COLUMBIA, S.C. — After the 40 minutes of sloppy basketball and the media interviews, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt could finally smile when she started signing autographs.
Before that, it was scowls and icy stares as No. 5 Tennessee stumbled its way to a 60-55 win over South Carolina on Sunday, its 38th straight win over the Gamecocks.
The Lady Vols (19-1, 7-1 SEC) fell behind 13-0 and never led until 7:53 was left in the game. Their three best scorers—Angie Bjorklund, Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen—combined for just 19 points, 22 below their combined average this season.
“This team has to make up its mind if it’s going to be a 40-minute team all the time,” said Summitt, whose team finally kicked in during the last five minutes of the game.
The Lady Vols trailed 54-52 before Kelley Cain got consecutive lay-ups to take a two-point lead with 1:57 to go.
The (11-10, 4-5) Gamecocks had their chances down the stretch. La’Keisha Sutton missed two free throws with 1:20 to go that could have tied it, and South Carolina would miss its final six shots and turn the ball over twice in the final four minutes, squandering the team’s best chance to beat the Lady Vols in 30 years.
“We don’t want to live on the edge like this,” Summitt said.
Freshman Kamiko Williams led SEC-leading Tennessee with a career-high 17 points. Alyssia Brewer added 13 and Cain had 10.
After watching her perimeter game struggle for the first 30 minutes, Summitt decided to go to the paint. Brewer’s short jumper gave the Lady Vols their first lead at 47-46, and Brewer would give Tennessee the lead again on a short jumper with 5:12 to go. Cain’s two lay-ups put her team up for good.
It looked like Colonial Life Arena would see its second epic upset in five days for much of Sunday. Tennessee has won every game over South Carolina since January 1980—the last 17 wins have been by at least 12 points. But the Gamecocks have already doubled their SEC win total from last year, and coach Dawn Staley insisted they had the talent to beat the Lady Vols.
The Gamecocks showed their confidence from the start. Sutton buried two open 3-pointers and Valerie Nainima added a 3 of her own as the Gamecocks stormed out to a 13-0 lead.
The Lady Vols then cranked up the defense, though, and the Gamecocks scored just five points in the final 10 minutes of the half to hold on to a 26-25 lead at halftime.
The game went back and forth for most of the second half, but South Carolina couldn’t get the big play at the end. Down by three, the Gamecocks threw away an inbound pass with 21.8 seconds to go. They made 7 of 16 3-pointers, but Nainima missed two 3s late that could have cut the deficit to two.
“We have a lot of young players who have never been in that position,” Staley said. “And sometimes when you can win a game like this, you start thinking instead of just reacting.”
Sutton led South Carolina with 19 points, while Nainima scored 16 and Kelsey Bone added 11.
Staley isn’t accustomed to losing to anyone. She turned Temple into a winner in her eight years at the school, and already has led the Gamecocks to one more win than last season’s 10-18 squad. She reminded her team of its 37-game losing streak against Tennessee during practice before the game, telling them that’s the kind of win that can reverse a program’s fortunes.
South Carolina has just two winning SEC seasons since joining the league in 1991.
“We were hoping to change that,” Sutton said. “We’ll probably see them on down the road in the SEC tournament.”
Summitt waited until she called her first time-out with her team down 10-0 to remind them of their dominance over South Carolina, Williams said, staring down her team and saying, “We don’t want to be the team who loses to them.”
And for the 38th time, she was right.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
No. 5 Tennessee defeats Auburn 85-56
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A huge grin spread across Shekinna Stricklen’s face as soon as her third 3-point basket of the night swished cleanly though the net.
Fifth-ranked Tennessee already had enough points to beat Auburn, but the shot meant something else. The Lady Volunteer guards were back from a long slump.
“Aw, man it felt so good,” Stricklen said after Tennessee beat Auburn 85-56 Thursday night. “When we hit shots, we were all just smiling. We felt like the guards haven’t had a good game like this in a long time.”
Angie Bjorklund led the way with 20 points for Tennessee and Stricklen finished with 17. The Lady Vols’ posts contributed to the offensive outpouring, too, with Glory Johnson scoring 15 and grabbing 13 rebounds, and Alyssia Brewer adding 11 points.
Tennessee (18-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) entered the game averaging 75 points overall but only 64.8 points in league play.
Bjorklund entered the game leading the team with 14.8 points per contest, but her production was down to an average 8.8 points in the past four games. Stricklen’s had dropped to 7.3 per game from her season average of 12.7 in the past three games.
Coach Pat Summitt said it’s still a learning process with the young team, her first without a single senior.
“Our perimeter game is getting better,” Summitt said. “If you look at the stats, they see that they need to get in the gym. Otherwise, don’t expect minutes. Everyone has to be invested. I think they got the message.”
A 3-pointer by the Bjorklund capped a 14-2 run that gave Tennessee a 22-14 lead with 11:05 in the first half, and the Lady Vols did not trail again. Bjorklund hit 6 of 12 from behind the arc.
Even Johnson, known more for driving the paint and working the backboards, contributed from outside, getting her first career 3-pointer on a desperation shot with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. She scrambled for a loose ball and shoveled it into the air while falling backward.
“It was lucky. No skill involved,” Summitt said, rolling her eyes.
The Tigers (11-10, 2-6) are even younger than the Lady Vols, returning just one starter from the team that last season got an unprecedented back-to-back wins over Tennessee.
The lone returning player, Alli Smalley, was the only Tigers player that didn’t appear to struggle, and she led the team with 21 points.
“We know we are young,” Smalley said. “We know that each night in the SEC is going to be a tough game because every team in the SEC is good. It was certainly tough to get off shots against the Tennessee defense, especially with them switching out on everything.”
Despite being bested by Tennessee in nearly every statistical category, Auburn still got off to the better start. The Tigers hit the first five points of the game and grabbed a 12-8 lead before the Lady Vols launched their scoring run.
Auburn’s main threat in the paint, KeKe Carrier, helped disrupt the Lady Vols early despite being hampered by a hamstring injury suffered a week ago. Carrier didn’t last long, quickly committing two fouls and spending much of the first half on the bench.
“You just keep working hard,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “They have to not lose their belief in what we’re doing and just continue to compete. I thought our effort was good tonight. I thought we worked hard tonight. We just didn’t have enough.”
Fifth-ranked Tennessee already had enough points to beat Auburn, but the shot meant something else. The Lady Volunteer guards were back from a long slump.
“Aw, man it felt so good,” Stricklen said after Tennessee beat Auburn 85-56 Thursday night. “When we hit shots, we were all just smiling. We felt like the guards haven’t had a good game like this in a long time.”
Angie Bjorklund led the way with 20 points for Tennessee and Stricklen finished with 17. The Lady Vols’ posts contributed to the offensive outpouring, too, with Glory Johnson scoring 15 and grabbing 13 rebounds, and Alyssia Brewer adding 11 points.
Tennessee (18-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) entered the game averaging 75 points overall but only 64.8 points in league play.
Bjorklund entered the game leading the team with 14.8 points per contest, but her production was down to an average 8.8 points in the past four games. Stricklen’s had dropped to 7.3 per game from her season average of 12.7 in the past three games.
Coach Pat Summitt said it’s still a learning process with the young team, her first without a single senior.
“Our perimeter game is getting better,” Summitt said. “If you look at the stats, they see that they need to get in the gym. Otherwise, don’t expect minutes. Everyone has to be invested. I think they got the message.”
A 3-pointer by the Bjorklund capped a 14-2 run that gave Tennessee a 22-14 lead with 11:05 in the first half, and the Lady Vols did not trail again. Bjorklund hit 6 of 12 from behind the arc.
Even Johnson, known more for driving the paint and working the backboards, contributed from outside, getting her first career 3-pointer on a desperation shot with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. She scrambled for a loose ball and shoveled it into the air while falling backward.
“It was lucky. No skill involved,” Summitt said, rolling her eyes.
The Tigers (11-10, 2-6) are even younger than the Lady Vols, returning just one starter from the team that last season got an unprecedented back-to-back wins over Tennessee.
The lone returning player, Alli Smalley, was the only Tigers player that didn’t appear to struggle, and she led the team with 21 points.
“We know we are young,” Smalley said. “We know that each night in the SEC is going to be a tough game because every team in the SEC is good. It was certainly tough to get off shots against the Tennessee defense, especially with them switching out on everything.”
Despite being bested by Tennessee in nearly every statistical category, Auburn still got off to the better start. The Tigers hit the first five points of the game and grabbed a 12-8 lead before the Lady Vols launched their scoring run.
Auburn’s main threat in the paint, KeKe Carrier, helped disrupt the Lady Vols early despite being hampered by a hamstring injury suffered a week ago. Carrier didn’t last long, quickly committing two fouls and spending much of the first half on the bench.
“You just keep working hard,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “They have to not lose their belief in what we’re doing and just continue to compete. I thought our effort was good tonight. I thought we worked hard tonight. We just didn’t have enough.”
Sunday, January 24, 2010
No. 3 Vols rebound with 55-43 win at No. 18 LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 3 Tennessee’s offense struggled in its 55-43 victory over No. 18 LSU on Sunday night, but coach Pat Summitt was still pleased—with a tough zone defense.
“I thought our coverage out of the zone was really good,” Summitt said. “We extended it. We were aggressive, we got after it. Obviously we wanted to make sure we were not just giving them good open looks or a lot of chances to get in the paint.”
The Lady Volunteers, who scored about 20 points below their average, held LSU to 26 percent shooting from the field.
Alyssia Brewer made the most of her third Southeastern Conference start, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds for Tennessee. Kelly Cain added 11 points and Angie Bjorklund had 10 for the Lady Vols (17-2, 5-1).
Allison Hightower led LSU (14-4, 3-3) with 17 points and LaSondra Barrett had 12. Jasmine Nelson had 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
LSU scored only 5 points in the first three minutes of the game.
“I think during those plays we had a lot of breakdowns,” said Hightower. “We fouled the shooter and put them on the line. They got a few easy looks in the post. I guess we had a lot of breakdowns at key moments in the game— blocking out and rebounding.”
Tennessee, playing its second straight road game, led by as much as seven in the first half and took a 24-22 lead at the break.
LSU took its only lead of the game with 12:18 remaining in the second half, going up 35-32 before the Vols answered with an 18-2 run to put the Lady Tigers away.
The much bigger Lady Vols gave LSU problems under the basket, holding the Tigers to only 12 points in the paint. Tennessee outrebounded LSU 39-32.
LSU retired former player Seimone Augustus’ jersey before the game. Augustus, a two-time national player of the year, led the Tigers to their first Final Four as a sophomore and ranks in LSU’s top 10 in every major category. Augustus is the first female athlete at LSU to have her jersey retired. It now hangs beside those of Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal, and Bob Petit.
The rivalry game, normally a big draw, played second fiddle to the New Orleans Saints taking on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game, which kicked off at the Superdome shortly after the tip in Baton Rouge.
“I thought our coverage out of the zone was really good,” Summitt said. “We extended it. We were aggressive, we got after it. Obviously we wanted to make sure we were not just giving them good open looks or a lot of chances to get in the paint.”
