced to the WNIT. That season, DeMoss' Cats attracted a school record attendance of 5,863 fans per game.
She elected to step aside as head coach at Kentucky in April 2007.
Her coaching hiatus ended when she accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Texas in the summer of 2007. Since then, she has been the Longhorns' top recruiter while also coaching the post game.
Prior to joining the Tennessee staff in 1985, she had been an assistant coach at Auburn University (1983-85), a head coach at the University of Florida (1979-83) and an assistant at Memphis State (1977-79).
DeMoss received her undergraduate degree in physical education from Louisiana Tech University in 1977, where she starred at point guard. She then received her master's degree in education at Memphis State University in 1979. She is a native of Tallulah, La.
The Mickie DeMoss File
Full Name: Mickie Faye DeMoss
Hometown: Tallulah, La. (Delhi High School)
Education: B.S. (Physical Education), Louisiana Tech, 1977; M.S. (Education), Memphis State, 1979
COACHING EXPERIENCE
The University of Texas
• Assistant Coach (July 2007-May 2010)
The University of Kentucky
• Head Coach (April 2003-April 2007)
• Four-year record: 71-56
• Led UK to first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 16 years (22-9 in 2005-06, 20-14 in 2006-07)
• Led UK to 2006 NCAA Tournament and to the 2005 and 2007 WNIT
• 2005-06 SEC Coach of the Year
The University of Tennessee
• Associate Head Coach (July 2000-03)
• Assistant Coach (July 1985-July 2000)
• Assisted in helping program to a 554-77 overall record
• Helped Tennessee to 12 NCAA Final Fours, six NCAA national championships (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998) and three NCAA finals (1995, 2000, 2003)
Auburn University
• Assistant Coach (1983-85)
The University of Florida
• Head Coach (1979-83)
• Four-year record: 45-68
Memphis State University
• Assistant Coach (1977-79)
COLLEGIATE PLAYING EXPERIENCE
• Louisiana Tech (1973-77)
The announcement was made by Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt this morning.
DeMoss replaces Tennessee staffer Stephanie Glance who became the head coach at Illinois State University on April 20, 2010.
"I guess Mickie had the `seven-year itch'," joked Summitt. "Seriously, we are thrilled to have Mickie back in the Lady Vol program. She is tied in to so much of our championship success throughout the years. She is a tremendous recruiter, teacher of the game and a great bench coach as well.
"While she was away, she had a chance to be a successful head coach at Kentucky and also to serve on the staff at the University of Texas. Mickie's forte has always been recruiting and working with the post players. Her résumé is so much richer now as a result of her experiences over the past seven years.
"She is excited about coming back and helping us to continue to compete for championships," said Summitt.
DeMoss and current Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick both joined Tennessee's coaching staff prior to the 1985-86 season. For the next 18 years, the coaching trio of Summitt, DeMoss and Warlick, posted six NCAA Championship titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998) while advancing to 12 NCAA Final Fours. During this span, the Lady Vols had a 554-77 overall record (.878). In 2000, DeMoss was promoted to associate head coach at Tennessee.
"It is just great to be coming back to Knoxville," said DeMoss. "When I left Tennessee to become the head coach at the University of Kentucky, it just seemed to be the right time in my development and growth as a coach. Following that, the opportunity I had to become an assistant coach at the University of Texas was what I needed at the time. As a result, I gained a different perspective and grew a great deal as a coach and person from those experiences.
"Now, I really feel like I'll be coming home. The University of Tennessee, the Lady Vol family and the Knoxville community have always been such a big part of my life. I was honored and excited when Pat asked if I would be interested in coming back to Tennessee," said DeMoss.
DeMoss, who just finished her 33rd season on the sidelines as a women's basketball coach, left the Lady Vols after the 2002-03 season to take the head coaching job at Kentucky. In four seasons, she guided the Wildcats to a 71-56 record including consecutive 20-win seasons (for the first time in 16 years) and three postseason appearances (one NCAA and two WNIT) for the first time in school history.
In 2005-06, DeMoss was named the SEC Coach of the Year, a first for a UK coach, as she guided the 22-9 Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons and punctuated the trip with an NCAA win. This breakout year also included a victory over number one ranked Tennessee, 66-63, in Rupp Arena in front of a school-record crowd of 13,689. It marked UK's first win over a top-ranked team in school history. In 2006-07, UK was 20-14 and advanced to the WNIT. That season, DeMoss' Cats attracted a school record attendance of 5,863 fans per game.
She elected to step aside as head coach at Kentucky in April 2007.
Her coaching hiatus ended when she accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Texas in the summer of 2007. Since then, she has been the Longhorns' top recruiter while also coaching the post game.
Prior to joining the Tennessee staff in 1985, she had been an assistant coach at Auburn University (1983-85), a head coach at the University of Florida (1979-83) and an assistant at Memphis State (1977-79).
DeMoss received her undergraduate degree in physical education from Louisiana Tech University in 1977, where she starred at point guard. She then received her master's degree in education at Memphis State University in 1979. She is a native of Tallulah, La.
The Mickie DeMoss File
Full Name: Mickie Faye DeMoss
Hometown: Tallulah, La. (Delhi High School)
Education: B.S. (Physical Education), Louisiana Tech, 1977; M.S. (Education), Memphis State, 1979
COACHING EXPERIENCE
The University of Texas
• Assistant Coach (July 2007-May 2010)
The University of Kentucky
• Head Coach (April 2003-April 2007)
• Four-year record: 71-56
• Led UK to first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 16 years (22-9 in 2005-06, 20-14 in 2006-07)
• Led UK to 2006 NCAA Tournament and to the 2005 and 2007 WNIT
• 2005-06 SEC Coach of the Year
The University of Tennessee
• Associate Head Coach (July 2000-03)
• Assistant Coach (July 1985-July 2000)
• Assisted in helping program to a 554-77 overall record
• Helped Tennessee to 12 NCAA Final Fours, six NCAA national championships (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998) and three NCAA finals (1995, 2000, 2003)
Auburn University
• Assistant Coach (1983-85)
The University of Florida
• Head Coach (1979-83)
• Four-year record: 45-68
Memphis State University
• Assistant Coach (1977-79)
COLLEGIATE PLAYING EXPERIENCE
• Louisiana Tech (1973-77)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bjorklund and Stricklen Earn Associated Press All-America Honors
University of Tennessee junior Angie Bjorklund and sophomore Shekinna Stricklen have both been named Honorable Mention Associated Press All-American.
They become the 11th and 12th Lady Vols to earn All-America honors from the Associated Press.
"I'm very proud and happy for both Angie and Shekinna. This honor is a testament to the hard work and energy that both have invested in improving their game," said Head Coach Pat Summitt. "Angie has really elevated her game. She's been devoted to getting in the gym and getting in extra shots, which has keyed her success. Angie was really a difference maker for us. Shekinna did a great job of running the point and her size out front is a definite advantage. She has learned to attack the paint, and when you factor that in with her pull-up game and her three-point shooting, she is a complete package."
Bjorklund was a unanimous choice to the First Team All-SEC by the league coaches and was also selected First Team All-SEC as chosen by the Associated Press. In addition, she was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was tabbed to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. The Spokane Valley, Wash., native has climbed through the Tennessee record books in her third year at Rocky Top. Bjorklund has moved into third place on the career three-pointers list with 232 triples made and finished the campaign in second place in UT's single-season record books with 201 threes made. She led the team with 13.9 ppg, dished out 2.9 apg and grabbed 2.7 rpg.
Stricklen was named Second Team All-SEC by the conference coaches and the AP. She is a finalist for the Wooden Award, is a candidate for the Naismith Award and was named to the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List. Stricklen recorded only the second triple-double in Lady Vol history when she scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out a career-best 12 assists against #14/15-ranked Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Morrilton, Ark., native was second on the team with 12.7 ppg, third with 6.1 rpg and boasts a team-high 3.9 apg.
They become the 11th and 12th Lady Vols to earn All-America honors from the Associated Press.
"I'm very proud and happy for both Angie and Shekinna. This honor is a testament to the hard work and energy that both have invested in improving their game," said Head Coach Pat Summitt. "Angie has really elevated her game. She's been devoted to getting in the gym and getting in extra shots, which has keyed her success. Angie was really a difference maker for us. Shekinna did a great job of running the point and her size out front is a definite advantage. She has learned to attack the paint, and when you factor that in with her pull-up game and her three-point shooting, she is a complete package."
Bjorklund was a unanimous choice to the First Team All-SEC by the league coaches and was also selected First Team All-SEC as chosen by the Associated Press. In addition, she was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was tabbed to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. The Spokane Valley, Wash., native has climbed through the Tennessee record books in her third year at Rocky Top. Bjorklund has moved into third place on the career three-pointers list with 232 triples made and finished the campaign in second place in UT's single-season record books with 201 threes made. She led the team with 13.9 ppg, dished out 2.9 apg and grabbed 2.7 rpg.
Stricklen was named Second Team All-SEC by the conference coaches and the AP. She is a finalist for the Wooden Award, is a candidate for the Naismith Award and was named to the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List. Stricklen recorded only the second triple-double in Lady Vol history when she scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out a career-best 12 assists against #14/15-ranked Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Morrilton, Ark., native was second on the team with 12.7 ppg, third with 6.1 rpg and boasts a team-high 3.9 apg.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Lady Vols Fall to Baylor, 77-62, in NCAA Sweet 16
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Freshman sensation Brittney Griner has grown up a lot this season -- just ask Tennessee. Kim Mulkey knew her Lady Bears would be a good team some day. That day arrived Saturday in the Sweet 16 as Baylor toppled No. 1 seed Tennessee. Story Griner scored 27 points and blocked 10 shots, leading fourth-seeded Baylor to a 77-62 win over the top-seeded Lady Vols on Saturday to advance to the NCAA tournament regional finals.
"She was the X factor," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, whose team was taken out in the first round last season.
Baylor's only other appearance in the round of eight was in 2005, the same year it won the national championship. The Lady Bears (26-9) will face either No. 2 seed Duke or 11th-seeded San Diego State on Monday night.
The Lady Vols' loss spoiled the highly anticipated matchup between Tennessee and Connecticut, which could have happened in this year's national semifinals. The Lady Vols, who lost in the first round last season, haven't missed out on back-to-back Final Fours since 1993-94.
Tennessee (32-3) successfully limited the 6-foot-8 Griner in its 74-65 win over Baylor in the first game of the season but couldn't do it again even with as many as four players on her at a time. Griner hit several shots while double-teamed or passed to an open Lady Bears teammate for an easy layup.
"You're watching a phenom out here play above the rim," Mulkey said. "That's what needs to be written in every article from this day forward, because she's such a sweet child as you can see."
Griner had been somewhat tentative on offense since she was suspended for two games after throwing a punch against a Texas Tech player in early March. She was back to her dominant self on both ends of the court.
"I just knew I had to come out and play my game and go back to the old Brittney," Griner said. Griner's 26 blocks in the NCAA tournament ranks her second in history. Duke's Alison Bales holds the NCAA tournament record with 30 in 2006, and Connecticut's Rebecca Lobo's 22 now ranks third.
The teams went back and forth throughout the first half and early in the second, trading the lead 10 times and tying four times. With both 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and 6-foot-3 Alyssia Brewer on the floor to guard Griner, Tennessee found some success inside and was up 55-50 with just under eight minutes left.
The Lady Vol orange-clad crowd fell silent as Griner hit back-to-back layups and had a three-point play as part of a 21-1 run as Tennessee's defense unraveled.
Tennessee (32-3) turned to its shooters in desperation. Though Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen managed to hit jumpers in traffic and knock down a few 3s in the first half, they missed left and right in the second half.
The Lady Vols managed to hit only 32.9 percent, only slightly better than their season-worst 32.8 percent against Stanford, and finished with 22 paint points. The Lady Vols allowed the Lady Bears 49.1 percent shooting -- a season high for a Tennessee opponent -- and 36 paint points.
"I can't believe it. I'm just really excited that to get to the Elite Eight we had to go through the best, and the best in this region was Tennessee," Baylor's Morghan Medlock said.
Stricklen led Tennessee with 18 points, and Bjorklund added 12.
"I think anytime you play against a 6-8 player, it's is going to be tough to shoot over her," Bjorklund said. "At the same time, I thought when our posts did have the ball they did a good job. Going against her, we just needed to give the posts more touches."
Tennessee fell to 23-5 in regional semifinal games.
"She was the X factor," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, whose team was taken out in the first round last season.
Baylor's only other appearance in the round of eight was in 2005, the same year it won the national championship. The Lady Bears (26-9) will face either No. 2 seed Duke or 11th-seeded San Diego State on Monday night.
The Lady Vols' loss spoiled the highly anticipated matchup between Tennessee and Connecticut, which could have happened in this year's national semifinals. The Lady Vols, who lost in the first round last season, haven't missed out on back-to-back Final Fours since 1993-94.
Tennessee (32-3) successfully limited the 6-foot-8 Griner in its 74-65 win over Baylor in the first game of the season but couldn't do it again even with as many as four players on her at a time. Griner hit several shots while double-teamed or passed to an open Lady Bears teammate for an easy layup.
"You're watching a phenom out here play above the rim," Mulkey said. "That's what needs to be written in every article from this day forward, because she's such a sweet child as you can see."