The Lady Volunteers, who scored about 20 points below their average, held LSU to 26 percent shooting from the field.
Alyssia Brewer made the most of her third Southeastern Conference start, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds for Tennessee. Kelly Cain added 11 points and Angie Bjorklund had 10 for the Lady Vols (17-2, 5-1).
Allison Hightower led LSU (14-4, 3-3) with 17 points and LaSondra Barrett had 12. Jasmine Nelson had 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
LSU scored only 5 points in the first three minutes of the game.
“I think during those plays we had a lot of breakdowns,” said Hightower. “We fouled the shooter and put them on the line. They got a few easy looks in the post. I guess we had a lot of breakdowns at key moments in the game— blocking out and rebounding.”
Tennessee, playing its second straight road game, led by as much as seven in the first half and took a 24-22 lead at the break.
LSU took its only lead of the game with 12:18 remaining in the second half, going up 35-32 before the Vols answered with an 18-2 run to put the Lady Tigers away.
The much bigger Lady Vols gave LSU problems under the basket, holding the Tigers to only 12 points in the paint. Tennessee outrebounded LSU 39-32.
LSU retired former player Seimone Augustus’ jersey before the game. Augustus, a two-time national player of the year, led the Tigers to their first Final Four as a sophomore and ranks in LSU’s top 10 in every major category. Augustus is the first female athlete at LSU to have her jersey retired. It now hangs beside those of Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal, and Bob Petit.
The rivalry game, normally a big draw, played second fiddle to the New Orleans Saints taking on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game, which kicked off at the Superdome shortly after the tip in Baton Rouge.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
No. 8 Georgia knocks off No. 3 Lady Vols
ATHENS, Ga. (AP)— Even with Georgia ranked in the top 10, there were still lingering doubts about whether the Lady Bulldogs truly belonged among the nation’s elite.
The skeptics got their answer Thursday night.
Pulling off one of its biggest victories in years, No. 8 Georgia won a down-and-dirty scrap with the school that all others in the Southeastern Conference measure themselves by. Porsha Phillips scored the go-ahead basket off a pass from Ashley Houts with 39 seconds remaining, then added two free throws that clinched a 53-50 upset of third-ranked Tennessee.
“The thing I’m most proud of is where our team has come from,” said Houts, one of three Georgia starters who played the entire 40 minutes. “This year, we focused on the word change. We focused on getting prepared for where we need to be. We wanted to be a team that could compete with the best teams out there. I think we’ve shown the potential to do that.”
Houts led the Lady Bulldogs (18-1, 5-1) with 12 points and Phillips had 10, but this bruising game was decided at the defensive end. Georgia shot just 36 percent from the field—including a 3-of-19 start to the second half—and was outrebounded 37-23.
The home team made up for its shortcomings when the Lady Volunteers (16-2, 4-1) had it. The Lady Dogs hustled back every time, swatted at the ball every chance they got and wound up forcing Tennessee into a staggering 23 turnovers.
“You’ve not going to get a selfish player to play defense,” Georgia coach Andy Landers said. “So the greatest compliment you can pay our team is this is a very, very unselfish group of kids. We don’t put anybody on the floor who doesn’t just play her tail off on the defensive end.”
The Lady Dogs didn’t put many players on the floor—period. Houts, Jasmine James and Meredith Mitchell played the entire game. Angel Robinson was on the court for all but three minutes, while Phillips went to the bench for a mere four minutes. Only two other players even checked in for Georgia.
Aware of just how fatigued his players were, Landers screamed at the manager to make sure everyone had enough water for the final 18 seconds. Feisty to the end, Georgia never gave the Lady Vols a good look at a potentially tying 3-pointer, finally forcing Shekinna Stricklen to heave up a jumper from far beyond the arc. It never had a chance.
Asked how the manager reacted to his tongue-lashing, Landers quipped, “I think I hurt her feelings. I’ll take her to IHOP later to make her feel better.”
Alyssia Brewer converted a three-point play that put the Lady Vols ahead with 1:07 left, but Phillips scored the final four points to give Georgia a validating victory.
The Lady Dogs haven’t made the Final Four since 1999 and last made it to a regional final in 2004. A year ago, they were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“This is Georgia’s tradition,” Landers said. “This is why I hope these players chose to come here.”
Georgia snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Lady Vols, posting its first victory in the series since the 2004 SEC tournament. The Lady Dogs had not beaten Tennessee in Athens in a decade—a 78-51 victory on Jan. 17, 2000.
Glory Johnson scored 14 points for Tennessee, but the Lady Vols took a huge blow when Kelley Cain fouled out with 4:13 left. She picked up her fourth foul, complained about the call and drew a technical that sent her to the sideline for the rest of the night.
“I think the official misunderstood what came out of her mouth,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “But that was costly. She shouldn’t have said anything.”
Summitt was more disappointed by the play of her guards, Stricklen and Angie Bjorklund. They combined for just 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting, while committing 13 of the turnovers.
“That’s guard play. Georgia’s guard play was better than ours,” the coach said. “It’s hard to win when you’ve got two players playing pretty much by themselves and they’re not making shots.”
Georgia managed only seven points over the first 15 minutes of the second half, and Tennessee pulled away to a four-point lead that matched the biggest margin for either team.
Then, a stunning sequence sent the Lady Dogs into the lead. Houts swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key. At the other end, the senior guard knocked the ball away, broke out ahead of the pack and received a return pass from James for a layup that suddenly put Georgia ahead, 42-41.
After Cain put Tennessee back in front with a short hook off the baseline, the 6-foot-6 sophomore—a native of nearby Atlanta—let her temper get the best of her. She was whistled for a foul on Mitchell as the Georgia player drove the lane and mouthed off to an official, who tacked on the T.
Cane was done.
As few minutes later, so was Tennessee.
The skeptics got their answer Thursday night.
Pulling off one of its biggest victories in years, No. 8 Georgia won a down-and-dirty scrap with the school that all others in the Southeastern Conference measure themselves by. Porsha Phillips scored the go-ahead basket off a pass from Ashley Houts with 39 seconds remaining, then added two free throws that clinched a 53-50 upset of third-ranked Tennessee.
“The thing I’m most proud of is where our team has come from,” said Houts, one of three Georgia starters who played the entire 40 minutes. “This year, we focused on the word change. We focused on getting prepared for where we need to be. We wanted to be a team that could compete with the best teams out there. I think we’ve shown the potential to do that.”
Houts led the Lady Bulldogs (18-1, 5-1) with 12 points and Phillips had 10, but this bruising game was decided at the defensive end. Georgia shot just 36 percent from the field—including a 3-of-19 start to the second half—and was outrebounded 37-23.
The home team made up for its shortcomings when the Lady Volunteers (16-2, 4-1) had it. The Lady Dogs hustled back every time, swatted at the ball every chance they got and wound up forcing Tennessee into a staggering 23 turnovers.
“You’ve not going to get a selfish player to play defense,” Georgia coach Andy Landers said. “So the greatest compliment you can pay our team is this is a very, very unselfish group of kids. We don’t put anybody on the floor who doesn’t just play her tail off on the defensive end.”
The Lady Dogs didn’t put many players on the floor—period. Houts, Jasmine James and Meredith Mitchell played the entire game. Angel Robinson was on the court for all but three minutes, while Phillips went to the bench for a mere four minutes. Only two other players even checked in for Georgia.
Aware of just how fatigued his players were, Landers screamed at the manager to make sure everyone had enough water for the final 18 seconds. Feisty to the end, Georgia never gave the Lady Vols a good look at a potentially tying 3-pointer, finally forcing Shekinna Stricklen to heave up a jumper from far beyond the arc. It never had a chance.
Asked how the manager reacted to his tongue-lashing, Landers quipped, “I think I hurt her feelings. I’ll take her to IHOP later to make her feel better.”
Alyssia Brewer converted a three-point play that put the Lady Vols ahead with 1:07 left, but Phillips scored the final four points to give Georgia a validating victory.
The Lady Dogs haven’t made the Final Four since 1999 and last made it to a regional final in 2004. A year ago, they were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“This is Georgia’s tradition,” Landers said. “This is why I hope these players chose to come here.”
Georgia snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Lady Vols, posting its first victory in the series since the 2004 SEC tournament. The Lady Dogs had not beaten Tennessee in Athens in a decade—a 78-51 victory on Jan. 17, 2000.
Glory Johnson scored 14 points for Tennessee, but the Lady Vols took a huge blow when Kelley Cain fouled out with 4:13 left. She picked up her fourth foul, complained about the call and drew a technical that sent her to the sideline for the rest of the night.
“I think the official misunderstood what came out of her mouth,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “But that was costly. She shouldn’t have said anything.”
Summitt was more disappointed by the play of her guards, Stricklen and Angie Bjorklund. They combined for just 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting, while committing 13 of the turnovers.
“That’s guard play. Georgia’s guard play was better than ours,” the coach said. “It’s hard to win when you’ve got two players playing pretty much by themselves and they’re not making shots.”
Georgia managed only seven points over the first 15 minutes of the second half, and Tennessee pulled away to a four-point lead that matched the biggest margin for either team.
Then, a stunning sequence sent the Lady Dogs into the lead. Houts swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key. At the other end, the senior guard knocked the ball away, broke out ahead of the pack and received a return pass from James for a layup that suddenly put Georgia ahead, 42-41.
After Cain put Tennessee back in front with a short hook off the baseline, the 6-foot-6 sophomore—a native of nearby Atlanta—let her temper get the best of her. She was whistled for a foul on Mitchell as the Georgia player drove the lane and mouthed off to an official, who tacked on the T.
Cane was done.
As few minutes later, so was Tennessee.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
No. 4 Tennessee hangs on to beat Vanderbilt 64-57
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee coach Pat Summitt has had it with her Lady Volunteers waiting until the last minute to seal their wins.
After squeaking by Florida on Thursday, the fourth-ranked Lady Vols needed a few late shots and defensive stops to get by Vanderbilt 64-57 on Sunday night.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased we found a way to win, but our coaching staff doesn’t want to be living on the edge the rest of this season,” she said. “We want to separate ourselves from the rest of the pack.”
It’s a dangerous way to live in a Southeastern Conference that appears to have some parity this season. Vanderbilt was looking for its second straight upset of a top 10 team after beating sixth-ranked Georgia handily in Nashville on Thursday.
Despite having an obvious size advantage, Tennessee (16-1, 4-0) struggled to stop the Commodores’ outside shooting as Vanderbilt (13-5, 2-3) hit 10 of 19 from 3-point range.
“Every one of them can shoot lights out, so if you give them room they’re going to hit it,” Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund said.
Elan Brown hit a shallow jump shot with 1:41 left to cut Tennessee’s lead to 57-55. Glory Johnson, who led the Lady Vols with 17 points, answered by driving through the lane and hitting her own jumper.
The Lady Vols, who hit an uncharacteristically low 57.7 percent of their free throws, sank five of their last six to seal the win.