Griner had been somewhat tentative on offense since she was suspended for two games after throwing a punch against a Texas Tech player in early March. She was back to her dominant self on both ends of the court.
"I just knew I had to come out and play my game and go back to the old Brittney," Griner said. Griner's 26 blocks in the NCAA tournament ranks her second in history. Duke's Alison Bales holds the NCAA tournament record with 30 in 2006, and Connecticut's Rebecca Lobo's 22 now ranks third.
The teams went back and forth throughout the first half and early in the second, trading the lead 10 times and tying four times. With both 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and 6-foot-3 Alyssia Brewer on the floor to guard Griner, Tennessee found some success inside and was up 55-50 with just under eight minutes left.
The Lady Vol orange-clad crowd fell silent as Griner hit back-to-back layups and had a three-point play as part of a 21-1 run as Tennessee's defense unraveled.
Tennessee (32-3) turned to its shooters in desperation. Though Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen managed to hit jumpers in traffic and knock down a few 3s in the first half, they missed left and right in the second half.
The Lady Vols managed to hit only 32.9 percent, only slightly better than their season-worst 32.8 percent against Stanford, and finished with 22 paint points. The Lady Vols allowed the Lady Bears 49.1 percent shooting -- a season high for a Tennessee opponent -- and 36 paint points.
"I can't believe it. I'm just really excited that to get to the Elite Eight we had to go through the best, and the best in this region was Tennessee," Baylor's Morghan Medlock said.
Stricklen led Tennessee with 18 points, and Bjorklund added 12.
"I think anytime you play against a 6-8 player, it's is going to be tough to shoot over her," Bjorklund said. "At the same time, I thought when our posts did have the ball they did a good job. Going against her, we just needed to give the posts more touches."
Tennessee fell to 23-5 in regional semifinal games.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tennessee Storms past Dayton into Sweet Sixteen, 92-64
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After an unprecedented early loss in the NCAAs last year, it's back to business as usual for Tennessee.
The No. 1-seeded Lady Volunteers beat eighth-seeded Dayton 92-64 in the second round of the tournament on Monday night.
Tennessee (32-2) will make its 28th appearance in the regional semifinals Saturday, this time playing 350 miles from home in Memphis. The Lady Vols' lone absence from the round of 16 in the tournament's 29-year history came after last season's 71-55 loss to Ball State in the opening round.
And the Lady Vols are ready to prove that loss was an anomaly.
"I thought I could feel the energy in the locker room, and I mean they were wanting to get out on the court ASAP. With all that energy, I thought: they're ready to play," coach Pat Summitt said.
Alicia Manning scored a career-high 17 points and had 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists to lead Tennessee after fouling out of the opening-round game with two points. Manning was among five Lady Vols who had double-digit scoring against Dayton.
"I felt like last game I kind of let the team down getting in foul trouble, so I definitely felt like I needed to pick it up and make up for what I didn't do in the other game," she said.
Tennessee will face either No. 4 Baylor or No. 5 Georgetown in Memphis.
Dayton (25-8), which managed to rally from an 18-point deficit in its 67-66 win over TCU in the first round, was tasked with playing only its second NCAA tournament game in front of about 10,000 orange-clad fans on the court named "The Summitt."
A three-point play by Shekinna Stricklen launched a 17-2 scoring run for Tennessee. The Lady Vols had their way under their own basket, hitting wide-open shots from the perimeter and slashing the lane to take easy layups.
Manning cut through the paint to hit a layup that gave Tennessee a 19-4 run with 13:31 left in the first half. Taber Spani, who hit her first seven shots, sank a smooth 3 from the sideline to push Tennessee's lead to 23 points, and the Lady Vols entered halftime with a 50-30 lead.
"We knew we had to take away their inside game, so we were hoping they wouldn't go crazy on us. And they went crazy on us," Dayton coach Jim Jabir said. "I don't know if they do that usually. If they do, you should raise the ticket prices because that's some really good basketball."
At the break, Tennessee led in every category except rebounds -- something Summitt emphasized in the first round game. The two teams each had 20 at halftime.
But the Lady Vols didn't need the boards as they took care of the ball on offense and scored 13 off seven Dayton turnovers in the first half.
Tennessee scored the first 10 points of the second half, and Manning reached her career high on a fast-break layup that put the Lady Vols ahead 73-44 with 12:11 left.
Justine Raterman led the Flyers with 17 points.
The Lady Vols hit 53.9 percent of their shots as their lead ballooned to 34 points off a layup by Glory Johnson with 14:59 left. The Flyers hit 41.5 of their shots.
The Flyers struggled nearly every time they reached their end of the court. They had at least a half-dozen airballs in the first half, and Tennessee blocked 10 shots -- six by Kelley Cain.
And with 10 minutes to go, both Olivia Applewhite and Casey Nance had fouled out for Dayton.
"Offensively I thought we just looked nervous," Jabir said. "Justine doesn't shoot a lot of airballs and neither does Kendel [Ross]. I think both of those guys had rim bypasses a couple of times."
The No. 1-seeded Lady Volunteers beat eighth-seeded Dayton 92-64 in the second round of the tournament on Monday night.
Tennessee (32-2) will make its 28th appearance in the regional semifinals Saturday, this time playing 350 miles from home in Memphis. The Lady Vols' lone absence from the round of 16 in the tournament's 29-year history came after last season's 71-55 loss to Ball State in the opening round.
And the Lady Vols are ready to prove that loss was an anomaly.
"I thought I could feel the energy in the locker room, and I mean they were wanting to get out on the court ASAP. With all that energy, I thought: they're ready to play," coach Pat Summitt said.
Alicia Manning scored a career-high 17 points and had 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists to lead Tennessee after fouling out of the opening-round game with two points. Manning was among five Lady Vols who had double-digit scoring against Dayton.
"I felt like last game I kind of let the team down getting in foul trouble, so I definitely felt like I needed to pick it up and make up for what I didn't do in the other game," she said.
Tennessee will face either No. 4 Baylor or No. 5 Georgetown in Memphis.
Dayton (25-8), which managed to rally from an 18-point deficit in its 67-66 win over TCU in the first round, was tasked with playing only its second NCAA tournament game in front of about 10,000 orange-clad fans on the court named "The Summitt."
A three-point play by Shekinna Stricklen launched a 17-2 scoring run for Tennessee. The Lady Vols had their way under their own basket, hitting wide-open shots from the perimeter and slashing the lane to take easy layups.
Manning cut through the paint to hit a layup that gave Tennessee a 19-4 run with 13:31 left in the first half. Taber Spani, who hit her first seven shots, sank a smooth 3 from the sideline to push Tennessee's lead to 23 points, and the Lady Vols entered halftime with a 50-30 lead.
"We knew we had to take away their inside game, so we were hoping they wouldn't go crazy on us. And they went crazy on us," Dayton coach Jim Jabir said. "I don't know if they do that usually. If they do, you should raise the ticket prices because that's some really good basketball."
At the break, Tennessee led in every category except rebounds -- something Summitt emphasized in the first round game. The two teams each had 20 at halftime.
But the Lady Vols didn't need the boards as they took care of the ball on offense and scored 13 off seven Dayton turnovers in the first half.
Tennessee scored the first 10 points of the second half, and Manning reached her career high on a fast-break layup that put the Lady Vols ahead 73-44 with 12:11 left.
Justine Raterman led the Flyers with 17 points.
The Lady Vols hit 53.9 percent of their shots as their lead ballooned to 34 points off a layup by Glory Johnson with 14:59 left. The Flyers hit 41.5 of their shots.
The Flyers struggled nearly every time they reached their end of the court. They had at least a half-dozen airballs in the first half, and Tennessee blocked 10 shots -- six by Kelley Cain.
And with 10 minutes to go, both Olivia Applewhite and Casey Nance had fouled out for Dayton.
"Offensively I thought we just looked nervous," Jabir said. "Justine doesn't shoot a lot of airballs and neither does Kendel [Ross]. I think both of those guys had rim bypasses a couple of times."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Top-Seeded Lady Vols Breeze By Austin Peay, 75-42
KNOXVILLE -- When Tennessee lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year, coach Pat Summitt sent the team to the practice court immediately.
That extra work helped the Lady Vols secure a No. 1 seed this season and return to their winning ways with a 75-42 victory over No. 16 seed Austin Peay on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA women's tournament.
"They were confused why would we go right back to practice. They thought it was punishment," Summitt said. "I said, 'No, it's an opportunity for this basketball team to get better.'"
The Lady Vols (31-2), playing in their NCAA-record 29th first-round game, had advanced out of the opening weekend every season until last year's 71-55 loss to Ball State in the first round as a No. 5 seed. They're now 43-1 in the first two rounds.
The Lady Vols' work ethic wasn't the only difference in the two games.
This time Tennessee played at "The Summitt" and in front of mostly orange-clad fans. Summitt said her players were also more committed playing well.
"[It's] just a little bit different," Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund said of the atmosphere of the arena and the postgame locker room.
Tennessee also lost Kelley Cain in the first half of last year's tournament game to a knee injury.
This time, Cain had 18 points and 12 rebounds and hit a jumper 30 seconds into the game. The Lady Vols scored the first 15 points before Austin Peay hit a basket.
Austin Peay coach Carrie Daniels said the Lady Govs had experience with players who were bigger them but hadn't seen anyone quite like the 6-foot-6 Cain.
"Prior to this game we brought out broomsticks and made the players shoot over them to simulate," Daniels said.
The Lady Govs (15-18) got their first points when Ashley Herring hauled in a rebound off Brooke Faulkner's missed jumper and hit a jumper with 13:14 left in the first half.
"At the start when shots aren't just aren't falling, what can you do?" Herring said.
Herring scored 21 points for Austin Peay, which worked its way into tournament as only the eighth team in history with a losing record by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
By halftime, the Lady Vols had expanded their lead to 37-16 and that margin grew to 38 points in the second half off a 3-point shot by Taber Spani that made it 73-35 with 3:45.
Austin Peay turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, leading to 17 Tennessee points. Despite being smaller at every position, the Lady Govs found success in the paint against the imposing Lady Vols posts and scored all but two of their first-half points in the lane. They finished with 20 points in the paint.
And Austin Peay's loss still wasn't as bad as the last time it visited Knoxville, when it lost 80-38 to Tennessee in the opening round of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
Tennessee went everywhere to score, putting up 36 points in the paint and getting 14 points from Angie Bjorklund around the perimeter.
If the Lady Vols defeat either No. 8 Dayton or No. 9 TCU, who were to meet later Saturday, Tennessee gets the privilege of staying in state to play in the semifinals of the Memphis regional, 350 miles away from Tennessee's campus but still saturated with Lady Vols fans.
That extra work helped the Lady Vols secure a No. 1 seed this season and return to their winning ways with a 75-42 victory over No. 16 seed Austin Peay on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA women's tournament.
"They were confused why would we go right back to practice. They thought it was punishment," Summitt said. "I said, 'No, it's an opportunity for this basketball team to get better.'"
The Lady Vols (31-2), playing in their NCAA-record 29th first-round game, had advanced out of the opening weekend every season until last year's 71-55 loss to Ball State in the first round as a No. 5 seed. They're now 43-1 in the first two rounds.
The Lady Vols' work ethic wasn't the only difference in the two games.
This time Tennessee played at "The Summitt" and in front of mostly orange-clad fans. Summitt said her players were also more committed playing well.
"[It's] just a little bit different," Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund said of the atmosphere of the arena and the postgame locker room.
Tennessee also lost Kelley Cain in the first half of last year's tournament game to a knee injury.
This time, Cain had 18 points and 12 rebounds and hit a jumper 30 seconds into the game. The Lady Vols scored the first 15 points before Austin Peay hit a basket.
Austin Peay coach Carrie Daniels said the Lady Govs had experience with players who were bigger them but hadn't seen anyone quite like the 6-foot-6 Cain.
"Prior to this game we brought out broomsticks and made the players shoot over them to simulate," Daniels said.
The Lady Govs (15-18) got their first points when Ashley Herring hauled in a rebound off Brooke Faulkner's missed jumper and hit a jumper with 13:14 left in the first half.
"At the start when shots aren't just aren't falling, what can you do?" Herring said.
Herring scored 21 points for Austin Peay, which worked its way into tournament as only the eighth team in history with a losing record by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
By halftime, the Lady Vols had expanded their lead to 37-16 and that margin grew to 38 points in the second half off a 3-point shot by Taber Spani that made it 73-35 with 3:45.
Austin Peay turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, leading to 17 Tennessee points. Despite being smaller at every position, the Lady Govs found success in the paint against the imposing Lady Vols posts and scored all but two of their first-half points in the lane. They finished with 20 points in the paint.
And Austin Peay's loss still wasn't as bad as the last time it visited Knoxville, when it lost 80-38 to Tennessee in the opening round of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
Tennessee went everywhere to score, putting up 36 points in the paint and getting 14 points from Angie Bjorklund around the perimeter.