They made the mistake of leaving Merideth Marsh wide open on the perimeter. Marsh, who is filling in for an injured Jence Rhoads at point guard, led Vanderbilt with 23 points and hit five 3s. Brown added 10.
“(Marsh) is a senior. She’s our rock right now,” Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. “She’s doing everything she can. She’s a leader. She’s making shots. She doesn’t want to lose.”
Tennessee used a 14-0 run to take a commanding lead early in the first half. Alyssia Brewer grabbed a rebound and hit a layup to put the Lady Vols up 27-7 with 8:05 in the first half.
Vanderbilt, which has never won in Knoxville in 25 tries, immediately answered with an 11-0 run that included three consecutive 3-point shots. Another 3 by Brown cut Tennessee’s lead to 33-29 with 1:48 before halftime.
But while Marsh hardly missed a shot, she struggled to control the ball in her unfamiliar role at the point. The Commodores committed 27 turnovers—nine by Marsh—leading to 28 Tennessee points.
The Lady Vols used their height advantage inside to score, despite facing a physical Commodores defense. Kelley Cain helped Johnson out in the paint with 14 points, and Shekinna Stricklen added 10.
Vanderbilt struggled down the stretch with a bench that’s short because of injuries and includes three freshmen.
“We didn’t execute on offense the way we needed to down the stretch,” Balcomb said. “We’re trying to put those freshmen in a position where they don’t have to make decisions late. For us to not be able to execute down the stretch was kind of expected.”
After squeaking by Florida on Thursday, the fourth-ranked Lady Vols needed a few late shots and defensive stops to get by Vanderbilt 64-57 on Sunday night.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased we found a way to win, but our coaching staff doesn’t want to be living on the edge the rest of this season,” she said. “We want to separate ourselves from the rest of the pack.”
It’s a dangerous way to live in a Southeastern Conference that appears to have some parity this season. Vanderbilt was looking for its second straight upset of a top 10 team after beating sixth-ranked Georgia handily in Nashville on Thursday.
Despite having an obvious size advantage, Tennessee (16-1, 4-0) struggled to stop the Commodores’ outside shooting as Vanderbilt (13-5, 2-3) hit 10 of 19 from 3-point range.
“Every one of them can shoot lights out, so if you give them room they’re going to hit it,” Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund said.
Elan Brown hit a shallow jump shot with 1:41 left to cut Tennessee’s lead to 57-55. Glory Johnson, who led the Lady Vols with 17 points, answered by driving through the lane and hitting her own jumper.
The Lady Vols, who hit an uncharacteristically low 57.7 percent of their free throws, sank five of their last six to seal the win.
They made the mistake of leaving Merideth Marsh wide open on the perimeter. Marsh, who is filling in for an injured Jence Rhoads at point guard, led Vanderbilt with 23 points and hit five 3s. Brown added 10.
“(Marsh) is a senior. She’s our rock right now,” Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. “She’s doing everything she can. She’s a leader. She’s making shots. She doesn’t want to lose.”
Tennessee used a 14-0 run to take a commanding lead early in the first half. Alyssia Brewer grabbed a rebound and hit a layup to put the Lady Vols up 27-7 with 8:05 in the first half.
Vanderbilt, which has never won in Knoxville in 25 tries, immediately answered with an 11-0 run that included three consecutive 3-point shots. Another 3 by Brown cut Tennessee’s lead to 33-29 with 1:48 before halftime.
But while Marsh hardly missed a shot, she struggled to control the ball in her unfamiliar role at the point. The Commodores committed 27 turnovers—nine by Marsh—leading to 28 Tennessee points.
The Lady Vols used their height advantage inside to score, despite facing a physical Commodores defense. Kelley Cain helped Johnson out in the paint with 14 points, and Shekinna Stricklen added 10.
Vanderbilt struggled down the stretch with a bench that’s short because of injuries and includes three freshmen.
“We didn’t execute on offense the way we needed to down the stretch,” Balcomb said. “We’re trying to put those freshmen in a position where they don’t have to make decisions late. For us to not be able to execute down the stretch was kind of expected.”
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Bjorklund comes alive, helps No. 4 Vols win 66-64
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Angie Bjorklund’s reverse layup with 2.3 seconds remaining lifted No. 4 Tennessee to a 66-64 victory over Florida on Thursday night.
Bjorklund missed her first seven shots and was scoreless until she hit a huge 3-pointer with about 9 minutes to play. She added another one a few possessions later, cutting into an eight-point lead and sparking a comeback.
Bjorklund’s late surge helped the Lady Vols (15-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) win despite one its worst games of the season. Tennessee had a season-high 25 turnovers, just three steals and no blocked shots.
Florida (9-8, 2-2) had a final chance, but Lonnika Thompson’s 3-pointer clanged off the rim. Steffi Sorensen led the Gators with 12 points, all from behind the arc.
Kelley Cain, who dominated the post early and late, led the Lady Vols with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Bjorklund missed her first seven shots and was scoreless until she hit a huge 3-pointer with about 9 minutes to play. She added another one a few possessions later, cutting into an eight-point lead and sparking a comeback.
Bjorklund’s late surge helped the Lady Vols (15-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) win despite one its worst games of the season. Tennessee had a season-high 25 turnovers, just three steals and no blocked shots.
Florida (9-8, 2-2) had a final chance, but Lonnika Thompson’s 3-pointer clanged off the rim. Steffi Sorensen led the Gators with 12 points, all from behind the arc.
Kelley Cain, who dominated the post early and late, led the Lady Vols with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
No. 4 Tennessee gets 79-62 win over South Carolina
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Icy roads kept about 9,000 of Tennessee’s usual fans away.
Coach Pat Summitt’s cold stare kept the Lady Volunteers motivated after a slippery start.
Angie Bjorklund scored 23 points and Shekinna Stricklen added 21 to help No. 4 Tennessee open the SEC schedule with a 79-62 win over South Carolina on Thursday night.
“Coach Summitt’s look stirs a fire in us,” center Kelley Cain said. “We just came together and decided that they weren’t going to beat us in our house, especially not when we had fans come out despite the bad weather.”
The 1,462 fans who did brave the roads got to see the Lady Vols’ 37th consecutive win over South Carolina, their longest streak over any Southeastern Conference team. The Gamecocks last won on Jan. 23, 1980.
The small crowd in the cavernous Thompson-Boling Arena couldn’t stir up much energy as South Carolina jumped out to a 19-14 lead. The Gamecocks were physical on defense and accurate on offense early, prompting the Summitt glare.
“We have to start the game at a different level of intensity and with a better commitment on the defensive end,” Summitt said. “Everyone that we have played is coming in and just running. When you have players shooting the ball like Shekinna and Angie are, sometimes the other players stand around and watch.”
Tennessee answered by holding the Gamecocks without a field goal for 5:33 and going on a 17-1 run helped by three 3-point shots by Angie Bjorklund. A long jumper by Bjorklund sent the Lady Vols (13-1, 1-0) into halftime with a 47-33 lead.
The Gamecocks (7-7, 0-2) narrowed their deficit to seven points in the second half, but another 3 by Bjorklund launched a 13-1 run to help the Lady Vols pull away as South Carolina ran out of energy.
Valerie Nainima led South Carolina with 16 points. Charenee Stephens had 10 rebounds.
South Carolina, which opened its SEC season Sunday with a loss to No. 11 LSU, struggled to get shots past the Lady Vols defenders, who combined for 11 blocks.
Kelsey Bone, who as a top incoming freshman was heavily recruited by Summitt but signed with the Gamecocks instead, likes that kind of physicality in the paint. Bone, who entered the game averaging 10.2 rebounds, grabbed only five boards but still scored 10 points.
“The SEC is known for its physicality,” Bone said. “It’s expected. It’s just a matter of me being able to handle the physical nature.”
South Carolina has had success with its transition defense this season, but it was Tennessee who prevailed. The Lady Vols scored 18 points off 13 South Carolina turnovers, while the Gamecocks scored only six points off eight Tennessee turnovers.
South Carolina is now 1-5 against ranked teams this season having beaten only San Diego State.
Coach Dawn Staley knows her players have the talent to put an end to Tennessee’s streak but need a little more experience. They’ll have another shot at the Lady Vols in Columbia on Jan. 31.
“When we add some experience to the talent we have, we will start making these games a lot closer than what they are,” Staley said.
Coach Pat Summitt’s cold stare kept the Lady Volunteers motivated after a slippery start.
Angie Bjorklund scored 23 points and Shekinna Stricklen added 21 to help No. 4 Tennessee open the SEC schedule with a 79-62 win over South Carolina on Thursday night.
“Coach Summitt’s look stirs a fire in us,” center Kelley Cain said. “We just came together and decided that they weren’t going to beat us in our house, especially not when we had fans come out despite the bad weather.”
The 1,462 fans who did brave the roads got to see the Lady Vols’ 37th consecutive win over South Carolina, their longest streak over any Southeastern Conference team. The Gamecocks last won on Jan. 23, 1980.
The small crowd in the cavernous Thompson-Boling Arena couldn’t stir up much energy as South Carolina jumped out to a 19-14 lead. The Gamecocks were physical on defense and accurate on offense early, prompting the Summitt glare.
“We have to start the game at a different level of intensity and with a better commitment on the defensive end,” Summitt said. “Everyone that we have played is coming in and just running. When you have players shooting the ball like Shekinna and Angie are, sometimes the other players stand around and watch.”
Tennessee answered by holding the Gamecocks without a field goal for 5:33 and going on a 17-1 run helped by three 3-point shots by Angie Bjorklund. A long jumper by Bjorklund sent the Lady Vols (13-1, 1-0) into halftime with a 47-33 lead.
The Gamecocks (7-7, 0-2) narrowed their deficit to seven points in the second half, but another 3 by Bjorklund launched a 13-1 run to help the Lady Vols pull away as South Carolina ran out of energy.
Valerie Nainima led South Carolina with 16 points. Charenee Stephens had 10 rebounds.
South Carolina, which opened its SEC season Sunday with a loss to No. 11 LSU, struggled to get shots past the Lady Vols defenders, who combined for 11 blocks.
Kelsey Bone, who as a top incoming freshman was heavily recruited by Summitt but signed with the Gamecocks instead, likes that kind of physicality in the paint. Bone, who entered the game averaging 10.2 rebounds, grabbed only five boards but still scored 10 points.
“The SEC is known for its physicality,” Bone said. “It’s expected. It’s just a matter of me being able to handle the physical nature.”
South Carolina has had success with its transition defense this season, but it was Tennessee who prevailed. The Lady Vols scored 18 points off 13 South Carolina turnovers, while the Gamecocks scored only six points off eight Tennessee turnovers.
South Carolina is now 1-5 against ranked teams this season having beaten only San Diego State.
Coach Dawn Staley knows her players have the talent to put an end to Tennessee’s streak but need a little more experience. They’ll have another shot at the Lady Vols in Columbia on Jan. 31.