If the Lady Vols defeat either No. 8 Dayton or No. 9 TCU, who were to meet later Saturday, Tennessee gets the privilege of staying in state to play in the semifinals of the Memphis regional, 350 miles away from Tennessee's campus but still saturated with Lady Vols fans.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt Named Finalist For Prestigious Naismith Coaching Award
Atlanta, Ga. - After leading her team to a record 20th No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt was named one of four finalists for the prestigious Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Third-ranked Tennessee (30-2 overall) claimed the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 2000, and the Lady Vols were the first SEC school to pull off the super sweep in a decade. The Lady Vols won their 15th SEC regular season title and the 14th SEC Tournament title in 2009-10. She will be leading Tennessee into to its 29th NCAA Tournament this weekend, the only school to have appeared in all 29 championships.
Summitt has won the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year five previous times. She claimed the honor after winning the 1987, 1989 and 1998 national championships. Summitt also earned the award in 1994 and 2004.
The other finalists are Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Nebraska's Connie Yori and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
The finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Third-ranked Tennessee (30-2 overall) claimed the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 2000, and the Lady Vols were the first SEC school to pull off the super sweep in a decade. The Lady Vols won their 15th SEC regular season title and the 14th SEC Tournament title in 2009-10. She will be leading Tennessee into to its 29th NCAA Tournament this weekend, the only school to have appeared in all 29 championships.
Summitt has won the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year five previous times. She claimed the honor after winning the 1987, 1989 and 1998 national championships. Summitt also earned the award in 1994 and 2004.
The other finalists are Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Nebraska's Connie Yori and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
The finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt Named Finalist For Prestigious Naismith Coaching Award
Atlanta, Ga. - After leading her team to a record 20th No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt was named one of four finalists for the prestigious Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Third-ranked Tennessee (30-2 overall) claimed the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 2000, and the Lady Vols were the first SEC school to pull off the super sweep in a decade. The Lady Vols won their 15th SEC regular season title and the 14th SEC Tournament title in 2009-10. She will be leading Tennessee into to its 29th NCAA Tournament this weekend, the only school to have appeared in all 29 championships.
Summitt has won the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year five previous times. She claimed the honor after winning the 1987, 1989 and 1998 national championships. Summitt also earned the award in 1994 and 2004.
The other finalists are Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Nebraska's Connie Yori and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
The finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Third-ranked Tennessee (30-2 overall) claimed the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 2000, and the Lady Vols were the first SEC school to pull off the super sweep in a decade. The Lady Vols won their 15th SEC regular season title and the 14th SEC Tournament title in 2009-10. She will be leading Tennessee into to its 29th NCAA Tournament this weekend, the only school to have appeared in all 29 championships.
Summitt has won the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year five previous times. She claimed the honor after winning the 1987, 1989 and 1998 national championships. Summitt also earned the award in 1994 and 2004.
The other finalists are Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Nebraska's Connie Yori and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
The finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Three Basketball Lady Vols Earn Associated Press All-SEC Honors
After sweeping the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time in 10 years, the Tennessee Lady Vols landed a trio of cagers on the Associated Press' All-SEC Teams today. Junior Angie Bjorklund and redshirt-sophomore Kelley Cain each earned First Team All-SEC accolades, while sophomore Shekinna Stricklen earned Second Team honors. Tennessee featured the most student-athletes on the two squads.
"I'm extremely proud of our student-athletes for being recognized by the league media for their success this season," said Head Coach Pat Summitt. "They all invested a great amount in the offseason both on and off the court. These honors reflect the improvement that they have made in becoming better basketball players and we have made in becoming a better basketball team. It is a tremendous reward for that hard work."
Bjorklund started 31 of 32 regular season contests for the Lady Vols and led UT with 14.1 ppg and added 2.8 apg and 2.8 rpg. The Spokane Valley, Wash., converted 42.6 percent of her field goals and made 93-of-217 three pointers. The junior sharp-shooter led the SEC in three-point field goal percentage, 42.9, and was third in three-pointers made, 2.9 per game. Bjorklund was a unanimous choice to the All-SEC First Team as voted on by the league coaches and was selected as SEC Player of the Week once during the 2009-10 campaign.
Cain dominated the low post and set a single-season school record of 103 blocks, topping the previous mark of 99 set by former Player of the Year Candace Parker in 2006-07. She also set a single-game record of 12 blocks against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Atlanta, Ga., native led the SEC and was fourth in the NCAA with 3.2 bpg. The 6-6 center tossed in 10.2 ppg and was sixth in the SEC with 7.4 rpg. Cain converted 60.3 percent of her field goals, which is the second best clip in the SEC. She was also selected to the All-SEC First Team and All-Defensive Team as voted on by league coaches.
Stricklen, a finalist for numerous national post-season awards, earned a selection to the Second Team All-SEC after averaging 12.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg and a team-best 3.8 apg. She is the only Lady Vol to have started all 32 games. The Morrilton, Ark., native posted just the second triple-double in Lady Vol history when she tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists against #14/15-ranked Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010. Stricklen led the SEC in free throw percentage, converting 76-of-89 attempts, good for a 85.4 percent conversion clip, and ranked sixth in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.4 (123 assists to 86 turnovers). She was named SEC Player of the Week three times during the year, earned SEC All-Tournament honors and All-SEC Second Team honors as voted on by the league coaches.
The Lady Vols earned their 20th No. 1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and will face No. 16 seed Austin Peay at 12:16 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The arena will also host the first round contest between the No. 8-seeded Dayton Flyers and the No. 9-seeded TCU Horned Frogs, which will tip off at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two winners will face off at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 22, and all three games will be aired on ESPN2.
"I'm extremely proud of our student-athletes for being recognized by the league media for their success this season," said Head Coach Pat Summitt. "They all invested a great amount in the offseason both on and off the court. These honors reflect the improvement that they have made in becoming better basketball players and we have made in becoming a better basketball team. It is a tremendous reward for that hard work."
Bjorklund started 31 of 32 regular season contests for the Lady Vols and led UT with 14.1 ppg and added 2.8 apg and 2.8 rpg. The Spokane Valley, Wash., converted 42.6 percent of her field goals and made 93-of-217 three pointers. The junior sharp-shooter led the SEC in three-point field goal percentage, 42.9, and was third in three-pointers made, 2.9 per game. Bjorklund was a unanimous choice to the All-SEC First Team as voted on by the league coaches and was selected as SEC Player of the Week once during the 2009-10 campaign.
Cain dominated the low post and set a single-season school record of 103 blocks, topping the previous mark of 99 set by former Player of the Year Candace Parker in 2006-07. She also set a single-game record of 12 blocks against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Atlanta, Ga., native led the SEC and was fourth in the NCAA with 3.2 bpg. The 6-6 center tossed in 10.2 ppg and was sixth in the SEC with 7.4 rpg. Cain converted 60.3 percent of her field goals, which is the second best clip in the SEC. She was also selected to the All-SEC First Team and All-Defensive Team as voted on by league coaches.
Stricklen, a finalist for numerous national post-season awards, earned a selection to the Second Team All-SEC after averaging 12.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg and a team-best 3.8 apg. She is the only Lady Vol to have started all 32 games. The Morrilton, Ark., native posted just the second triple-double in Lady Vol history when she tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists against #14/15-ranked Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010. Stricklen led the SEC in free throw percentage, converting 76-of-89 attempts, good for a 85.4 percent conversion clip, and ranked sixth in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.4 (123 assists to 86 turnovers). She was named SEC Player of the Week three times during the year, earned SEC All-Tournament honors and All-SEC Second Team honors as voted on by the league coaches.
The Lady Vols earned their 20th No. 1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and will face No. 16 seed Austin Peay at 12:16 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The arena will also host the first round contest between the No. 8-seeded Dayton Flyers and the No. 9-seeded TCU Horned Frogs, which will tip off at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two winners will face off at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 22, and all three games will be aired on ESPN2.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Lady Vols Get No. 1 Seed in Memphis Regional
KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's offseason work paid off. The Lady Vols have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament a year after their worst postseason finish.
"They wanted to get better," coach Pat Summitt said. "I think they were embarrassed. They made history in a bad way, so now I think they want to make history in a good way."
The Lady Vols drew a No. 5 seed last year -- their lowest ever -- and lost to Ball State in their first opening round defeat in school history.
This year, all is right in Knoxville again -- so far.
Winning the Southeastern Conference's regular-season and tournament titles helped Tennessee (29-2) grab the top seed in the Memphis, Tenn., regional, which will be played 350 miles away from its campus. It's the 20th time the program has earned a No. 1 spot.
"It feels great because usually Tennessee is a No. 1 seed, and I just feel like we're back to Tennessee -- the way Tennessee is supposed to be," sophomore guard Shekinna Stricklen said.
The Lady Vols, who finished ranked third in the final Top 25 poll, will open against Austin Peay on Saturday on their home court in Knoxville named for Summitt. The Govs (15-17) are the eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing record.
Two of Summitt's brothers attended Austin Peay, which is located in Clarksville, Tenn., 200 miles from Knoxville and just 13 miles from her hometown of Henrietta, Tenn. The Lady Vols have won all five meetings between the two teams.
Austin Peay lost to top-ranked Duke in the first round of last season's NCAA tournament.
"Tennessee is a tremendous team and has had a great season, and you know they're going to make a great run in the tournament," Austin Peay coach Carrie Daniels said "We're going to go step on the court having the experience of being in the tournament last year. Hopefully we'll draw from that experience and go out there and give them a good game."
Also in the Memphis regional are: No. 2 Duke, No. 3 West Virginia, No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Georgetown, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 LSU. Tennessee beat Baylor, Texas and LSU during the regular season.
But the more anticipated matchup is the possible Final Four meeting with undefeated Connecticut. Geno Auriemma's Huskies have won an NCAA record 72 straight games, but none of them have come against the Lady Vols since Summitt ended their annual matchup in 2007.
"A lot of this (bracket arrangement) has to do with what they want to see," Summitt said. "I think a lot of people feel this is a matchup that we've got to have for the NCAA tournament and women's basketball. I'm not looking down the road at all though."
The Lady Vols graduated only one player last year and the three juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen who returned worked harder in the offseason than any Tennessee team had for the better part of a decade to improve.
It paid off with Tennessee's first regular-season SEC title in three seasons and a 70-62 win over Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship. It's the first time the Lady Vols have taken both crowns since 2000, when they lost to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game.
"We've worked hard, and we've proven a lot," Stricklen said. "I feel like we've really earned that No. 1 spot."
"They wanted to get better," coach Pat Summitt said. "I think they were embarrassed. They made history in a bad way, so now I think they want to make history in a good way."
The Lady Vols drew a No. 5 seed last year -- their lowest ever -- and lost to Ball State in their first opening round defeat in school history.
This year, all is right in Knoxville again -- so far.
Winning the Southeastern Conference's regular-season and tournament titles helped Tennessee (29-2) grab the top seed in the Memphis, Tenn., regional, which will be played 350 miles away from its campus. It's the 20th time the program has earned a No. 1 spot.
"It feels great because usually Tennessee is a No. 1 seed, and I just feel like we're back to Tennessee -- the way Tennessee is supposed to be," sophomore guard Shekinna Stricklen said.
The Lady Vols, who finished ranked third in the final Top 25 poll, will open against Austin Peay on Saturday on their home court in Knoxville named for Summitt. The Govs (15-17) are the eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing record.
Two of Summitt's brothers attended Austin Peay, which is located in Clarksville, Tenn., 200 miles from Knoxville and just 13 miles from her hometown of Henrietta, Tenn. The Lady Vols have won all five meetings between the two teams.
Austin Peay lost to top-ranked Duke in the first round of last season's NCAA tournament.
"Tennessee is a tremendous team and has had a great season, and you know they're going to make a great run in the tournament," Austin Peay coach Carrie Daniels said "We're going to go step on the court having the experience of being in the tournament last year. Hopefully we'll draw from that experience and go out there and give them a good game."
Also in the Memphis regional are: No. 2 Duke, No. 3 West Virginia, No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Georgetown, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 LSU. Tennessee beat Baylor, Texas and LSU during the regular season.
But the more anticipated matchup is the possible Final Four meeting with undefeated Connecticut. Geno Auriemma's Huskies have won an NCAA record 72 straight games, but none of them have come against the Lady Vols since Summitt ended their annual matchup in 2007.
"A lot of this (bracket arrangement) has to do with what they want to see," Summitt said. "I think a lot of people feel this is a matchup that we've got to have for the NCAA tournament and women's basketball. I'm not looking down the road at all though."
The Lady Vols graduated only one player last year and the three juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen who returned worked harder in the offseason than any Tennessee team had for the better part of a decade to improve.
It paid off with Tennessee's first regular-season SEC title in three seasons and a 70-62 win over Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship. It's the first time the Lady Vols have taken both crowns since 2000, when they lost to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game.
"We've worked hard, and we've proven a lot," Stricklen said. "I feel like we've really earned that No. 1 spot."
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Double Up: Lady Vols Win SEC Tournament
DULUTH, Ga. -- Pat Summitt encouraged her team to reach for a No. 1 NCAA seed during the SEC tournament championship game.
Then the Tennessee coach reached for the high notes in a surprise postgame song.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 20 points and No. 4 Tennessee beat Kentucky (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) 70-62 on Sunday night to win the Southeastern Conference tournament and possibly wrap up that No. 1 seed.
Summitt was so pleased she brought down the house by grabbing the microphone and singing "Rocky Top" in front of the scorer's table to the Tennessee fans who dominated the Gwinnett Arena crowd, while her players cut down the nets.
"I thought she was just going to say, 'Thank you fans, for coming out,'" said guard Angie Bjorklund. "When she started singing, I just looked at our team and I started laughing. We all started laughing. It was great."