“When we add some experience to the talent we have, we will start making these games a lot closer than what they are,” Staley said.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Stricklen helps Tennessee beat Oklahoma 96-75
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee coach Pat Summitt didn’t like what she saw with Shekinna Stricklen’s play early against Oklahoma, so she benched her for a few minutes.
“When she took me out she told me I wasn’t playing like a point guard and that I needed to step my game up to another level,” Stricklen said. “I just said, ‘Yes ma’am, and I responded.”’
She responded by posting the second triple-double in Tennessee history, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the fourth-ranked Lady Vols’ 96-75 victory over No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday night.
Stricklen said she noticed she was close to a triple-double at halftime when her line was nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists. She completed it with her 10th rebound with 8:58 left.
The only other Lady Vol to accomplish the feat was Shelia Collins, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals against Florida State on Feb. 8, 1985.
“I think she was sleeping,” Summitt said about Stricklen’s play early. “She just wasn’t attacking. Sometimes players just need a reminder.”
Angie Bjorklund led Tennessee with 25 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts. Alyssia Brewer added 13 points, and Kelley Cain had 10.
Tennessee (12-1) led 47-43 early in the second half, then slowly pulled away, helped by two early 3s by Bjorklund. Stricklen hit a layup with 11:18 left to give the Lady Vols a 10-point advantage at 64-54 lead. The Sooners (10-3) would not get any closer.
Amanda Thompson led Oklahoma with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Nyeshia Stevenson had 17 points, Carlee Roethlisberger added 14, and Danielle Robinson had 10.
Oklahoma jumped out to a 14-4 lead early in the first half, helped by a pair of 3s from Roethlisberger and Stevenson. Tennessee went inside to keep up and grabbed a 27-22 lead with 8:50 left in the first half after a 13-2 run.
“It was a great game for women’s basketball,” Sooners coach Sherri Coale said. “Shots were going in on both ends, and it was pretty clean. Great effort, great athleticism, up-and-down the floor.”
Coale kept her rotation short, substituting her seventh and last player with only 1:23 left in the game. The Lady Vols played 10, wearing the Sooners out in the fast-paced, physical game.
It showed on the boards, where Tennessee pulled down 48 rebounds compared to Oklahoma’s 31. The Lady Vols put up 21 second-chance points and finished with 44 points in the paint.
“Once we settled down, especially after halftime, we played with a lot more composure,” Summitt said.
The Lady Vols, who now hold a 4-1 lead in the series that dates to 2002, got revenge for an 80-70 loss to the Sooners last season. The loss denied coach Pat Summitt in her first attempt at her 1,000th win.
“They’re older and wiser,” Coale said. “They are more experienced. Last year they were so young, I don’t think they had an identity. Now I think they know who they are and how they have to win.”
The Sooners have played well this season considering the graduation of post powerhouses Courtney and Ashley Paris and the loss of shooter Whitney Hand, who tore a knee ligament in November. Still, the 2009 Final Four team has lost all three of its games this season against ranked opponents.
Stevenson said the Sooners are trying to not let the absence of the Paris twins and Hand hold the rest of the team back.
“Basically we made a pledge and honor to each other that we were going to give a little bit more. We had great post players leave, and we’re trying to make up for that. As far as the guards go, it’s just a matter of everybody giving a little piece of what Whitney did.”
“When she took me out she told me I wasn’t playing like a point guard and that I needed to step my game up to another level,” Stricklen said. “I just said, ‘Yes ma’am, and I responded.”’
She responded by posting the second triple-double in Tennessee history, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the fourth-ranked Lady Vols’ 96-75 victory over No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday night.
Stricklen said she noticed she was close to a triple-double at halftime when her line was nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists. She completed it with her 10th rebound with 8:58 left.
The only other Lady Vol to accomplish the feat was Shelia Collins, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals against Florida State on Feb. 8, 1985.
“I think she was sleeping,” Summitt said about Stricklen’s play early. “She just wasn’t attacking. Sometimes players just need a reminder.”
Angie Bjorklund led Tennessee with 25 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts. Alyssia Brewer added 13 points, and Kelley Cain had 10.
Tennessee (12-1) led 47-43 early in the second half, then slowly pulled away, helped by two early 3s by Bjorklund. Stricklen hit a layup with 11:18 left to give the Lady Vols a 10-point advantage at 64-54 lead. The Sooners (10-3) would not get any closer.
Amanda Thompson led Oklahoma with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Nyeshia Stevenson had 17 points, Carlee Roethlisberger added 14, and Danielle Robinson had 10.
Oklahoma jumped out to a 14-4 lead early in the first half, helped by a pair of 3s from Roethlisberger and Stevenson. Tennessee went inside to keep up and grabbed a 27-22 lead with 8:50 left in the first half after a 13-2 run.
“It was a great game for women’s basketball,” Sooners coach Sherri Coale said. “Shots were going in on both ends, and it was pretty clean. Great effort, great athleticism, up-and-down the floor.”
Coale kept her rotation short, substituting her seventh and last player with only 1:23 left in the game. The Lady Vols played 10, wearing the Sooners out in the fast-paced, physical game.
It showed on the boards, where Tennessee pulled down 48 rebounds compared to Oklahoma’s 31. The Lady Vols put up 21 second-chance points and finished with 44 points in the paint.
“Once we settled down, especially after halftime, we played with a lot more composure,” Summitt said.
The Lady Vols, who now hold a 4-1 lead in the series that dates to 2002, got revenge for an 80-70 loss to the Sooners last season. The loss denied coach Pat Summitt in her first attempt at her 1,000th win.
“They’re older and wiser,” Coale said. “They are more experienced. Last year they were so young, I don’t think they had an identity. Now I think they know who they are and how they have to win.”
The Sooners have played well this season considering the graduation of post powerhouses Courtney and Ashley Paris and the loss of shooter Whitney Hand, who tore a knee ligament in November. Still, the 2009 Final Four team has lost all three of its games this season against ranked opponents.
Stevenson said the Sooners are trying to not let the absence of the Paris twins and Hand hold the rest of the team back.
“Basically we made a pledge and honor to each other that we were going to give a little bit more. We had great post players leave, and we’re trying to make up for that. As far as the guards go, it’s just a matter of everybody giving a little piece of what Whitney did.”
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tennessee beats longtime foe Old Dominion 102-62
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Already leading Tennessee in scoring, Angie Bjorklund still heeded coach Pat Summitt’s suggestion that the Lady Vols spend some extra time in the gym shooting this week.
It certainly didn’t hurt. Bjorklund, who entered the game averaging 14.9 points, scored all but three of her 19 points in the first half as No. 4 Tennessee beat Old Dominion 102-62 on Wednesday night.
“If you said what player you think has worked the hardest to get where they are right now it’s Angie Bjorklund,” Summitt said. “I think other players are recognizing what she can do on the floor.”
Bjorklund, who scored a career-high 29 points a season ago at Old Dominion, hit an early 3, a fastbreak layup and a fadeaway jumper as the Lady Vols (11-1) scored the first 11 points of the game. She hit one final 3-pointer for the first basket of the second half, earning some rest time for much of the second half.
With 70.3 percent shooting, Tennessee led 57-31 at halftime. Old Dominion (2-8) hit just 33.3 percent of its first-half shots.
“I asked Pat for the fire extinguisher at halftime,” Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry joked. “I think Angie Bjorklund has distinguished herself as one of the best there is. She certainly put on a clinic in the 20 minutes she played.”
As the Lady Vols’ veteran, Bjorklund’s hard work has also lit a fire beneath many of her teammates, Summitt said. All players put in some extra time in the gym after shooting just 32.8 percent in a 67-52 loss at No. 2 Stanford on Dec. 19.
Glory Johnson recorded her eighth career double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for Tennessee. Alyssia Brewer scored 16 points, and Briana Bass and Kamiko Williams both added 11.
“Just an extra 200 to 300 shots before or after practice really helps,” Bjorklund said. “It helps mentally too.”
Jasmine Parker led the Lady Monarchs with 13, and Tia Lewis scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Shadasia Green added 12 points.
Tennessee got a scare when two-time Southeastern Conference player of the week Shekinna Stricklen awkwardly landed on the floor after grabbing a rebound and left the court clutching her right knee. Initial tests showed her injury was not serious and she will be day-to-day as the Lady Vols prepare to face No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday.
It was the 43rd meeting between the traditional women’s basketball powerhouses, but the Lady Vols have won 14 straight and hold a 34-9 lead over the Lady Monarchs dating back to 1977.
Old Dominion has had a tough nonconference road, facing teams such as Stanford, Maryland, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Louisville before making the trip to Knoxville.
The Lady Monarchs open Colonial Athletic Association play Sunday at Delaware and they hope that the especially tough schedule helps them cruise to an 18th conference championship in 19 seasons.
“I haven’t played in the CAA, I’ve only watched it. From what I’ve seen it’s aggressive but not as aggressive as the teams we’ve played,” Lewis said.
Summitt, in her 36th season and Larry, in her 26th season, have developed a strong friendship over their history of playing each other. Larry attended a celebration in Knoxville in May honoring Summitt and her 1,000 career wins wearing an orange blouse and carrying and orange purse.
“Took them back,” Larry said. “I left the tags on.”
It certainly didn’t hurt. Bjorklund, who entered the game averaging 14.9 points, scored all but three of her 19 points in the first half as No. 4 Tennessee beat Old Dominion 102-62 on Wednesday night.
“If you said what player you think has worked the hardest to get where they are right now it’s Angie Bjorklund,” Summitt said. “I think other players are recognizing what she can do on the floor.”
Bjorklund, who scored a career-high 29 points a season ago at Old Dominion, hit an early 3, a fastbreak layup and a fadeaway jumper as the Lady Vols (11-1) scored the first 11 points of the game. She hit one final 3-pointer for the first basket of the second half, earning some rest time for much of the second half.
With 70.3 percent shooting, Tennessee led 57-31 at halftime. Old Dominion (2-8) hit just 33.3 percent of its first-half shots.
“I asked Pat for the fire extinguisher at halftime,” Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry joked. “I think Angie Bjorklund has distinguished herself as one of the best there is. She certainly put on a clinic in the 20 minutes she played.”
As the Lady Vols’ veteran, Bjorklund’s hard work has also lit a fire beneath many of her teammates, Summitt said. All players put in some extra time in the gym after shooting just 32.8 percent in a 67-52 loss at No. 2 Stanford on Dec. 19.
Glory Johnson recorded her eighth career double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for Tennessee. Alyssia Brewer scored 16 points, and Briana Bass and Kamiko Williams both added 11.
“Just an extra 200 to 300 shots before or after practice really helps,” Bjorklund said. “It helps mentally too.”
Jasmine Parker led the Lady Monarchs with 13, and Tia Lewis scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Shadasia Green added 12 points.
Tennessee got a scare when two-time Southeastern Conference player of the week Shekinna Stricklen awkwardly landed on the floor after grabbing a rebound and left the court clutching her right knee. Initial tests showed her injury was not serious and she will be day-to-day as the Lady Vols prepare to face No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday.
It was the 43rd meeting between the traditional women’s basketball powerhouses, but the Lady Vols have won 14 straight and hold a 34-9 lead over the Lady Monarchs dating back to 1977.