Most players left the net-cutting ceremony to stand in front of Summitt. After the short song, she said "You are the best fans! We love you!"
Said Summitt after leaving the court: "I did that for the fans. I know I don't have a great voice, but our fans love 'Rocky Top.'"
Tennessee (30-2) completed its first sweep of the SEC's regular-season and tournament championships in 10 years. In each case, the decisive win came against Kentucky, which improved from a .500 finish a year ago to play in its first tournament final in 28 years.
Tennessee's 14th straight victory gave Summitt her 19th 30-win season.
The Lady Vols were focused on more than the conference title. Summitt said she talked to her players during the game about needing to win to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
"I told them we needed this tonight to make sure we get a No. 1 seed," Summitt said. "We talked about that even during the game. I said, 'We're not losing a No. 1 seed. If we do, that's not going to be good for us.'"
Kentucky (25-7) played tough in its first championship game appearance since winning its only title in 1982. The Wildcats, led by Victoria Dunlap's 21 points, played even with the Lady Vols until midway through the second half.
"We came here to win and came up a little short," said Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell, a former graduate assistant for Summitt at Tennessee. "But I thought our players battled against a really fine basketball team today, and I thought we found out a lot about our team."
Tennessee set a school record with 15 blocks when it clinched the SEC regular-season title with its 81-65 win over Kentucky on Feb. 25. The Wildcats showed no sign of intimidation in the rematch, even after Tennessee took an early 19-9 lead.
Kentucky answered to take its first lead with 5 minutes remaining in the half.
A layup by A'dia Mathies cut the Tennessee lead to 23-22. Amber Smith then stole the ball, drove toward the basket and made a behind-the-back pass to Dunlap, who was fouled as she scored. Dunlap's free throw gave Kentucky a 25-23 lead.
Freshman Kamiko Williams, who didn't score in Tennessee's first two tournament games, answered Dunlap's three-point play by scoring Tennessee's next four baskets, helping the Lady Vols lead 35-29 at halftime.
Tennessee center Kelley Cain picked up two quick fouls and played only three minutes in the first half. The Lady Vols' depth showed as they held a 31-14 advantage in rebounds even playing most of the half without the 6-foot-6 Cain. They finished with a 51-32 advantage.
Cain had 11 points, all in the second half.
Kentucky opened the second half with an 13-3 run for a 42-38 lead. Stricklen's three-point play and 3-point shot helped Tennessee pull even at 46-46.
Following the last tie at 50-all, Tennessee took the lead for good with an 11-3 run, which included another 3-pointer from Stricklen.
Tennessee's Alyssia Brewer, who had eight points, was the tournament MVP.
Then the Tennessee coach reached for the high notes in a surprise postgame song.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 20 points and No. 4 Tennessee beat Kentucky (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) 70-62 on Sunday night to win the Southeastern Conference tournament and possibly wrap up that No. 1 seed.
Summitt was so pleased she brought down the house by grabbing the microphone and singing "Rocky Top" in front of the scorer's table to the Tennessee fans who dominated the Gwinnett Arena crowd, while her players cut down the nets.
"I thought she was just going to say, 'Thank you fans, for coming out,'" said guard Angie Bjorklund. "When she started singing, I just looked at our team and I started laughing. We all started laughing. It was great."
Most players left the net-cutting ceremony to stand in front of Summitt. After the short song, she said "You are the best fans! We love you!"
Said Summitt after leaving the court: "I did that for the fans. I know I don't have a great voice, but our fans love 'Rocky Top.'"
Tennessee (30-2) completed its first sweep of the SEC's regular-season and tournament championships in 10 years. In each case, the decisive win came against Kentucky, which improved from a .500 finish a year ago to play in its first tournament final in 28 years.
Tennessee's 14th straight victory gave Summitt her 19th 30-win season.
The Lady Vols were focused on more than the conference title. Summitt said she talked to her players during the game about needing to win to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
"I told them we needed this tonight to make sure we get a No. 1 seed," Summitt said. "We talked about that even during the game. I said, 'We're not losing a No. 1 seed. If we do, that's not going to be good for us.'"
Kentucky (25-7) played tough in its first championship game appearance since winning its only title in 1982. The Wildcats, led by Victoria Dunlap's 21 points, played even with the Lady Vols until midway through the second half.
"We came here to win and came up a little short," said Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell, a former graduate assistant for Summitt at Tennessee. "But I thought our players battled against a really fine basketball team today, and I thought we found out a lot about our team."
Tennessee set a school record with 15 blocks when it clinched the SEC regular-season title with its 81-65 win over Kentucky on Feb. 25. The Wildcats showed no sign of intimidation in the rematch, even after Tennessee took an early 19-9 lead.
Kentucky answered to take its first lead with 5 minutes remaining in the half.
A layup by A'dia Mathies cut the Tennessee lead to 23-22. Amber Smith then stole the ball, drove toward the basket and made a behind-the-back pass to Dunlap, who was fouled as she scored. Dunlap's free throw gave Kentucky a 25-23 lead.
Freshman Kamiko Williams, who didn't score in Tennessee's first two tournament games, answered Dunlap's three-point play by scoring Tennessee's next four baskets, helping the Lady Vols lead 35-29 at halftime.
Tennessee center Kelley Cain picked up two quick fouls and played only three minutes in the first half. The Lady Vols' depth showed as they held a 31-14 advantage in rebounds even playing most of the half without the 6-foot-6 Cain. They finished with a 51-32 advantage.
Cain had 11 points, all in the second half.
Kentucky opened the second half with an 13-3 run for a 42-38 lead. Stricklen's three-point play and 3-point shot helped Tennessee pull even at 46-46.
Following the last tie at 50-all, Tennessee took the lead for good with an 11-3 run, which included another 3-pointer from Stricklen.
Tennessee's Alyssia Brewer, who had eight points, was the tournament MVP.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Lady Vols Down Vandy to Earn Spot in SEC Final
DULUTH, Ga. -- The rest of the Southeastern Conference has only one more chance to disprove a conclusion stated by Tennessee coach Pat Summitt after her team's 13th straight win.
"I think we have the best team," Summitt said following No. 4 Tennessee's 68-49 victory over Vanderbilt in Saturday's SEC tournament semifinal.
Added Summitt: "I wouldn't have known that when the year started."
Tennessee's argument for SEC supremacy is looking as strong in the postseason as in the regular season.
The Lady Vols (29-2) moved within one victory of a sweep of the SEC regular-season and tournament championships, something they've accomplished six times. They'll play Kentucky or Mississippi State for the title on Sunday night.
Tennessee won 15 of 16 conference games in the regular season before opening the tournament with a 76-51 rout of Mississippi. The Lady Vols' third win of the season over Vanderbilt (22-10) was just as lopsided.
Summitt said her players are motivated by sweeping the regular-season and tournament championships for the first time in 10 years.
"I think our team is very motivated," she said. "The regular season, I think, gave them a lot of confidence and also inspired them. I think they want more. They want to win here.
"It's their idea and it works a whole lot better when it's their idea."
Vanderbilt trailed 45-36 following a 3-pointer by Marsh with 9:17 remaining, but Tennessee pulled away with 11 straight points.
Angie Bjorklund finished with 12 points for Tennessee, while Hannah Tuomi had 12 points before fouling out and Merideth Marsh added 11 for Vanderbilt.
The challenge facing the smaller Vanderbilt team was obvious from the minute starting lineups were announced. Tennessee's shortest starter, 6-foot Bjorklund, was as tall as Vanderbilt's tallest starters, Tuomi and Tiffany Clarke.
Vanderbilt's top scoring threat, the 5-foot-6 Marsh, was guarded by 6-foot-2 Shekinna Stricklen and 6-foot-1 Alicia Manning. Tuomi was looking up at 6-6 Kelley Cain and 6-3 Alyssia Brewer.
Vanderbilt, playing its third game in three days, couldn't overcome the mismatches.
"It's tough because we know each other so well, and they played like Tennessee and we didn't take their strengths away," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They did a better job taking our strengths away."
Tennessee's superior size showed in the first half when its 12 offensive rebounds equaled Vanderbilt's total rebounds. The Lady Vols claimed a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points in the opening 20 minutes, providing the cushion for a 31-22 halftime lead.
Tennessee finished with a 42-27 advantage in rebounds.
Vanderbilt's best chance was the 3-point shot, but Tennessee's defense was ready. The Commodores made only 3 of 17 3-pointers, including 3 of 11 by Marsh.
"I just thought we really bought into our scouting report defense," Bjorklund said. "We knew who were the shooters, who were the drivers. ... I just thought our team did a great job having that sense of urgency to not let them get the open looks that they got the last couple games we played them."
"I think we have the best team," Summitt said following No. 4 Tennessee's 68-49 victory over Vanderbilt in Saturday's SEC tournament semifinal.
Added Summitt: "I wouldn't have known that when the year started."
Tennessee's argument for SEC supremacy is looking as strong in the postseason as in the regular season.
The Lady Vols (29-2) moved within one victory of a sweep of the SEC regular-season and tournament championships, something they've accomplished six times. They'll play Kentucky or Mississippi State for the title on Sunday night.
Tennessee won 15 of 16 conference games in the regular season before opening the tournament with a 76-51 rout of Mississippi. The Lady Vols' third win of the season over Vanderbilt (22-10) was just as lopsided.
Summitt said her players are motivated by sweeping the regular-season and tournament championships for the first time in 10 years.
"I think our team is very motivated," she said. "The regular season, I think, gave them a lot of confidence and also inspired them. I think they want more. They want to win here.
"It's their idea and it works a whole lot better when it's their idea."
Vanderbilt trailed 45-36 following a 3-pointer by Marsh with 9:17 remaining, but Tennessee pulled away with 11 straight points.
Angie Bjorklund finished with 12 points for Tennessee, while Hannah Tuomi had 12 points before fouling out and Merideth Marsh added 11 for Vanderbilt.
The challenge facing the smaller Vanderbilt team was obvious from the minute starting lineups were announced. Tennessee's shortest starter, 6-foot Bjorklund, was as tall as Vanderbilt's tallest starters, Tuomi and Tiffany Clarke.
Vanderbilt's top scoring threat, the 5-foot-6 Marsh, was guarded by 6-foot-2 Shekinna Stricklen and 6-foot-1 Alicia Manning. Tuomi was looking up at 6-6 Kelley Cain and 6-3 Alyssia Brewer.
Vanderbilt, playing its third game in three days, couldn't overcome the mismatches.
"It's tough because we know each other so well, and they played like Tennessee and we didn't take their strengths away," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They did a better job taking our strengths away."
Tennessee's superior size showed in the first half when its 12 offensive rebounds equaled Vanderbilt's total rebounds. The Lady Vols claimed a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points in the opening 20 minutes, providing the cushion for a 31-22 halftime lead.
Tennessee finished with a 42-27 advantage in rebounds.
Vanderbilt's best chance was the 3-point shot, but Tennessee's defense was ready. The Commodores made only 3 of 17 3-pointers, including 3 of 11 by Marsh.
"I just thought we really bought into our scouting report defense," Bjorklund said. "We knew who were the shooters, who were the drivers. ... I just thought our team did a great job having that sense of urgency to not let them get the open looks that they got the last couple games we played them."
Friday, March 05, 2010
Lady Vols Start SEC Tournament with Rout of Ole Miss
DULUTH, Ga. -- Mississippi coach Renee Ladner has yet to find a good way to defend Tennessee's Alicia Manning.
"Alicia Manning has kicked our butt [three] times we played them," Ladner said. "She's outmanned us, outhustled us and beat us on the boards."
Alyssia Brewer scored 21 points, Manning had 14 points with a career-high 14 rebounds, and No. 4 Tennessee beat Mississippi 76-51 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Friday.
The Lady Volunteers (28-2) have won 12 straight overall and 17 consecutive in the SEC second round.
Bianca Thomas scored 15 points for Ole Miss (17-14), which has dropped two of three and nine of 12 overall. The Rebels have lost 20 straight and 28 of 30 to Tennessee.
The Lady Vols were determined to hold Thomas' production down following her 34-point performance in Tennessee's 12-point home win against Ole Miss last Sunday.
"We were really focusing on limiting her touches, keeping a hand in her face at all times, getting in her shooting rhythm so she couldn't get her shots off," Manning said. "I think we did a pretty good job of that."
Brewer hit nine of 11 shots from the field. Her layup with 6:10 remaining made it 72-40 and gave Tennessee its biggest lead.
After scoring 20 points in victories over Alabama and Florida earlier this season, Brewer had her SEC career high against Ole Miss.
"I think it's been some of the confidence factor, having confidence in my shot," said Brewer, a sophomore forward. "Also as a team, whenever we start moving, it opens different shots for each of us."
The Lady Vols are trying to win the SEC regular-season and league tournament titles in the same year for the seventh time overall and the first time since 2000.
Angie Bjorklund added 16 points and five assists for Tennessee, which stretched its SEC second-round winning streak to 17 games.
"We had some great possessions and we had some ugly possessions," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said. "We've got to be more efficient. I think our team understands that, but overall a great win."
Ole Miss' Kayla Melson, the SEC assists leader, was helped off the floor with 12:29 left in the game after injuring her right ankle. She finished with 14 points and three assists. The Rebels dropped to 1-10 when the junior guard has fewer than five assists.
Melson described the injury as a mild sprain.
"My ankles have been tweaked since I've been [at Ole Miss]," she said. "I've sprained both ankles numerous times. This time was kind of different because I felt something I usually don't feel."
The Rebels, who last made the SEC semifinals in 1993, lost their seventh straight second-round game.
Ladner gave Manning much of the credit.
"Once again she came in and got a double-double," Ladner said. "She is getting better every time I see her play, particularly against us."
Tennessee won the rebounding battle 48-22.
"Ole Miss is a really aggressive team," Manning said. "We just had to match that, try to be more aggressive than them."
"Alicia Manning has kicked our butt [three] times we played them," Ladner said. "She's outmanned us, outhustled us and beat us on the boards."
Alyssia Brewer scored 21 points, Manning had 14 points with a career-high 14 rebounds, and No. 4 Tennessee beat Mississippi 76-51 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Friday.
The Lady Volunteers (28-2) have won 12 straight overall and 17 consecutive in the SEC second round.
Bianca Thomas scored 15 points for Ole Miss (17-14), which has dropped two of three and nine of 12 overall. The Rebels have lost 20 straight and 28 of 30 to Tennessee.
The Lady Vols were determined to hold Thomas' production down following her 34-point performance in Tennessee's 12-point home win against Ole Miss last Sunday.
"We were really focusing on limiting her touches, keeping a hand in her face at all times, getting in her shooting rhythm so she couldn't get her shots off," Manning said. "I think we did a pretty good job of that."
Brewer hit nine of 11 shots from the field. Her layup with 6:10 remaining made it 72-40 and gave Tennessee its biggest lead.
After scoring 20 points in victories over Alabama and Florida earlier this season, Brewer had her SEC career high against Ole Miss.
"I think it's been some of the confidence factor, having confidence in my shot," said Brewer, a sophomore forward. "Also as a team, whenever we start moving, it opens different shots for each of us."
The Lady Vols are trying to win the SEC regular-season and league tournament titles in the same year for the seventh time overall and the first time since 2000.
Angie Bjorklund added 16 points and five assists for Tennessee, which stretched its SEC second-round winning streak to 17 games.
"We had some great possessions and we had some ugly possessions," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said. "We've got to be more efficient. I think our team understands that, but overall a great win."
Ole Miss' Kayla Melson, the SEC assists leader, was helped off the floor with 12:29 left in the game after injuring her right ankle. She finished with 14 points and three assists. The Rebels dropped to 1-10 when the junior guard has fewer than five assists.
Melson described the injury as a mild sprain.
"My ankles have been tweaked since I've been [at Ole Miss]," she said. "I've sprained both ankles numerous times. This time was kind of different because I felt something I usually don't feel."
The Rebels, who last made the SEC semifinals in 1993, lost their seventh straight second-round game.
Ladner gave Manning much of the credit.
"Once again she came in and got a double-double," Ladner said. "She is getting better every time I see her play, particularly against us."
Tennessee won the rebounding battle 48-22.
"Ole Miss is a really aggressive team," Manning said. "We just had to match that, try to be more aggressive than them."
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Four Lady Vols Earn SEC Basketball Awards
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Southeastern Conference announced its 2010 women's basketball postseason awards Tuesday, highlighted by Kentucky's Victoria Dunlap being named Player of the Year and Matthew Mitchell being named Coach of the Year. Mississippi State's Armelie Lumanu was named Defensive Player of the Year, Alyssia Brewer was named 6th Woman of the Year, while Kentucky's A'dia Mathies was given Freshman of the Year honors. First-team and second-team All-SEC honorees, All-Freshman team, All-Defensive team, along with Player, Coach and Freshman, Defensive Player, 6th Woman and Scholar-Athlete of the Year were chosen by the league's 12 coaches.
The 2010 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament begins Thursday, March 4 and runs through Sunday, March 7 in Duluth, Ga.
The complete 2010 SEC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards follow.
First Team All-SEC
Ashley Houts, UG
*Victoria Dunlap, UK
*Allison Hightower, LSU
Bianca Thomas, UM
Alexis Rack, MSU
*Angie Bjorklund, UT
Kelley Cain, UT
Jence Rhoads, VU
Second Team All-SEC
Alli Smalley, AU
A'dia Mathies, UK
Shekinna Stricklen, UT
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Kelsey Bone, SC
Valerie Nainima, SC
Merideth Marsh, VU
All-Freshman Team
Morgan Toles, AU
Jennifer George, UF
Jasmine Hassell, UG
*Jasmine James, UG
*A'dia Mathies, UK
*Kelsey Bone, SC
Elan Brown, VU
*Tiffany Clarke, VU
All-Defensive Team
Victoria Dunlap, UK
Allison Hightower, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Chanel Mokango, MSU
Kelley Cain, UT
Coach of the Year
Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
6th Woman of the Year
Alyssia Brewer, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
The 2010 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament begins Thursday, March 4 and runs through Sunday, March 7 in Duluth, Ga.
The complete 2010 SEC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards follow.
First Team All-SEC
Ashley Houts, UG
*Victoria Dunlap, UK
*Allison Hightower, LSU
Bianca Thomas, UM
Alexis Rack, MSU
*Angie Bjorklund, UT
Kelley Cain, UT
Jence Rhoads, VU
Second Team All-SEC
Alli Smalley, AU
A'dia Mathies, UK
Shekinna Stricklen, UT
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Kelsey Bone, SC
Valerie Nainima, SC
Merideth Marsh, VU
All-Freshman Team
Morgan Toles, AU
Jennifer George, UF
Jasmine Hassell, UG
*Jasmine James, UG
*A'dia Mathies, UK
*Kelsey Bone, SC
Elan Brown, VU
*Tiffany Clarke, VU
All-Defensive Team
Victoria Dunlap, UK
Allison Hightower, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Chanel Mokango, MSU
Kelley Cain, UT
Coach of the Year
Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
6th Woman of the Year
Alyssia Brewer, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Lady Vols Close Regular Season with 75-63 Win over Ole Miss
KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt could tell a difference in her team in its first game since clinching the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship.
She was hardly happy about it.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 23 points to help the No. 4 Lady Volunteers fight off a second-half rally from Mississippi for a 75-63 victory Sunday night, but Summitt was in no mood to celebrate Tennessee's 11th consecutive win to close out the regular season.
"Do I look like I'm happy? Do I sound like I'm happy?" Summitt said. "I'm disappointed in our team not bringing it all the time. If you are a team on a mission, you can see it. You can feel it, you know, and it's just obvious. But no, in this game, we decided to pick and choose, and we had two players step up and play great."
Alicia Manning recorded her first double-double with a career-high 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Vols (27-2, 15-1 SEC), and Stricklen also had 10 rebounds.
"We won, and I know it's not one of our best games," Stricklen said. "But right now, we just have to let it go and just get ready for tournament time, and just go hard in every one of the games we play."
The Rebels (16-13, 6-8) got 34 points from Bianca Thomas and erased a double-digit deficit in the second half only to lose for the eighth time in 10 games and the second time this season against Tennessee.
Elizabeth Robertson's putback with 12:37 remaining completed Mississippi's comeback to tie the score at 50, but Tennessee put away the game by scoring 17 of the next 21 points.
Thomas, the SEC's leading scorer, hit 11 of 27 field goals and four of her 10 3-point attempts to post the second-highest point total of her senior season.
"I think she proved to everyone again tonight that she is one of the top players in the conference," Rebels coach Renee Ladner said. "She's still the leading scorer in the conference. I've said it all year. I think she's been a little disrespected, and she continues to prove people wrong. She was just outstanding for our team."
This one lacked some of the late drama of the last two meetings between the teams, both of which were won on last-second shots by Lady Vols guard Angie Bjorklund.
"It's happened two years straight," Thomas said. "Angie got a shot at the end in Oxford. It was very heartbreaking, not only to me but to the whole team."
The two teams could meet again in just a few days. The loss dropped Mississippi to the No. 9 seed for this week's SEC tournament in Duluth, Ga., where the Rebels will open Thursday against eighth-seeded South Carolina.
The winner will advance to play Tennessee for the third time this season on Friday.
"If we have to play Ole Miss again, that's a big challenge," Summitt said. "South Carolina is playing well."
The Lady Vols scored the game's first eight points in less than two minutes -- including two 3s by Stricklen -- and took a 40-32 advantage into halftime.
Stricklen finished with double-digit scoring for the sixth consecutive game for Tennessee, which shot 42.6 percent and scored 34 points in the paint.
"I think she's been in the gym and getting up just shot after shot after shot," Summitt said of Stricklen. "She's just committed to being a player that's going to have repetition offensively, and not just occasionally but often."
She was hardly happy about it.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 23 points to help the No. 4 Lady Volunteers fight off a second-half rally from Mississippi for a 75-63 victory Sunday night, but Summitt was in no mood to celebrate Tennessee's 11th consecutive win to close out the regular season.
"Do I look like I'm happy? Do I sound like I'm happy?" Summitt said. "I'm disappointed in our team not bringing it all the time. If you are a team on a mission, you can see it. You can feel it, you know, and it's just obvious. But no, in this game, we decided to pick and choose, and we had two players step up and play great."
Alicia Manning recorded her first double-double with a career-high 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Vols (27-2, 15-1 SEC), and Stricklen also had 10 rebounds.
"We won, and I know it's not one of our best games," Stricklen said. "But right now, we just have to let it go and just get ready for tournament time, and just go hard in every one of the games we play."
The Rebels (16-13, 6-8) got 34 points from Bianca Thomas and erased a double-digit deficit in the second half only to lose for the eighth time in 10 games and the second time this season against Tennessee.
Elizabeth Robertson's putback with 12:37 remaining completed Mississippi's comeback to tie the score at 50, but Tennessee put away the game by scoring 17 of the next 21 points.
Thomas, the SEC's leading scorer, hit 11 of 27 field goals and four of her 10 3-point attempts to post the second-highest point total of her senior season.
"I think she proved to everyone again tonight that she is one of the top players in the conference," Rebels coach Renee Ladner said. "She's still the leading scorer in the conference. I've said it all year. I think she's been a little disrespected, and she continues to prove people wrong. She was just outstanding for our team."
This one lacked some of the late drama of the last two meetings between the teams, both of which were won on last-second shots by Lady Vols guard Angie Bjorklund.
"It's happened two years straight," Thomas said. "Angie got a shot at the end in Oxford. It was very heartbreaking, not only to me but to the whole team."
The two teams could meet again in just a few days. The loss dropped Mississippi to the No. 9 seed for this week's SEC tournament in Duluth, Ga., where the Rebels will open Thursday against eighth-seeded South Carolina.
The winner will advance to play Tennessee for the third time this season on Friday.
"If we have to play Ole Miss again, that's a big challenge," Summitt said. "South Carolina is playing well."
The Lady Vols scored the game's first eight points in less than two minutes -- including two 3s by Stricklen -- and took a 40-32 advantage into halftime.
Stricklen finished with double-digit scoring for the sixth consecutive game for Tennessee, which shot 42.6 percent and scored 34 points in the paint.
"I think she's been in the gym and getting up just shot after shot after shot," Summitt said of Stricklen. "She's just committed to being a player that's going to have repetition offensively, and not just occasionally but often."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Lady Vols Claim SEC Regular Season Title with 81-65 Win over Kentucky
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- When Kentucky upset Tennessee a year ago, Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt revoked her team's locker room privileges for nine months.
On Thursday night, the Lady Vols showed their demanding coach just how far they've come since that lowly day.
Fourth-ranked Tennessee celebrated another Southeastern Conference championship in that same locker room after an 81-65 win over Kentucky (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP).
"We went crazy in the locker room," said Tennessee sophomore Shekinna Stricklen, who was one of five Lady Vols in double figures.
The victory gave Tennessee its 15th SEC regular-season title and first since 2007, when they won the school's seventh national championship.
"I think they understand what it takes now," Summitt said. "I think this game meant a lot to our team. They wanted to win something, something very important."
Tennessee (26-2, 13-1) used several runs to pull away in the first half and stayed firmly in control in the second half thanks to consistent play inside and near-perfect free-throw shooting (25-for-27).
Kelley Cain, who was coming off a school-record 12-block performance against LSU on Monday, led the Lady Vols with 14 points and seven blocks, even though she sat out the final 16:46 of the first half after picking up her second foul.
She scored 11 of her points, pulled down all six of her rebounds and had all but one of her blocks in the second half.
Victoria Dunlap scored 22 points for Kentucky (23-5, 11-4). But the fourth-leading scorer in the SEC shot just 6-of-19 from the field.
Trailing from the opening minutes, the Wildcats managed to get within 23-16 on a layup by Amani Franklin, but the Lady Vols followed that with a 14-0 run that included consecutive 3-pointers from Angie Bjorklund.
"I watched a lot of film on them, and I think tonight they showed you another gear that they had," Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said.
Alyssia Brewer added 10 points, as Tennessee outscored Kentucky 36-26 in the paint.
"We're excited we finally won something," Bjorklund said. "We're all pretty excited after this game. That was our focus. If we take this team out, then we win SEC. That's our first goal, and we accomplished it."
The Wildcats did not have the size to match up against a Tennessee team with all five starters at 6-foot or taller.