Old Dominion has had a tough nonconference road, facing teams such as Stanford, Maryland, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Louisville before making the trip to Knoxville.
The Lady Monarchs open Colonial Athletic Association play Sunday at Delaware and they hope that the especially tough schedule helps them cruise to an 18th conference championship in 19 seasons.
“I haven’t played in the CAA, I’ve only watched it. From what I’ve seen it’s aggressive but not as aggressive as the teams we’ve played,” Lewis said.
Summitt, in her 36th season and Larry, in her 26th season, have developed a strong friendship over their history of playing each other. Larry attended a celebration in Knoxville in May honoring Summitt and her 1,000 career wins wearing an orange blouse and carrying and orange purse.
“Took them back,” Larry said. “I left the tags on.”
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
No. 4 Tennessee bounces back from loss to rout USF
SAN FRANCISCO — Pat Summitt sat down with each of her players in recent days, trying to gauge who is invested in doing the extra work to maintain Tennessee’s status as a top program.
Her challenge to Angie Bjorklund sure worked.
Bjorklund scored 19 points in 17 minutes and moved into third place on Tennessee’s all-time 3-pointers list with 165, and the fourth-ranked Lady Vols bounced back from a tough loss with an 89-34 victory over San Francisco on Tuesday night.
“The team did the work. They can critique themselves,” Summitt said. “It showed me that they’re taking ownership. As coaches, when that happens, it’s amazing what a team can do.”
Kamiko Williams had a breakout game with 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks for the Lady Vols (10-1), who stayed in the Bay Area after a 67-52 loss to No. 2 Stanford on Saturday at Maples Pavilion. Glory Johnson added 13 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee, down one spot in this week’s poll.
“I thought we did really well and responded to the loss,” Bjorklund said. “I think the game was very important to see where we’re at. We took two days to say, ‘Hey, this is where I need to improve,’ and we had an opportunity two days later to go back and apply that.”
For the first time in 10 years visiting the area, Tennessee had time to do some sightseeing, such as visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf — not to mention shopping downtown.
“Oh, I love this city, so much fun,” Bjorklund said.
San Francisco (4-10), of the mid-major West Coast Conference, is coached by Lady Vols Hall of Famer Tanya Haave and Summitt always works to schedule games against her former players who have become head coaches. Haave was a three-year starter for Tennessee from 1980-84 and reached three Final Fours during her time in Knoxville.
Dons assistant Abby Conklin also played at Tennessee, where she was a four-year letterwinner and helped lead the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1996 and ’97.
Rheina Ale scored 11 points to lead USF. Tennessee forced 10 first-half turnovers and 18 in all and outrebounded the Dons 52-32 in front of a crowd of 3,255 at Memorial Gym.
“It was an exciting atmosphere tonight. We’ve never had that 3,200 in our gym,” Haave said. “Tennessee’s size, skill and athleticism was too much for us. No question, you’ve got the eight-time national champion, all that they are and all that they have been, there’s going to be some intimidation.”
Bjorklund’s 3 at the 11:56 mark of the first half started a 26-6 run that gave Tennessee a comfortable 48-17 lead at the break. USF matched its lowest halftime score of the season, shooting 24.1 percent and going 3 for 13 from long range.
Bjorklund, a junior, went 7-for-10 with four 3-pointers and also had four assists and two steals. She came into the game tied with Brittany Jackson with 161 3s. Shanna Zolman’s 266 career 3-pointers are the most in program history, followed by 256 from Kara Lawson.
Tennessee had only four assists in the loss to Stanford—a number Summitt believes is a record low for the program—but finished with 17 on Tuesday, already doubling its Saturday total late in the first half. The Lady Vols scored only 18 points in the first half Saturday to match their sixth-lowest halftime total.
Summitt wasn’t about to stand for another slow start. She quickly called timeout after her team fell behind 4-2 and let her players have it.
“I got a pit in my stomach when I saw they lost,” Haave said. “You don’t want to play them after they lose. She knows exactly what to do after a loss and she hates to lose with a passion.”
USF, which lost for the seventh time in its last eight games, hosted a top-five team on the Hilltop for only the third time in school history. The Dons are 2-5 at home against ranked teams since 1995.
Tennessee took last season’s meeting in Knoxville 68-39, the only other matchup in the series.
USF appreciates getting to face such a quality opponent.
“I think it’s good for us,” Ale said. “We need to play against better teams to get better ourselves. I like our schedule. I like playing against big teams.”
Her challenge to Angie Bjorklund sure worked.
Bjorklund scored 19 points in 17 minutes and moved into third place on Tennessee’s all-time 3-pointers list with 165, and the fourth-ranked Lady Vols bounced back from a tough loss with an 89-34 victory over San Francisco on Tuesday night.
“The team did the work. They can critique themselves,” Summitt said. “It showed me that they’re taking ownership. As coaches, when that happens, it’s amazing what a team can do.”
Kamiko Williams had a breakout game with 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks for the Lady Vols (10-1), who stayed in the Bay Area after a 67-52 loss to No. 2 Stanford on Saturday at Maples Pavilion. Glory Johnson added 13 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee, down one spot in this week’s poll.
“I thought we did really well and responded to the loss,” Bjorklund said. “I think the game was very important to see where we’re at. We took two days to say, ‘Hey, this is where I need to improve,’ and we had an opportunity two days later to go back and apply that.”
For the first time in 10 years visiting the area, Tennessee had time to do some sightseeing, such as visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf — not to mention shopping downtown.
“Oh, I love this city, so much fun,” Bjorklund said.
San Francisco (4-10), of the mid-major West Coast Conference, is coached by Lady Vols Hall of Famer Tanya Haave and Summitt always works to schedule games against her former players who have become head coaches. Haave was a three-year starter for Tennessee from 1980-84 and reached three Final Fours during her time in Knoxville.
Dons assistant Abby Conklin also played at Tennessee, where she was a four-year letterwinner and helped lead the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1996 and ’97.
Rheina Ale scored 11 points to lead USF. Tennessee forced 10 first-half turnovers and 18 in all and outrebounded the Dons 52-32 in front of a crowd of 3,255 at Memorial Gym.
“It was an exciting atmosphere tonight. We’ve never had that 3,200 in our gym,” Haave said. “Tennessee’s size, skill and athleticism was too much for us. No question, you’ve got the eight-time national champion, all that they are and all that they have been, there’s going to be some intimidation.”
Bjorklund’s 3 at the 11:56 mark of the first half started a 26-6 run that gave Tennessee a comfortable 48-17 lead at the break. USF matched its lowest halftime score of the season, shooting 24.1 percent and going 3 for 13 from long range.
Bjorklund, a junior, went 7-for-10 with four 3-pointers and also had four assists and two steals. She came into the game tied with Brittany Jackson with 161 3s. Shanna Zolman’s 266 career 3-pointers are the most in program history, followed by 256 from Kara Lawson.
Tennessee had only four assists in the loss to Stanford—a number Summitt believes is a record low for the program—but finished with 17 on Tuesday, already doubling its Saturday total late in the first half. The Lady Vols scored only 18 points in the first half Saturday to match their sixth-lowest halftime total.
Summitt wasn’t about to stand for another slow start. She quickly called timeout after her team fell behind 4-2 and let her players have it.
“I got a pit in my stomach when I saw they lost,” Haave said. “You don’t want to play them after they lose. She knows exactly what to do after a loss and she hates to lose with a passion.”
USF, which lost for the seventh time in its last eight games, hosted a top-five team on the Hilltop for only the third time in school history. The Dons are 2-5 at home against ranked teams since 1995.
Tennessee took last season’s meeting in Knoxville 68-39, the only other matchup in the series.
USF appreciates getting to face such a quality opponent.
“I think it’s good for us,” Ale said. “We need to play against better teams to get better ourselves. I like our schedule. I like playing against big teams.”
Saturday, December 19, 2009
No. 2 Stanford beats No. 3 Tennessee 67-52
STANFORD, Calif. — Tara VanDerveer has always considered a game against Tennessee a true test for her Stanford program, win or lose.
This victory told the Cardinal coach plenty. The next game on the schedule should do the trick, too.
Kayla Pedersen had 16 points and eight rebounds and No. 2 Stanford beat third-ranked Tennessee 67-52 on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten national powerhouses.
“This really kind of lets you know where you’re at,” VanDerveer said. “When you play Tennessee, I think it’s a win whether it’s a big ‘W’ or a little ‘w.’ They help you get better. They’re the barometer. They always let you know what you have to work on.”
Jayne Appel added 10 points, 14 boards, three assists and three blocks and Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored all 14 of her points in the second half to go with 10 rebounds for the Cardinal (9-0). Stanford held off a late run and won its 35th straight game at Maples Pavilion.
Let the hype begin for Stanford’s showdown with No. 1 Connecticut on Wednesday night in Hartford in one of the most highly anticipated games of the regular season.
Angie Bjorklund scored 15 points and Glory Johnson 13 for the Lady Vols (9-1) on a day when leading scorer Shekinna Stricklen was held to eight on 4 of 12 shooting.
Tennessee managed only four assists.
“That may be an all-time record at University of Tennessee for the Lady Vols basketball team,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
This was the biggest matchup so far for both schools and each was slow getting going offensively after the 11:30 a.m. tipoff. It was the first time in 10 meetings that Tennessee came to Stanford ranked lower than the Cardinal.
“They exposed their game to all of women’s basketball today, and it wasn’t pretty,” Summitt said of her squad. “It was a butt kicking, don’t forget it. I won’t. They were the best team today in all aspects of the game. We’ve got to get a whole lot better. We fell apart. Sometimes that happens.”
Pedersen converted a key putback midway through the second half and a 3-pointer with 8:01 to play that helped spark her team. She also knocked a jumper with 4:42 to go, thrilling the near-sellout crowd of 6,809.
The game featured scalpers outside the arena and pregnant WNBA star Lisa Leslie doing color for the television broadcast.
Stanford was challenged to establish an inside game with 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain clogging the middle and making things tough on the 6-4 Appel, the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year.
“I felt like a lineman, kind of,” Appel said. “I was told to meet her at the free-throw line. It was physical. Tomorrow will be a recovery day for both of us because we were going at each other a lot.”
Johnson converted a three-point play after drawing Appel’s third foul with 13:46 remaining and Appel went to the bench. Summitt immediately sent in Cain, but she quickly got whistled for her third foul and came right back out of the game.
After Johnson’s play, Stanford answered with a 7-0 spurt and forced Tennessee into back-to-back turnovers.
The Cardinal were stronger in many areas four days after beating seventh-ranked Duke 71-55, especially on the boards after allowing the Blue Devils 25 offensive rebounds.
After falling behind 9-4, Stanford used an 18-4 run to gain momentum. Both teams had scoreless stretches of more than 5 minutes in the first half.
Stanford got a big boost late in the first half from Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, who hit consecutive 3s followed by a driving layup. Pedersen then drew a charge on Stricklen on the other end and the Cardinal took a 30-18 lead at the break. They led by 18 in the second half.