"Sometimes it's tough to handle big people when you don't have somebody on your bench that has the same kind of body that they have, but that's not the mentality you have to take," Dunlap said. "If they're bigger or smaller, you just have to play hard the whole time and not worry about it."
Tennessee now has 29 blocks in its past two games.
"I think if teams watch film, they have to take that into account," Bjorklund said. "This team, they're tall, they get a lot of blocks inside, and that helps us keep people out of the middle."
But the Lady Vols got balanced scoring from their backcourt as well, with Bjorklund and Stricklen each adding 12 points.
"Obviously some nights guard play is going to be more open than post game," Summitt said. "I think having balance is important, but at the same time, you have to take what good looks you have."
On Thursday night, the Lady Vols showed their demanding coach just how far they've come since that lowly day.
Fourth-ranked Tennessee celebrated another Southeastern Conference championship in that same locker room after an 81-65 win over Kentucky (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP).
"We went crazy in the locker room," said Tennessee sophomore Shekinna Stricklen, who was one of five Lady Vols in double figures.
The victory gave Tennessee its 15th SEC regular-season title and first since 2007, when they won the school's seventh national championship.
"I think they understand what it takes now," Summitt said. "I think this game meant a lot to our team. They wanted to win something, something very important."
Tennessee (26-2, 13-1) used several runs to pull away in the first half and stayed firmly in control in the second half thanks to consistent play inside and near-perfect free-throw shooting (25-for-27).
Kelley Cain, who was coming off a school-record 12-block performance against LSU on Monday, led the Lady Vols with 14 points and seven blocks, even though she sat out the final 16:46 of the first half after picking up her second foul.
She scored 11 of her points, pulled down all six of her rebounds and had all but one of her blocks in the second half.
Victoria Dunlap scored 22 points for Kentucky (23-5, 11-4). But the fourth-leading scorer in the SEC shot just 6-of-19 from the field.
Trailing from the opening minutes, the Wildcats managed to get within 23-16 on a layup by Amani Franklin, but the Lady Vols followed that with a 14-0 run that included consecutive 3-pointers from Angie Bjorklund.
"I watched a lot of film on them, and I think tonight they showed you another gear that they had," Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said.
Alyssia Brewer added 10 points, as Tennessee outscored Kentucky 36-26 in the paint.
"We're excited we finally won something," Bjorklund said. "We're all pretty excited after this game. That was our focus. If we take this team out, then we win SEC. That's our first goal, and we accomplished it."
The Wildcats did not have the size to match up against a Tennessee team with all five starters at 6-foot or taller.
"Sometimes it's tough to handle big people when you don't have somebody on your bench that has the same kind of body that they have, but that's not the mentality you have to take," Dunlap said. "If they're bigger or smaller, you just have to play hard the whole time and not worry about it."
Tennessee now has 29 blocks in its past two games.
"I think if teams watch film, they have to take that into account," Bjorklund said. "This team, they're tall, they get a lot of blocks inside, and that helps us keep people out of the middle."
But the Lady Vols got balanced scoring from their backcourt as well, with Bjorklund and Stricklen each adding 12 points.
"Obviously some nights guard play is going to be more open than post game," Summitt said. "I think having balance is important, but at the same time, you have to take what good looks you have."
Monday, February 22, 2010
Lady Vols Earn Share of Regular-Season Title with Win Over LSU
KNOXVILLE -- Former Tennessee center Ashley Robinson phoned Pat Summitt recently to check on her old team and coach.
"Ashley called the other day and asked about our post game. I told her, 'Well, Kelley Cain is pretty good,'" Summitt said.
Good enough to break Robinson's single-game blocks record, it turns out.
Cain scored 16 points and blocked 12 shots to help Tennessee (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) beat LSU (No. 20 AP) 70-61 on Monday night. Robinson had eight blocks against Rutgers on Dec. 11, 2003, a mark Cain tied against Arkansas on Feb. 4.
With the win, Tennessee (25-2, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) grabbed a share of the SEC regular-season title.
Cain, with Summitt's permission, skipped a trip to Alabama on Thursday to focus on a class that she had missed several times because of recent road trips. The Lady Vols barely pulled out a 74-67 win without her.
Midway through the first half against LSU (18-8, 7-7), it looked as if Cain again wouldn't be able to help her teammates much. After scoring six points and blocking two shots, she picked up her second foul with 10:27 before halftime and sat out the rest of the half.
While Cain was on the bench, the Lady Vols scored eight straight points in a three-minute span and grabbed a 32-21 lead with 57 seconds left before halftime. Four of those points came from Cain's fellow post player, Alyssia Brewer, who led Tennessee with 18 points.
LSU's Courtney Jones hit a 3-pointer as the first-half clock expired and Allison Hightower hit a jumper just after the break to cut Tennessee's lead to six points.
That's when the 6-foot-Cain and her 82-inch wingspan went to work on both ends of the court.
"She's a force. It's like their guards ran into a force field and got rejected," Brewer said.
Cain blocked a shot by Jasmine Nelson, and Alicia Manning's defensive rebound helped set up the first of back-to-back 3s by Shekinna Stricklen that gave Tennessee a 43-30 lead with 15:59 left.
Glory Johnson added 12 points for the Lady Vols, and Angie Bjorklund and Stricklen scored 10 each as Tennessee scored 44 points in the paint and committed just seven turnovers.
"They're big, athletic and strong. It was a problem for us, but who doesn't have a problem with a 6-6 player," LSU's Katherine Graham said.
Hightower led the Lady Tigers with 18 points. Graham and LaSondra Barrett both chipped in 13.
LSU threatened once more after a traditional 3-point play by Graham and a free throw by Hightower cut the Lady Vols lead to nine points, but this time Brewer answered. Brewer hit a jump shot in the paint and blocked Jones' next shot.
"Brewer and Cain are just unbelievable," LSU coach Van Chancellor said. "I've never seen two players on the same team that could score, that could get the ball."
LSU, the only team in the nation to beat Tennessee at least once in each of the past five seasons, had entered the game with some momentum off a three-game winning streak in which it recorded blowouts against Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt.
The Lady Tigers are one of only five SEC teams that have managed to win at least two games in Knoxville, with victories at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2006 and 2008.
During the preseason, the media had picked LSU to win the SEC regular season title with Tennessee finishing second. The loss dropped the Lady Tigers to a three-way tie with Florida and Georgia for fourth in the league.
Meanwhile, Tennessee can win the conference outright with a victory over Kentucky, who will visit the Lady Vols on Thursday.
"They've got a shot," Chancellor said. "They've got a legitimate shot."
"Ashley called the other day and asked about our post game. I told her, 'Well, Kelley Cain is pretty good,'" Summitt said.
Good enough to break Robinson's single-game blocks record, it turns out.
Cain scored 16 points and blocked 12 shots to help Tennessee (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) beat LSU (No. 20 AP) 70-61 on Monday night. Robinson had eight blocks against Rutgers on Dec. 11, 2003, a mark Cain tied against Arkansas on Feb. 4.
With the win, Tennessee (25-2, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) grabbed a share of the SEC regular-season title.
Cain, with Summitt's permission, skipped a trip to Alabama on Thursday to focus on a class that she had missed several times because of recent road trips. The Lady Vols barely pulled out a 74-67 win without her.
Midway through the first half against LSU (18-8, 7-7), it looked as if Cain again wouldn't be able to help her teammates much. After scoring six points and blocking two shots, she picked up her second foul with 10:27 before halftime and sat out the rest of the half.
While Cain was on the bench, the Lady Vols scored eight straight points in a three-minute span and grabbed a 32-21 lead with 57 seconds left before halftime. Four of those points came from Cain's fellow post player, Alyssia Brewer, who led Tennessee with 18 points.
LSU's Courtney Jones hit a 3-pointer as the first-half clock expired and Allison Hightower hit a jumper just after the break to cut Tennessee's lead to six points.
That's when the 6-foot-Cain and her 82-inch wingspan went to work on both ends of the court.
"She's a force. It's like their guards ran into a force field and got rejected," Brewer said.
Cain blocked a shot by Jasmine Nelson, and Alicia Manning's defensive rebound helped set up the first of back-to-back 3s by Shekinna Stricklen that gave Tennessee a 43-30 lead with 15:59 left.
Glory Johnson added 12 points for the Lady Vols, and Angie Bjorklund and Stricklen scored 10 each as Tennessee scored 44 points in the paint and committed just seven turnovers.
"They're big, athletic and strong. It was a problem for us, but who doesn't have a problem with a 6-6 player," LSU's Katherine Graham said.
Hightower led the Lady Tigers with 18 points. Graham and LaSondra Barrett both chipped in 13.
LSU threatened once more after a traditional 3-point play by Graham and a free throw by Hightower cut the Lady Vols lead to nine points, but this time Brewer answered. Brewer hit a jump shot in the paint and blocked Jones' next shot.
"Brewer and Cain are just unbelievable," LSU coach Van Chancellor said. "I've never seen two players on the same team that could score, that could get the ball."
LSU, the only team in the nation to beat Tennessee at least once in each of the past five seasons, had entered the game with some momentum off a three-game winning streak in which it recorded blowouts against Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt.
The Lady Tigers are one of only five SEC teams that have managed to win at least two games in Knoxville, with victories at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2006 and 2008.
During the preseason, the media had picked LSU to win the SEC regular season title with Tennessee finishing second. The loss dropped the Lady Tigers to a three-way tie with Florida and Georgia for fourth in the league.
Meanwhile, Tennessee can win the conference outright with a victory over Kentucky, who will visit the Lady Vols on Thursday.
"They've got a shot," Chancellor said. "They've got a legitimate shot."
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Lady Vols Win 74-67, But Summitt Not Pleased
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- This was one win that didn't come close to making Pat Summitt happy.
Tennessee was outrebounded and hard-pressed to put away the Southeastern Conference's last-place team Thursday night before holding on for a 74-67 victory. The performance left the fifth-ranked Lady Vols' coach fuming at her team late in the game and not much calmer afterward.
"I'm very disappointed in the way we came out and played this game," Summitt said. "It was a lack of awareness and defensive intensity. We had no sense of urgency. Rebounding is heart and competitive desire.
"We disrespected the game of basketball tonight."
Or maybe the Lady Vols (24-2, 12-1) just disrespected Alabama (10-16, 2-11), which hasn't beaten them since 1984.
Alyssia Brewer had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help league-leading Tennessee claim its eighth consecutive win, if not in coach-pleasing fashion.
Alabama, which opened with an entirely new starting five, closed to within 54-49 midway through the second half.
Then, Tennessee finally kicked into gear with 10 straight points en route to a 67-51 lead on Alicia Manning's basket with 6:13 left. The Lady Vols missed five straight free throws at that point and made just 11 of 24 attempts from the line to help keep it close.
"We were horrendous from the free-throw line," Summitt said. "They're going to have to invest in that. It wasn't as much what they did, it's what we didn't do. It was just a lack of commitment on defense."
Brewer's one offensive shortcoming in the game: 6-for-12 shooting on free throws.
Shekinna Stricklen had 14 points and Angie Bjorklund added 13 for Tennessee, which forced 24 turnovers.
Tide freshman Celiscia Farmer had a career-high 21 points in her first start on 10-of-15 shooting. She came in averaging just 4.9 points a game but wound up being the team's only double-figure scorer.
Forward Tierney Jenkins was held to two points -- 10 below her season average.
It was the closest meeting between these teams since Tennessee's 67-63 win in 1998. Some of the missteps late in the game left Summitt either glaring at her team, hands on hips, or screaming loud enough at one point that her voice resonated through Coleman Coliseum.
"Are you going to guard anybody?" she yelled at her players as they walked toward the bench for a timeout with the lead shrinking.
Lady Vols center Kelly Cain missed the game, staying in Knoxville because the marketing/logistics major didn't want to miss more classes.
Without her, Tennessee was outrebounded 45-33 after coming into the game leading the league in rebounding margin. Stanford is the only other team to outrebound the Lady Vols this season.
"When we're missing someone, everyone has to step up," Bjorklund said. "Yeah, Cain's a huge inside force and that's hard for us but that's not an excuse. We should have been ready to come and work a lot harder than we did."
Alabama had lost five of its last six games and was coming off a 29-point defeat at Georgia. Tennessee had dominated Florida 83-44 but couldn't put together a similar performance.
Alabama coach Wendell Hudson shook up his lineup with a new starting five because of recent practice effort from his players, and it worked.
"We're going to play the people who play hard," Hudson said. "That was the group that was playing the hardest in practice."
As for his team's performance, he said, "We did not back up. We took the fight to them."
Tennessee finally scored 10 straight points to go up 33-23 late in the first half. But Alabama rallied, then the Lady Vols missed two shots in the final seconds for a 37-31 halftime edge.
They started out shooting just 4 for 13 before warming up.
"We just came out flat," Bjorklund said. "We didn't get off to a good start and let one thing lead to another and it kind of sucked the life out of us. It's just having more of a sense of urgency to start the game.
"If we could put together 40 minutes, everybody coming together, you'd be looking at an entirely different team."
Tennessee was outrebounded and hard-pressed to put away the Southeastern Conference's last-place team Thursday night before holding on for a 74-67 victory. The performance left the fifth-ranked Lady Vols' coach fuming at her team late in the game and not much calmer afterward.
"I'm very disappointed in the way we came out and played this game," Summitt said. "It was a lack of awareness and defensive intensity. We had no sense of urgency. Rebounding is heart and competitive desire.
"We disrespected the game of basketball tonight."
Or maybe the Lady Vols (24-2, 12-1) just disrespected Alabama (10-16, 2-11), which hasn't beaten them since 1984.
Alyssia Brewer had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help league-leading Tennessee claim its eighth consecutive win, if not in coach-pleasing fashion.
Alabama, which opened with an entirely new starting five, closed to within 54-49 midway through the second half.
Then, Tennessee finally kicked into gear with 10 straight points en route to a 67-51 lead on Alicia Manning's basket with 6:13 left. The Lady Vols missed five straight free throws at that point and made just 11 of 24 attempts from the line to help keep it close.
"We were horrendous from the free-throw line," Summitt said. "They're going to have to invest in that. It wasn't as much what they did, it's what we didn't do. It was just a lack of commitment on defense."
Brewer's one offensive shortcoming in the game: 6-for-12 shooting on free throws.
Shekinna Stricklen had 14 points and Angie Bjorklund added 13 for Tennessee, which forced 24 turnovers.
Tide freshman Celiscia Farmer had a career-high 21 points in her first start on 10-of-15 shooting. She came in averaging just 4.9 points a game but wound up being the team's only double-figure scorer.
Forward Tierney Jenkins was held to two points -- 10 below her season average.
It was the closest meeting between these teams since Tennessee's 67-63 win in 1998. Some of the missteps late in the game left Summitt either glaring at her team, hands on hips, or screaming loud enough at one point that her voice resonated through Coleman Coliseum.
"Are you going to guard anybody?" she yelled at her players as they walked toward the bench for a timeout with the lead shrinking.
Lady Vols center Kelly Cain missed the game, staying in Knoxville because the marketing/logistics major didn't want to miss more classes.
Without her, Tennessee was outrebounded 45-33 after coming into the game leading the league in rebounding margin. Stanford is the only other team to outrebound the Lady Vols this season.
"When we're missing someone, everyone has to step up," Bjorklund said. "Yeah, Cain's a huge inside force and that's hard for us but that's not an excuse. We should have been ready to come and work a lot harder than we did."
Alabama had lost five of its last six games and was coming off a 29-point defeat at Georgia. Tennessee had dominated Florida 83-44 but couldn't put together a similar performance.
Alabama coach Wendell Hudson shook up his lineup with a new starting five because of recent practice effort from his players, and it worked.
"We're going to play the people who play hard," Hudson said. "That was the group that was playing the hardest in practice."
As for his team's performance, he said, "We did not back up. We took the fight to them."
Tennessee finally scored 10 straight points to go up 33-23 late in the first half. But Alabama rallied, then the Lady Vols missed two shots in the final seconds for a 37-31 halftime edge.
They started out shooting just 4 for 13 before warming up.
"We just came out flat," Bjorklund said. "We didn't get off to a good start and let one thing lead to another and it kind of sucked the life out of us. It's just having more of a sense of urgency to start the game.
"If we could put together 40 minutes, everybody coming together, you'd be looking at an entirely different team."
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Bjorklund, Cain Lead Lady Vols Past Florida, 83-44
KNOXVILLE -- Up by just six points at halftime against Florida, Tennessee seemed bound for another one of the close calls that have become the norm in Southeastern Conference play.
Coach Pat Summitt preached once again to the fifth-ranked Lady Volunteers about the importance of playing with full effort for 40 minutes.
"I was not happy," Summitt said. "I told them, 'We're not going anywhere in the tournament unless we invest in being a 40-minute team.' There's a reason that we have eight championships. We have to change our level of commitment."
This time, the Lady Vols listened, shooting 64.5 percent and limiting the Gators to 21.2 percent as they beat Florida 83-44 on Sunday.
Nearly half of all SEC games played this season have been decided by single digits, and SEC-leading Tennessee (23-2, 11-1 SEC) has played its part.
The Lady Vols needed a reverse layup by Angie Bjorklund with 2.3 seconds left to pull out a 66-64 win over Florida in Gainesville on Jan. 14. Bjorklund also hit a game-winning 3 in a 61-58 win at Mississippi on Thursday.
Bjorklund still did her part in beating Florida (13-12, 6-6), but this time she helped by scoring 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Kelley Cain added 19 points, Shekinna Stricklen sank 12 and Alicia Manning added 11.
"It feels good," Bjorklund said. "I think once our team got together at halftime and everyone committed to defense and rebounding, that made a huge difference. We need to keep it like that more often and focus on playing a 40-minute game."
The teams traded the lead eight times and tied three times in the first half. Stricklen grabbed the ball from Tessah Holt and hit a layup to cap a 10-0 Tennessee run and give the Lady Vols a 31-21 lead with 2:06 in the first half.
Layups by Trumae Lucas and Jennifer George helped Florida trim the margin, and Tennessee led 34-28 at halftime.
"I thought we showed a lot of fight in the first half," Gators coach Amanda Butler said. "In the second half the fight wasn't there, the intensity wasn't there. The things that you have to do to compete with a team like Tennessee, especially on their home court, weren't there."
The Lady Vols stopped relying so much on their post game after halftime and found some perimeter shooting that had been missing recently, opening the half on a 12-3 run that included 3s by Bjorklund and Manning.
The Gators could only manage 16 points after the break, going long stretches between each basket, and never made it to the free-throw line. Steffi Sorensen led Florida with 12 points.
"This doesn't count, though," Summitt said. "It counts when we have 40 minutes of busting it up-and-down the court, defending and rebounding at both ends."
It was Florida's second blowout in as many games after the Gators 70-30 at home against LSU (No. 23 AP) on Thursday. Their road doesn't get any easier with games left to play against Kentucky (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP), Georgia (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) and Vanderbilt before the end of February.
"After you've had losses like we've had, especially back-to-back, you find out who is tough and who is willing to do the dirty work in games," Sorensen said. "Right now, we have to respond. We can't just roll over and die and accept these losses."
Coach Pat Summitt preached once again to the fifth-ranked Lady Volunteers about the importance of playing with full effort for 40 minutes.
"I was not happy," Summitt said. "I told them, 'We're not going anywhere in the tournament unless we invest in being a 40-minute team.' There's a reason that we have eight championships. We have to change our level of commitment."
This time, the Lady Vols listened, shooting 64.5 percent and limiting the Gators to 21.2 percent as they beat Florida 83-44 on Sunday.
Nearly half of all SEC games played this season have been decided by single digits, and SEC-leading Tennessee (23-2, 11-1 SEC) has played its part.
The Lady Vols needed a reverse layup by Angie Bjorklund with 2.3 seconds left to pull out a 66-64 win over Florida in Gainesville on Jan. 14. Bjorklund also hit a game-winning 3 in a 61-58 win at Mississippi on Thursday.
Bjorklund still did her part in beating Florida (13-12, 6-6), but this time she helped by scoring 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Kelley Cain added 19 points, Shekinna Stricklen sank 12 and Alicia Manning added 11.
"It feels good," Bjorklund said. "I think once our team got together at halftime and everyone committed to defense and rebounding, that made a huge difference. We need to keep it like that more often and focus on playing a 40-minute game."
The teams traded the lead eight times and tied three times in the first half. Stricklen grabbed the ball from Tessah Holt and hit a layup to cap a 10-0 Tennessee run and give the Lady Vols a 31-21 lead with 2:06 in the first half.
Layups by Trumae Lucas and Jennifer George helped Florida trim the margin, and Tennessee led 34-28 at halftime.
"I thought we showed a lot of fight in the first half," Gators coach Amanda Butler said. "In the second half the fight wasn't there, the intensity wasn't there. The things that you have to do to compete with a team like Tennessee, especially on their home court, weren't there."
The Lady Vols stopped relying so much on their post game after halftime and found some perimeter shooting that had been missing recently, opening the half on a 12-3 run that included 3s by Bjorklund and Manning.
The Gators could only manage 16 points after the break, going long stretches between each basket, and never made it to the free-throw line. Steffi Sorensen led Florida with 12 points.
"This doesn't count, though," Summitt said. "It counts when we have 40 minutes of busting it up-and-down the court, defending and rebounding at both ends."
It was Florida's second blowout in as many games after the Gators 70-30 at home against LSU (No. 23 AP) on Thursday. Their road doesn't get any easier with games left to play against Kentucky (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP), Georgia (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) and Vanderbilt before the end of February.
"After you've had losses like we've had, especially back-to-back, you find out who is tough and who is willing to do the dirty work in games," Sorensen said. "Right now, we have to respond. We can't just roll over and die and accept these losses."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
No. 5 Tennessee defeated Mississippi 61-58
OXFORD, Miss. -- Angie Bjorklund is making a habit of beating Mississippi in the final second.
Bjorklund hit a 3-pointer with 1 second remaining as No. 5 Tennessee defeated Mississippi 61-58 Thursday night. It was the second consecutive game Bjorklund hit a game-winning 3 against the Lady Rebels.
Last season, Bjorklund hit a buzzer-beating shot from the corner for the 60-59 win over Ole Miss at home. This time, Bjorklund got free after stepping back from the right wing and nailed the jumper.
"We've got a couple of options on that play but I'm probably Plan B," Bjorklund said. "If we can roll Shekinna (Stricklen) free, it's her shot, but she wasn't open and I made the cut and was open, so it's my shot."
Tennessee (22-2, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) remained on top of the league standings with a one-game lead over Kentucky. Ole Miss (15-9, 6-5) lost for the fourth time in five games and is in a three-way tie for third place.
Stricklen led the Lady Vols with 13 points, while Alyssia Brewer and Bjorklund had 12 apiece. Bjorklund made four baskets, all 3s.
"She's been really big for us," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "This was a very hard-fought game and you have to be happy when you find a way to win."
The decisive margin was inside as the Lady Vols dominated the boards, 47-24, including a game-high 16 from Kelley Cain. Ole Miss compensated by forcing 16 turnovers and hitting 10 3s.
Elizabeth Robertson and Bianca Thomas had 18 points apiece for the Lady Rebels. Thomas, the SEC's leading scorer, pulled Ole Miss into a 58-58 tie with 15 seconds left on a driving layup, setting up Bjorklund for the decisive shot.
"We knew exactly who was going to take that shot," Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner said. "Angie does a good job at making big shots for Tennessee. It's very disheartening because our players fought so valiantly."
The Lady Rebels led 30-25 at halftime and 54-40 with 5 minutes remaining. Ole Miss managed only two baskets the rest of the way and Tennessee's inside dominance set up the successful rally.
"Honestly, we're fortunate to get out of here with the win," Summitt said.
Bjorklund hit a 3-pointer with 1 second remaining as No. 5 Tennessee defeated Mississippi 61-58 Thursday night. It was the second consecutive game Bjorklund hit a game-winning 3 against the Lady Rebels.
Last season, Bjorklund hit a buzzer-beating shot from the corner for the 60-59 win over Ole Miss at home. This time, Bjorklund got free after stepping back from the right wing and nailed the jumper.
"We've got a couple of options on that play but I'm probably Plan B," Bjorklund said. "If we can roll Shekinna (Stricklen) free, it's her shot, but she wasn't open and I made the cut and was open, so it's my shot."
Tennessee (22-2, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) remained on top of the league standings with a one-game lead over Kentucky. Ole Miss (15-9, 6-5) lost for the fourth time in five games and is in a three-way tie for third place.
Stricklen led the Lady Vols with 13 points, while Alyssia Brewer and Bjorklund had 12 apiece. Bjorklund made four baskets, all 3s.
"She's been really big for us," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "This was a very hard-fought game and you have to be happy when you find a way to win."
The decisive margin was inside as the Lady Vols dominated the boards, 47-24, including a game-high 16 from Kelley Cain. Ole Miss compensated by forcing 16 turnovers and hitting 10 3s.
Elizabeth Robertson and Bianca Thomas had 18 points apiece for the Lady Rebels. Thomas, the SEC's leading scorer, pulled Ole Miss into a 58-58 tie with 15 seconds left on a driving layup, setting up Bjorklund for the decisive shot.
"We knew exactly who was going to take that shot," Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner said. "Angie does a good job at making big shots for Tennessee. It's very disheartening because our players fought so valiantly."
The Lady Rebels led 30-25 at halftime and 54-40 with 5 minutes remaining. Ole Miss managed only two baskets the rest of the way and Tennessee's inside dominance set up the successful rally.
"Honestly, we're fortunate to get out of here with the win," Summitt said.
Monday, February 08, 2010
No. 5 Tennessee downs Vanderbilt 69-60
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Coaching is never easy in Memorial Gym, not with the benches on the end lines. Pat Summitt couldn’t be happier at how her Tennessee Lady Vols responded Monday night.
Kelley Cain scored a career-high 19 points, and fifth-ranked Tennessee rallied and beat Vanderbilt 69-60 for the Lady Vols’ fifth straight victory.
Summitt said her Lady Vols (21-2, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) easily could have lost a second straight visit to Memorial Gym, something they’ve never done in consecutive seasons and not since 1985 and 1987 when the teams played only once a season. She was telling them not to lose this game when she noticed something.
“Right then, they started talking about what they needed to do. It wasn’t the coaches,” Summitt said. “It was the players. When they take the ownership, you’ll have better execution. Because it’s coming from them, and they want it.”