Tennessee matched its sixth-lowest halftime total, also done against Stanford in the NCAA tournament regional finals in 2004. The Lady Vols won that game 62-60, the previous-low scoring total for the Lady Vols in the series.
It was Gold-Onwude who scored nine of Stanford’s 10 points in overtime of a 73-69 win over top-ranked Tennessee at Maples on Dec. 23, 2007, to end an 11-game losing streak in the series.
Tennessee stays in the Bay Area to play at San Francisco on Tuesday night and Summitt planned to get her team in the film room right away.
The Lady Vols are still striving for the Final Four.
“They didn’t surprise me. I think they surprised our team,” Summitt said. “This team has got to make a decision here real soon if we’re committed to getting to San Antonio, because right now we’re miles away, or we could be years away.”
This victory told the Cardinal coach plenty. The next game on the schedule should do the trick, too.
Kayla Pedersen had 16 points and eight rebounds and No. 2 Stanford beat third-ranked Tennessee 67-52 on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten national powerhouses.
“This really kind of lets you know where you’re at,” VanDerveer said. “When you play Tennessee, I think it’s a win whether it’s a big ‘W’ or a little ‘w.’ They help you get better. They’re the barometer. They always let you know what you have to work on.”
Jayne Appel added 10 points, 14 boards, three assists and three blocks and Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored all 14 of her points in the second half to go with 10 rebounds for the Cardinal (9-0). Stanford held off a late run and won its 35th straight game at Maples Pavilion.
Let the hype begin for Stanford’s showdown with No. 1 Connecticut on Wednesday night in Hartford in one of the most highly anticipated games of the regular season.
Angie Bjorklund scored 15 points and Glory Johnson 13 for the Lady Vols (9-1) on a day when leading scorer Shekinna Stricklen was held to eight on 4 of 12 shooting.
Tennessee managed only four assists.
“That may be an all-time record at University of Tennessee for the Lady Vols basketball team,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
This was the biggest matchup so far for both schools and each was slow getting going offensively after the 11:30 a.m. tipoff. It was the first time in 10 meetings that Tennessee came to Stanford ranked lower than the Cardinal.
“They exposed their game to all of women’s basketball today, and it wasn’t pretty,” Summitt said of her squad. “It was a butt kicking, don’t forget it. I won’t. They were the best team today in all aspects of the game. We’ve got to get a whole lot better. We fell apart. Sometimes that happens.”
Pedersen converted a key putback midway through the second half and a 3-pointer with 8:01 to play that helped spark her team. She also knocked a jumper with 4:42 to go, thrilling the near-sellout crowd of 6,809.
The game featured scalpers outside the arena and pregnant WNBA star Lisa Leslie doing color for the television broadcast.
Stanford was challenged to establish an inside game with 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain clogging the middle and making things tough on the 6-4 Appel, the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year.
“I felt like a lineman, kind of,” Appel said. “I was told to meet her at the free-throw line. It was physical. Tomorrow will be a recovery day for both of us because we were going at each other a lot.”
Johnson converted a three-point play after drawing Appel’s third foul with 13:46 remaining and Appel went to the bench. Summitt immediately sent in Cain, but she quickly got whistled for her third foul and came right back out of the game.
After Johnson’s play, Stanford answered with a 7-0 spurt and forced Tennessee into back-to-back turnovers.
The Cardinal were stronger in many areas four days after beating seventh-ranked Duke 71-55, especially on the boards after allowing the Blue Devils 25 offensive rebounds.
After falling behind 9-4, Stanford used an 18-4 run to gain momentum. Both teams had scoreless stretches of more than 5 minutes in the first half.
Stanford got a big boost late in the first half from Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, who hit consecutive 3s followed by a driving layup. Pedersen then drew a charge on Stricklen on the other end and the Cardinal took a 30-18 lead at the break. They led by 18 in the second half.
Tennessee matched its sixth-lowest halftime total, also done against Stanford in the NCAA tournament regional finals in 2004. The Lady Vols won that game 62-60, the previous-low scoring total for the Lady Vols in the series.
It was Gold-Onwude who scored nine of Stanford’s 10 points in overtime of a 73-69 win over top-ranked Tennessee at Maples on Dec. 23, 2007, to end an 11-game losing streak in the series.
Tennessee stays in the Bay Area to play at San Francisco on Tuesday night and Summitt planned to get her team in the film room right away.
The Lady Vols are still striving for the Final Four.
“They didn’t surprise me. I think they surprised our team,” Summitt said. “This team has got to make a decision here real soon if we’re committed to getting to San Antonio, because right now we’re miles away, or we could be years away.”
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
No. 3 Tennessee beats Louisville 86-56
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The third-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers know they’ll need to create their own energy when they go on the road to play No. 2 Stanford this weekend.
They got some practice putting together some long runs in an 86-56 win over Louisville on Wednesday night.
“Coach emphasized keeping the ball inside and keeping our energy up,” Angie Bjorklund said. “We need a 40-minute game. We’re working towards that. Stanford will be on their home court. Creating our own energy will be huge when we step on their court.”
Three days before Saturday’s showdown in California, Bjorklund made one of the biggest contributions to the Tennessee’s energy, scoring 19 points—all but four on 3-pointers.
Despite jumping out to a 23-3 lead to open the game, Tennessee (9-0) went cold halfway through the first half as Louisville (6-4) shook off six early turnovers in its first meeting with the Lady Vols.
“I’m not saying I’m a really smart coach, but if you don’t shoot, you don’t score,” said Louisville coach Jeff Walz, who led the Cardinals to the NCAA championship last season. “Once we figured out it’s better to throw it to our own team, we did some better things. We started to score.”
It turned out that Bjorklund wasn’t the only one feeling comfortable behind the arc. Becky Burke hit 7 of 9 from behind the arc, the most 3s any player has made against the Lady Vols this season. She finished with a career-high 23 points.
One of Burke’s 3s cut Tennessee’s lead to 31-24 with 5:04 left in the half. Free throws by Shekinna Stricklen and a 3 by Bjorklund gave Tennessee a 43-29 halftime lead.
Bjorklund and Stricklen combined for four 3s in the first 6 minutes of the second half, and Tennessee tied season highs in finishing 9 of 22 from beyond the arc.
Stricklen finished with 15 points, and Alyssia Brewer added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Tennessee.
Despite her players forcing the early turnovers by the Cardinals, Summitt wasn’t satisfied with the Lady Vols’ pressing defense early in the first half.
She switched to a half-court approach at halftime, and by the end of the game Tennessee had forced 24 turnovers and outrebounded Louisville 54-37.
“I’m not going to blame anyone except myself, but our staff wanted to extend our defense,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “Looking back, we shouldn’t have done that against a team as athletic as Louisville.”
Summitt had an early holiday surprise for the Tennessee fans, announcing before the game that she had decided to add the players’ names to the back of their jerseys after having them removed during the 2004-05 season because she was frustrated with the play of her players at the time.
She said she made the decision after considering hundreds of letters and e-mails she’s gotten from fans in the years since—some downright demanding, she said—asking for the names on the jerseys to distinguish the players in the massive Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Merry Christmas,” Summitt said to the fans before the game started.
They got some practice putting together some long runs in an 86-56 win over Louisville on Wednesday night.
“Coach emphasized keeping the ball inside and keeping our energy up,” Angie Bjorklund said. “We need a 40-minute game. We’re working towards that. Stanford will be on their home court. Creating our own energy will be huge when we step on their court.”
Three days before Saturday’s showdown in California, Bjorklund made one of the biggest contributions to the Tennessee’s energy, scoring 19 points—all but four on 3-pointers.
Despite jumping out to a 23-3 lead to open the game, Tennessee (9-0) went cold halfway through the first half as Louisville (6-4) shook off six early turnovers in its first meeting with the Lady Vols.
“I’m not saying I’m a really smart coach, but if you don’t shoot, you don’t score,” said Louisville coach Jeff Walz, who led the Cardinals to the NCAA championship last season. “Once we figured out it’s better to throw it to our own team, we did some better things. We started to score.”
It turned out that Bjorklund wasn’t the only one feeling comfortable behind the arc. Becky Burke hit 7 of 9 from behind the arc, the most 3s any player has made against the Lady Vols this season. She finished with a career-high 23 points.
One of Burke’s 3s cut Tennessee’s lead to 31-24 with 5:04 left in the half. Free throws by Shekinna Stricklen and a 3 by Bjorklund gave Tennessee a 43-29 halftime lead.
Bjorklund and Stricklen combined for four 3s in the first 6 minutes of the second half, and Tennessee tied season highs in finishing 9 of 22 from beyond the arc.
Stricklen finished with 15 points, and Alyssia Brewer added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Tennessee.
Despite her players forcing the early turnovers by the Cardinals, Summitt wasn’t satisfied with the Lady Vols’ pressing defense early in the first half.
She switched to a half-court approach at halftime, and by the end of the game Tennessee had forced 24 turnovers and outrebounded Louisville 54-37.
“I’m not going to blame anyone except myself, but our staff wanted to extend our defense,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “Looking back, we shouldn’t have done that against a team as athletic as Louisville.”
Summitt had an early holiday surprise for the Tennessee fans, announcing before the game that she had decided to add the players’ names to the back of their jerseys after having them removed during the 2004-05 season because she was frustrated with the play of her players at the time.
She said she made the decision after considering hundreds of letters and e-mails she’s gotten from fans in the years since—some downright demanding, she said—asking for the names on the jerseys to distinguish the players in the massive Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Merry Christmas,” Summitt said to the fans before the game started.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Putting in good word for Johnson
After Rutgers, advice might prove timely
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/14/putting-in-good-word-for-johnson/
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/14/putting-in-good-word-for-johnson/
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Stricklen helps No. 4 Tennessee beat Rutgers
NEW YORK — Pat Summitt coached against Maggie Dixon in her final game. So when the Hall of Famer got the chance to take part in an event in her honor, she jumped all over the opportunity.
“She was such a great person,” Summitt said after her fourth-ranked Lady Vols beat Rutgers 68-54 on Sunday. “We knew we were going to be facing each other in the postseason and actually wound up at the same restaurant. She had a great mind for the game. I enjoyed getting to know her. To be a part of this today meant a lot to me and we talked to our team about it as well.”
Shekinna Stricklen scored 19 points and Glory Johnson and Alyssia Brewer each added 10 points for the Lady Vols (8-0). Playing in New York at Madison Square Garden was a thrill for the Tennessee players.
“Everyone on the team was excited to play here,” Stricklen said. “It was my first time being here. They had great fans here.”
Brittany Ray scored a career-high 29 points for Rutgers (7-5).
“Brittany did everything. She took drives, long 3-point shots,” coach C. Vivian Stringer said. “She’s been bringing it.”
Sixth-ranked Baylor beat Boston College 68-55 in the doubleheader opener behind Brittney Griner’s 25 points.
Ray did all she could to help Rutgers pull off the upset. With the Scarlet Knights trailing by five at halftime, she scored 10 of the team’s first 14 points to help Rutgers close to 40-39 with 13:17 left.
“She’s a player,” Summitt said of Rutgers’ senior guard. “She can do it all. She can get to the hole and pull up.”
Tennessee clamped down defensively, holding Rutgers without a point over the next 5 minutes to take a 48-39 lead. Ray finally ended the drought with a layup, but the Scarlet Knights could get no closer.
“We didn’t recover from their run and didn’t bounce back,” Ray said.
This was the seventh straight year the two Hall of Fame coaches, who have a combined 1,845 victories, have met. The teams played twice before at Madison Square Garden almost a decade ago, with Tennessee winning both times.
“Vivian’s team is going to come at you and get in your grill,” Summitt said. “We knew what we were going to get.”
The last two meetings between the Lady Vols and Scarlet Knights were thrillers: Tennessee beat Rutgers on a controversial finish two years ago in Knoxville, and last season, the Scarlet Knights built a 20-point halftime lead only to see the Lady Vols complete the biggest comeback in school history in a 55-51 win.
On Sunday, Tennessee took a 21-7 lead, surpassing its halftime total from last year in the first 6 minutes. Rutgers rallied behind Ray, using a 9-2 spurt to cut it to 30-25 at halftime.
This was the fourth Maggie Dixon Classic in honor of the former Army coach, who died on April 6, 2006, of arrhythmia, likely caused by an enlarged heart. The inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic was held at Army in 2006—a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The Pittsburgh men, coached by Maggie’s brother Jamie, beat Western Michigan, and Ohio State routed Army. The last three have been played at Madison Square Garden.
“This has turned into one of the premier women’s events in the country,” Jamie Dixon said during a pregame ceremony honoring his sister. “She wanted some day to play at Madison Square Garden with her team. Now we have an event in her name.”
Stringer and Lieutenant Colonial Kim Kawamoto were honored before the game as the inaugural recipients of the Maggie Dixon Courage Award.
“She was such a great person,” Summitt said after her fourth-ranked Lady Vols beat Rutgers 68-54 on Sunday. “We knew we were going to be facing each other in the postseason and actually wound up at the same restaurant. She had a great mind for the game. I enjoyed getting to know her. To be a part of this today meant a lot to me and we talked to our team about it as well.”
Shekinna Stricklen scored 19 points and Glory Johnson and Alyssia Brewer each added 10 points for the Lady Vols (8-0). Playing in New York at Madison Square Garden was a thrill for the Tennessee players.
“Everyone on the team was excited to play here,” Stricklen said. “It was my first time being here. They had great fans here.”
Brittany Ray scored a career-high 29 points for Rutgers (7-5).
“Brittany did everything. She took drives, long 3-point shots,” coach C. Vivian Stringer said. “She’s been bringing it.”
Sixth-ranked Baylor beat Boston College 68-55 in the doubleheader opener behind Brittney Griner’s 25 points.
Ray did all she could to help Rutgers pull off the upset. With the Scarlet Knights trailing by five at halftime, she scored 10 of the team’s first 14 points to help Rutgers close to 40-39 with 13:17 left.
“She’s a player,” Summitt said of Rutgers’ senior guard. “She can do it all. She can get to the hole and pull up.”
Tennessee clamped down defensively, holding Rutgers without a point over the next 5 minutes to take a 48-39 lead. Ray finally ended the drought with a layup, but the Scarlet Knights could get no closer.
“We didn’t recover from their run and didn’t bounce back,” Ray said.
This was the seventh straight year the two Hall of Fame coaches, who have a combined 1,845 victories, have met. The teams played twice before at Madison Square Garden almost a decade ago, with Tennessee winning both times.
“Vivian’s team is going to come at you and get in your grill,” Summitt said. “We knew what we were going to get.”
The last two meetings between the Lady Vols and Scarlet Knights were thrillers: Tennessee beat Rutgers on a controversial finish two years ago in Knoxville, and last season, the Scarlet Knights built a 20-point halftime lead only to see the Lady Vols complete the biggest comeback in school history in a 55-51 win.
On Sunday, Tennessee took a 21-7 lead, surpassing its halftime total from last year in the first 6 minutes. Rutgers rallied behind Ray, using a 9-2 spurt to cut it to 30-25 at halftime.
This was the fourth Maggie Dixon Classic in honor of the former Army coach, who died on April 6, 2006, of arrhythmia, likely caused by an enlarged heart. The inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic was held at Army in 2006—a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The Pittsburgh men, coached by Maggie’s brother Jamie, beat Western Michigan, and Ohio State routed Army. The last three have been played at Madison Square Garden.
“This has turned into one of the premier women’s events in the country,” Jamie Dixon said during a pregame ceremony honoring his sister. “She wanted some day to play at Madison Square Garden with her team. Now we have an event in her name.”
Stringer and Lieutenant Colonial Kim Kawamoto were honored before the game as the inaugural recipients of the Maggie Dixon Courage Award.
Lady Vols' Pat Summitt shows she's a winner
By Joe Biddle
This story was passed on by reader Larry Adamson, as it was told to him.
A daughter always took her father to at least one Tennessee football game a year, but it became more difficult when he was in his early 80s. There was the trip by car, getting from a parking lot to the stadium, climbing steps in the stadium, et cetera.
At one particular game, the weather was cold, windy with rain. They all agreed to leave about mid-way through the second half. When they reached the shuttle dropoff area, they learned the shuttle would not be running until after the game ended, and they had parked too far away for her father to walk.
A lady had been walking behind them, also leaving the game early. She overheard their plight and asked if they would like a ride, that her car was close. They accepted. She got her car and pulled up to let them get in. The lady's father got in the front seat next to the driver.
Soon, he asked, "Don't I know you?''
She smiled. "I don't know. Do you?'' He quickly figured it out.
It was Lady Vols basketball legend Pat Summitt.
Arriving at the family car, the elderly gentleman asked if he could have his picture made with Summitt. She didn't hesitate.
That's what makes Pat Summitt a winner on and off the court. Caring for others.
This story was passed on by reader Larry Adamson, as it was told to him.
A daughter always took her father to at least one Tennessee football game a year, but it became more difficult when he was in his early 80s. There was the trip by car, getting from a parking lot to the stadium, climbing steps in the stadium, et cetera.
At one particular game, the weather was cold, windy with rain. They all agreed to leave about mid-way through the second half. When they reached the shuttle dropoff area, they learned the shuttle would not be running until after the game ended, and they had parked too far away for her father to walk.
A lady had been walking behind them, also leaving the game early. She overheard their plight and asked if they would like a ride, that her car was close. They accepted. She got her car and pulled up to let them get in. The lady's father got in the front seat next to the driver.
Soon, he asked, "Don't I know you?''
She smiled. "I don't know. Do you?'' He quickly figured it out.
It was Lady Vols basketball legend Pat Summitt.
Arriving at the family car, the elderly gentleman asked if he could have his picture made with Summitt. She didn't hesitate.
That's what makes Pat Summitt a winner on and off the court. Caring for others.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
No. 4 Tennessee faces new task: handling success
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Lady Volunteers must learn how to manage success after a year of dealing with struggles.
Thanks to a win over Texas, the Lady Vols (7-0) are now No. 4 in the country, their highest ranking in more than a season.
“They’ve just committed. They’re invested,” coach Pat Summitt said. “We had a miserable year to get to where we are now, but it’s paid off.”
Summitt said her players must manage their success by continuing to improve.
Though forward/guard Shekinna Stricklen was named the Southeastern Conference player of the week, Summitt still called the sophomore in to see her in her office Monday, a day after Tennessee’s 78-58 win over Texas.
Stricklen was 6 of 10 from the field, scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, but Summitt didn’t like the way she played the point guard position. She didn’t drive the lane enough, and she was looking to often for shooting guard Angie Bjorklund.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to play with everybody,”’ Summitt said. “I went through every possession.”
That kind of nitpicking was a luxury a year ago. Summitt, coaching her youngest team ever, was busy teaching fundamentals and trying to motivate her team.
Summitt doesn’t talk rankings with her players, but there’s no doubt they’re aware of their current success after easily handling No. 17 Texas, a team that beat Tennessee during its disappointing 2008-09 season.
It started with the players’ commitment to their offseason conditioning program. Strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason said it was the most dedicated any Lady Vols team had been in the summer in her seven seasons at Tennessee.
It’s carried over onto the court, where Summitt’s first-ever senior-less team is playing together better and showing maturity.
“It’s just knowing that we’re much better this year than we were last year and just all the time that we put in this summer,” sophomore forward Glory Johnson said. “When everyone brings their A-game and everyone can contribute during a game, then I think our team will be great.”
The season is young and the Lady Vols still have plenty of plenty of challenges ahead, starting Sunday against Rutgers at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York. They’ll also travel to No. 2 Stanford next week.
Rutgers (6-4) might not be enjoying as much early success as Tennessee is, but Summitt still expects a tough game from Vivian Stringer’s squad.
Last season, Rutgers held Tennessee to only 13 first-half points, but the Lady Vols overcame their 20-point halftime deficit to win 55-51.
Summitt reminded the Lady Vols how much work it took to win that game, just in case they’re in danger of slipping back into their old ways.
“I asked them if they remembered the score at halftime,” Summitt said. “You never knew when they were going to show up or when they were going to play great or give in to fatigue.”
Thanks to a win over Texas, the Lady Vols (7-0) are now No. 4 in the country, their highest ranking in more than a season.
“They’ve just committed. They’re invested,” coach Pat Summitt said. “We had a miserable year to get to where we are now, but it’s paid off.”
Summitt said her players must manage their success by continuing to improve.
Though forward/guard Shekinna Stricklen was named the Southeastern Conference player of the week, Summitt still called the sophomore in to see her in her office Monday, a day after Tennessee’s 78-58 win over Texas.
Stricklen was 6 of 10 from the field, scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, but Summitt didn’t like the way she played the point guard position. She didn’t drive the lane enough, and she was looking to often for shooting guard Angie Bjorklund.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to play with everybody,”’ Summitt said. “I went through every possession.”
That kind of nitpicking was a luxury a year ago. Summitt, coaching her youngest team ever, was busy teaching fundamentals and trying to motivate her team.
Summitt doesn’t talk rankings with her players, but there’s no doubt they’re aware of their current success after easily handling No. 17 Texas, a team that beat Tennessee during its disappointing 2008-09 season.
It started with the players’ commitment to their offseason conditioning program. Strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason said it was the most dedicated any Lady Vols team had been in the summer in her seven seasons at Tennessee.
It’s carried over onto the court, where Summitt’s first-ever senior-less team is playing together better and showing maturity.
“It’s just knowing that we’re much better this year than we were last year and just all the time that we put in this summer,” sophomore forward Glory Johnson said. “When everyone brings their A-game and everyone can contribute during a game, then I think our team will be great.”
The season is young and the Lady Vols still have plenty of plenty of challenges ahead, starting Sunday against Rutgers at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York. They’ll also travel to No. 2 Stanford next week.
Rutgers (6-4) might not be enjoying as much early success as Tennessee is, but Summitt still expects a tough game from Vivian Stringer’s squad.