Angie Bjorklund credited Cain’s play and Shekinna Stricklen for speaking up.
“Once a teammate says we need to pick it up, it builds a lot more energy. It’s different coming from a teammate,” Bjorklund said.
The Lady Vols used their superior size to pound the Commodores inside and beat their instate rival for the 22nd time on their own floor after losing here 74-57 last season—just the seventh loss by Tennessee in this series.
“It’s a new year,” Cain said, who also had five blocked shots. “It’s not like we’re dwelling on last year. We’re concentrating on this year. We hate to lose to anybody, but we also learned you don’t lose to Vanderbilt.”
Vanderbilt (17-7, 6-5) saw its three-game winning streak end.
Bjorklund, Alyssia Brewer and Glory Johnson all finished with 10 points for Tennessee.
Merideth Marsh led Vanderbilt with 19 points. Jence Rhoads added 15, and Lauren Lueders 12.
Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 64-57 in Knoxville on Jan. 17, a game in which the Lady Vols managed only a one-rebound difference on the boards. On a snowy night in Nashville where about half the 6,005 fans wore orange, the Lady Vols took much better advantage of having 10 players 6-foot or taller compared to Vandy’s five such 6-footers and dominated 41-30.
“We let Bjorklund get open for two wide-open 3s down the stretch, you’re going to lose,” said Melanie Balcomb, who’s now 2-16 all-time against Tennessee. “You give away rebound after rebound … After they outrebounded us over and over, it was kind of like our sails went, ssssshh, down.”
In a meeting of the SEC’s top shooting teams, Tennessee also finished with a big edge there as well (44.6 percent to 37 percent) to overcome Vanderbilt’s 7-of-16 shooting from 3-point range.
“We have a confidence in ourselves this year,” Cain said. “If we get down, we have to take it one play at a time to get back in. … Leesy (Brewer) might be 2 inches shorter than I am, and we’re kind of built the same so it has to be a nightmare for people to guard two people 6-4.”
The score was tied six times in the first half, including at 28 at halftime.
Lueders hit a 3 from the right corner to open the second half and keep Vanderbilt ahead. The teams put on a sluggish and physical display, especially when Stricklen got a technical foul for giving a hip check to Jessica Mooney as the Vanderbilt guard came up to her as the Lady Vols tried to inbound the ball with 14:20 left.
Summitt said she’d never seen that called as a technical in her 36 seasons.
The Commodores led 47-40 when Rhoads scored on a layup, then Tiffany Clarke hit two free throws with 8:41 remaining.
Then Bjorklund, the SEC’s top 3-point shooter, finally got going.
She hit her first 3 with 8:27 left. Cain hit two free throws, then Alicia Manning scored on a layup, Bjorklund hit another long jumper. Cain blocked a shot, Manning got the rebound and then finished off the fast-break with a layup to give Tennessee the lead for good at 52-51 with 5:36 left—the Lady Vols’ first since 14-12.
Cain next stole the ball from Hannah Tuomi, and Manning had another layup. Vanderbilt stayed close, but Glory Johnson, who played only five minutes of the first half with two personal fouls, scored on a layup for her first field goal of the game. She also hit a jumper on the Lady Vols’ next trip down the court.
From there, the Lady Vols just put away the victory.
“I think we kind of gave it to them,” said Rhoads, who missed the game in Knoxville with a broken hand. “Bjorklund made some big shots at the end, but it’s mostly what we didn’t do and gave them the game.”
Kelley Cain scored a career-high 19 points, and fifth-ranked Tennessee rallied and beat Vanderbilt 69-60 for the Lady Vols’ fifth straight victory.
Summitt said her Lady Vols (21-2, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) easily could have lost a second straight visit to Memorial Gym, something they’ve never done in consecutive seasons and not since 1985 and 1987 when the teams played only once a season. She was telling them not to lose this game when she noticed something.
“Right then, they started talking about what they needed to do. It wasn’t the coaches,” Summitt said. “It was the players. When they take the ownership, you’ll have better execution. Because it’s coming from them, and they want it.”
Angie Bjorklund credited Cain’s play and Shekinna Stricklen for speaking up.
“Once a teammate says we need to pick it up, it builds a lot more energy. It’s different coming from a teammate,” Bjorklund said.
The Lady Vols used their superior size to pound the Commodores inside and beat their instate rival for the 22nd time on their own floor after losing here 74-57 last season—just the seventh loss by Tennessee in this series.
“It’s a new year,” Cain said, who also had five blocked shots. “It’s not like we’re dwelling on last year. We’re concentrating on this year. We hate to lose to anybody, but we also learned you don’t lose to Vanderbilt.”
Vanderbilt (17-7, 6-5) saw its three-game winning streak end.
Bjorklund, Alyssia Brewer and Glory Johnson all finished with 10 points for Tennessee.
Merideth Marsh led Vanderbilt with 19 points. Jence Rhoads added 15, and Lauren Lueders 12.
Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 64-57 in Knoxville on Jan. 17, a game in which the Lady Vols managed only a one-rebound difference on the boards. On a snowy night in Nashville where about half the 6,005 fans wore orange, the Lady Vols took much better advantage of having 10 players 6-foot or taller compared to Vandy’s five such 6-footers and dominated 41-30.
“We let Bjorklund get open for two wide-open 3s down the stretch, you’re going to lose,” said Melanie Balcomb, who’s now 2-16 all-time against Tennessee. “You give away rebound after rebound … After they outrebounded us over and over, it was kind of like our sails went, ssssshh, down.”
In a meeting of the SEC’s top shooting teams, Tennessee also finished with a big edge there as well (44.6 percent to 37 percent) to overcome Vanderbilt’s 7-of-16 shooting from 3-point range.
“We have a confidence in ourselves this year,” Cain said. “If we get down, we have to take it one play at a time to get back in. … Leesy (Brewer) might be 2 inches shorter than I am, and we’re kind of built the same so it has to be a nightmare for people to guard two people 6-4.”
The score was tied six times in the first half, including at 28 at halftime.
Lueders hit a 3 from the right corner to open the second half and keep Vanderbilt ahead. The teams put on a sluggish and physical display, especially when Stricklen got a technical foul for giving a hip check to Jessica Mooney as the Vanderbilt guard came up to her as the Lady Vols tried to inbound the ball with 14:20 left.
Summitt said she’d never seen that called as a technical in her 36 seasons.
The Commodores led 47-40 when Rhoads scored on a layup, then Tiffany Clarke hit two free throws with 8:41 remaining.
Then Bjorklund, the SEC’s top 3-point shooter, finally got going.
She hit her first 3 with 8:27 left. Cain hit two free throws, then Alicia Manning scored on a layup, Bjorklund hit another long jumper. Cain blocked a shot, Manning got the rebound and then finished off the fast-break with a layup to give Tennessee the lead for good at 52-51 with 5:36 left—the Lady Vols’ first since 14-12.
Cain next stole the ball from Hannah Tuomi, and Manning had another layup. Vanderbilt stayed close, but Glory Johnson, who played only five minutes of the first half with two personal fouls, scored on a layup for her first field goal of the game. She also hit a jumper on the Lady Vols’ next trip down the court.
From there, the Lady Vols just put away the victory.
“I think we kind of gave it to them,” said Rhoads, who missed the game in Knoxville with a broken hand. “Bjorklund made some big shots at the end, but it’s mostly what we didn’t do and gave them the game.”
Thursday, February 04, 2010
No. 5 Tennessee beats Arkansas 74-57
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Kelley Cain positioned herself on one post while Alyssia Brewer took the other one. Arkansas could handle one at times, rarely both.
Cain scored 14 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked eight shots, Brewer scored 20 and pulled in nine rebounds and No. 5 Tennessee beat Arkansas 74-57 on Thursday night.
“One of them shoots it on one block, the other one rebounds it on the other block,” Razorbacks coach Tom Collen said. “They’re a nightmare to defend.”
With eight games left in the regular season, Tennessee got its 20th win—a feat that took the Lady Vols (20-2, 8-1 Southeastern Conference) until the final game of the season a year ago. It’s the 34th consecutive season they’ve gotten at least 20 wins under coach Pat Summitt.
And even though the win kept Tennessee on top of the SEC and gave the Lady Vols their 21st win over Arkansas in 22 tries, Summitt still wasn’t completely pleased.
Sloppy screens and shots by the guards kept the Lady Vols from getting off to a fast start against one of the SEC’s worst teams.
The Razorbacks (9-13, 1-8) read the screens and had an easy time predicting the Lady Vols’ passes, making it easy for them to snatch the ball. C’eira Ricketts had five of Arkansas’s 11 steals which helped lead to 10 fastbreak points.
“The guards were trying to do too much,” Summitt said. “I said, ‘Get the ball inside. We’re going to play from the inside, out.’ That really changed how we played.”
Brewer and Cain both hit layups as Tennessee scored seven straight points to pull away from Arkansas in the first half. Glory Johnson missed her first free throw attempt but sank the second to give the Lady Vols an 18-10 lead with 9:12 left in the first half.
Tennessee finished with 40 points in the paint.
“We always emphasize getting the ball inside because we have two of the best posts in the country,” Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund said. “They work really well together. I thought they both really battled inside, and I was proud of them. I hope they continue to play like that.”
The Lady Vols led 31-23 at halftime but could have been much more in control had they not missed six of 10 free throw attempts before the break.
Tennessee entered the game averaging an uncharacteristically low 63.6 percent on free throws in SEC play and hit just 54.5 percent against the Razorbacks.
The Lady Vols pulled away in the second half thanks to some help from Bjorklund, who scored all of her 17 points after halftime, including seven straight points. Shekinna Stricklen finished with 12 points.
They couldn’t completely shake the Razorbacks, who continued to threaten with their outside shooting.
Charity Ford led the way with 18 points and Ricketts added 13. Lyndsay Harris scored four of Arkansas’ nine 3s and finished with 12 points.
“We can’t beat teams that way,” Ford said. “We have to be able to get it inside.”
Summitt put Kamiko Williams at the point guard position in her first-ever start for the Lady Vols in hopes of curing some of her team’s offensive woes. Williams was coming off a career-high 17 points in a sloppy win over South Carolina.
It didn’t work quite as Summitt had hoped. Williams was responsible for two early turnovers, and Summitt pulled her at the first media timeout, opting instead for what she called “point guard by committee.”
“I thought (Williams would) be a lot better, but this is her first start at that position so we’ve got time,” Summitt said.
Cain scored 14 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked eight shots, Brewer scored 20 and pulled in nine rebounds and No. 5 Tennessee beat Arkansas 74-57 on Thursday night.
“One of them shoots it on one block, the other one rebounds it on the other block,” Razorbacks coach Tom Collen said. “They’re a nightmare to defend.”
With eight games left in the regular season, Tennessee got its 20th win—a feat that took the Lady Vols (20-2, 8-1 Southeastern Conference) until the final game of the season a year ago. It’s the 34th consecutive season they’ve gotten at least 20 wins under coach Pat Summitt.
And even though the win kept Tennessee on top of the SEC and gave the Lady Vols their 21st win over Arkansas in 22 tries, Summitt still wasn’t completely pleased.
Sloppy screens and shots by the guards kept the Lady Vols from getting off to a fast start against one of the SEC’s worst teams.
The Razorbacks (9-13, 1-8) read the screens and had an easy time predicting the Lady Vols’ passes, making it easy for them to snatch the ball. C’eira Ricketts had five of Arkansas’s 11 steals which helped lead to 10 fastbreak points.
“The guards were trying to do too much,” Summitt said. “I said, ‘Get the ball inside. We’re going to play from the inside, out.’ That really changed how we played.”
Brewer and Cain both hit layups as Tennessee scored seven straight points to pull away from Arkansas in the first half. Glory Johnson missed her first free throw attempt but sank the second to give the Lady Vols an 18-10 lead with 9:12 left in the first half.
Tennessee finished with 40 points in the paint.
“We always emphasize getting the ball inside because we have two of the best posts in the country,” Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund said. “They work really well together. I thought they both really battled inside, and I was proud of them. I hope they continue to play like that.”
The Lady Vols led 31-23 at halftime but could have been much more in control had they not missed six of 10 free throw attempts before the break.
Tennessee entered the game averaging an uncharacteristically low 63.6 percent on free throws in SEC play and hit just 54.5 percent against the Razorbacks.
The Lady Vols pulled away in the second half thanks to some help from Bjorklund, who scored all of her 17 points after halftime, including seven straight points. Shekinna Stricklen finished with 12 points.
They couldn’t completely shake the Razorbacks, who continued to threaten with their outside shooting.
Charity Ford led the way with 18 points and Ricketts added 13. Lyndsay Harris scored four of Arkansas’ nine 3s and finished with 12 points.
“We can’t beat teams that way,” Ford said. “We have to be able to get it inside.”
Summitt put Kamiko Williams at the point guard position in her first-ever start for the Lady Vols in hopes of curing some of her team’s offensive woes. Williams was coming off a career-high 17 points in a sloppy win over South Carolina.
It didn’t work quite as Summitt had hoped. Williams was responsible for two early turnovers, and Summitt pulled her at the first media timeout, opting instead for what she called “point guard by committee.”
“I thought (Williams would) be a lot better, but this is her first start at that position so we’ve got time,” Summitt said.
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