Last season, Rutgers held Tennessee to only 13 first-half points, but the Lady Vols overcame their 20-point halftime deficit to win 55-51.
Summitt reminded the Lady Vols how much work it took to win that game, just in case they’re in danger of slipping back into their old ways.
“I asked them if they remembered the score at halftime,” Summitt said. “You never knew when they were going to show up or when they were going to play great or give in to fatigue.”
Monday, December 07, 2009
No. 6 Tennessee beats No. 17 Texas 78-58
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Angie Bjorklund remembers Tennessee playing well in the first half against Texas last season before unraveling in the second.
What a difference a year makes.
Bjorklund scored 15 points, and No. 6 Tennessee cruised to a 78-58 victory over No. 17 Texas on Sunday night.
“I just think it shows a lot—how hard we worked in the summer, how having a year of experience under your belt helps,” she said.
A year ago, the teams were tied midway through the second half before Texas went ahead with a 10-1 run, and Tennessee never recovered.
This time, the Lady Volunteers (7-0) grabbed a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never let up against the Longhorns (5-3).
Texas coach Gail Goestenkors said it’s the best she’s seen Tennessee play all season and thinks the difference from last season can be attributed to many different things, including Kelley Cain’s dominance in the post and more confident guard play.
“They just have a better flow this year,” said Goestenkors, who is 6-6 against Tennessee coach Pat Summitt in her time at Texas and Duke. “They seem more confident. They trust themselves more, and they trust each other more.”
Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson both added 14 points for Tennessee, which shot 52.5 percent. Kelley Cain, who missed Tennessee’s win over George Washington on Tuesday night recovering from a concussion, was 6-for-6 from the field for 12 points.
Texas shot only 30 percent from the field, the lowest figure by any Lady Vols’ opponent this season.
A 3-pointer by Stricklen with 7:10 left in the first half capped a 14-2 run, and another 3 by Stricklen sent the Lady Vols into halftime with a 41-24 lead. Tennessee led by at least 20 points for most of the second half.
Brittainey Raven led Texas with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Longhorns did best in creating scoring opportunities, getting 17 points off 18 Tennessee turnovers. They struggled with the easier shots, missing six layups in the first half, six layups in the second half and six of 16 free throws.
“If we would have made those shots, we would have won the game,” Raven said.
Texas is one of only six schools to hold multiple victories at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena after winning at “The Summitt” in 1987, 2002 and 2003. Only Connecticut has more wins—four.
Even with the recent success by Texas and Goestenkors, the Lady Vols lead the all-time series 19-12.
Summitt won’t let her players rest on their laurels, even with a week off to study for exams. Tennessee faces Rutgers Dec. 13 in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“They’re excited, but this is just one game,” Summitt said. “I expected this game to be closer, but when you play on the road it can be different. It will be different for us.”
What a difference a year makes.
Bjorklund scored 15 points, and No. 6 Tennessee cruised to a 78-58 victory over No. 17 Texas on Sunday night.
“I just think it shows a lot—how hard we worked in the summer, how having a year of experience under your belt helps,” she said.
A year ago, the teams were tied midway through the second half before Texas went ahead with a 10-1 run, and Tennessee never recovered.
This time, the Lady Volunteers (7-0) grabbed a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never let up against the Longhorns (5-3).
Texas coach Gail Goestenkors said it’s the best she’s seen Tennessee play all season and thinks the difference from last season can be attributed to many different things, including Kelley Cain’s dominance in the post and more confident guard play.
“They just have a better flow this year,” said Goestenkors, who is 6-6 against Tennessee coach Pat Summitt in her time at Texas and Duke. “They seem more confident. They trust themselves more, and they trust each other more.”
Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson both added 14 points for Tennessee, which shot 52.5 percent. Kelley Cain, who missed Tennessee’s win over George Washington on Tuesday night recovering from a concussion, was 6-for-6 from the field for 12 points.
Texas shot only 30 percent from the field, the lowest figure by any Lady Vols’ opponent this season.
A 3-pointer by Stricklen with 7:10 left in the first half capped a 14-2 run, and another 3 by Stricklen sent the Lady Vols into halftime with a 41-24 lead. Tennessee led by at least 20 points for most of the second half.
Brittainey Raven led Texas with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Longhorns did best in creating scoring opportunities, getting 17 points off 18 Tennessee turnovers. They struggled with the easier shots, missing six layups in the first half, six layups in the second half and six of 16 free throws.
“If we would have made those shots, we would have won the game,” Raven said.
Texas is one of only six schools to hold multiple victories at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena after winning at “The Summitt” in 1987, 2002 and 2003. Only Connecticut has more wins—four.
Even with the recent success by Texas and Goestenkors, the Lady Vols lead the all-time series 19-12.
Summitt won’t let her players rest on their laurels, even with a week off to study for exams. Tennessee faces Rutgers Dec. 13 in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“They’re excited, but this is just one game,” Summitt said. “I expected this game to be closer, but when you play on the road it can be different. It will be different for us.”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Daedra Charles-Furlow Has Medical Problems
Tennessee assistant coach Daedra Charles-Furlow announced in a release after Tuesday night's 93-53 women's basketball victory over George Washington that she's dealing with medical issues that will impact her duties as the Lady Vols recruiting coordinator.
"It is possible that there may be times when I am unable to travel,'' Charles-Furlow said.
UT coach Pat Summitt said that Charles-Furlow will continue her coaching duties on the bench. Summitt also said in the release that she is designating her special assistant, Stephanie Glance, to help out on a temporary basis.
"Daedra is so passionate about recruiting our student-athletes," Summitt said.
"During the next several months she needs to be focusing on her health."
A former All-American for the Lady Vols, Charles-Furlow joined the Tennessee coaching staff in May of 2008. She replaced Nikki Caldwell, who left to become the head coach at UCLA.
"It is possible that there may be times when I am unable to travel,'' Charles-Furlow said.
UT coach Pat Summitt said that Charles-Furlow will continue her coaching duties on the bench. Summitt also said in the release that she is designating her special assistant, Stephanie Glance, to help out on a temporary basis.
"Daedra is so passionate about recruiting our student-athletes," Summitt said.
"During the next several months she needs to be focusing on her health."
A former All-American for the Lady Vols, Charles-Furlow joined the Tennessee coaching staff in May of 2008. She replaced Nikki Caldwell, who left to become the head coach at UCLA.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
No. 6 Tennessee beats George Washington 93-53
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — This time, Alyssia Brewer delivered with Kelley Cain sidelined by another injury.
Brewer scored a career-high 23 points, Glory Johnson had 16 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 Tennessee beat George Washington 93-53 on Tuesday night.
Cain missed much of the Lady Volunteers’ loss to Ball State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season after she hurt her knee. Brewer struggled in that one as Tennessee slipped to its worst postseason finish in history.
Cain suffered a concussion Saturday against UCLA, leaving the Lady Vols’ without their starting center against the Colonials. But Brewer finished with a strong effort, helping Tennessee (6-0) dominate inside.
“Last year it was the same scenario against Ball State, and I didn’t step up like I needed to,” Brewer said. “It’s all in my hands if I carry it over or not. I plan on doing that, but I need to stay consistent.”
Brewer got an earful from coach Pat Summitt regularly during practice last season as Tennessee struggled and was pushed hard during the team’s physical offseason conditioning program.
“I think she needed this game,” Johnson said. “Just watching her struggle in practice—sometimes she’ll do good things in practice, but she’ll dwell on the negatives.”
Johnson had a double-double by halftime and rested for much of the second half when Brewer took over. Shekinna Stricklen had 17 points.
“If we can rely on that, along with Kelley and Glory and Taber (Spani) doing some good things in the mix, I feel better about our post game,” Summitt said.
Tennessee led 54-24 at the break and finished with 54 points in the paint.
Kay-Kay Allums led George Washington (2-4) with 16 points. Tiana Myers and Megan Nipe both had 11.
The Colonials dropped to 0-10 against Tennessee, but Allums thought it was a good experience for her team.
“I love playing against the best. To be the best, you’ve got to beat them,” she said.
Like Tennessee, George Washington has been forced to deal with injuries early in the season. The Colonials lost starting point guard Danni Jackson on Friday when she broke her left leg in a 78-47 loss to Michigan State.
“They lose a player, they replace her with another high school All-American,” coach Mike Bozeman said. “I’m proud of the class that my young group came in here and played with.”
Brewer scored a career-high 23 points, Glory Johnson had 16 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 Tennessee beat George Washington 93-53 on Tuesday night.
Cain missed much of the Lady Volunteers’ loss to Ball State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season after she hurt her knee. Brewer struggled in that one as Tennessee slipped to its worst postseason finish in history.
Cain suffered a concussion Saturday against UCLA, leaving the Lady Vols’ without their starting center against the Colonials. But Brewer finished with a strong effort, helping Tennessee (6-0) dominate inside.
“Last year it was the same scenario against Ball State, and I didn’t step up like I needed to,” Brewer said. “It’s all in my hands if I carry it over or not. I plan on doing that, but I need to stay consistent.”
Brewer got an earful from coach Pat Summitt regularly during practice last season as Tennessee struggled and was pushed hard during the team’s physical offseason conditioning program.
“I think she needed this game,” Johnson said. “Just watching her struggle in practice—sometimes she’ll do good things in practice, but she’ll dwell on the negatives.”
Johnson had a double-double by halftime and rested for much of the second half when Brewer took over. Shekinna Stricklen had 17 points.
“If we can rely on that, along with Kelley and Glory and Taber (Spani) doing some good things in the mix, I feel better about our post game,” Summitt said.
Tennessee led 54-24 at the break and finished with 54 points in the paint.
Kay-Kay Allums led George Washington (2-4) with 16 points. Tiana Myers and Megan Nipe both had 11.
The Colonials dropped to 0-10 against Tennessee, but Allums thought it was a good experience for her team.
“I love playing against the best. To be the best, you’ve got to beat them,” she said.
Like Tennessee, George Washington has been forced to deal with injuries early in the season. The Colonials lost starting point guard Danni Jackson on Friday when she broke her left leg in a 78-47 loss to Michigan State.
“They lose a player, they replace her with another high school All-American,” coach Mike Bozeman said. “I’m proud of the class that my young group came in here and played with.”
Saturday, November 28, 2009
No. 6 Tennessee holds off UCLA 61-47
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Five former Tennessee players in the coaching ranks have tried to beat coach Pat Summitt. UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell came close to being the first to succeed.
After a slow start by the Lady Volunteers, Taber Spani scored 16 and helped sixth-ranked Tennessee (5-0) hang on to beat the Bruins 61-47 on Saturday.
“It certainly wasn’t pretty. I’m not happy. I’m glad we won,” said Summitt, who wore her trademark stare for much of the game and told her players they’d be practicing Sunday instead of taking the day off as planned.
Caldwell, a native of nearby Oak Ridge, Tenn., played for Summitt from 1990-94 and worked as her assistant coach from 2002-08 before taking over the Bruins.
“At shootaround I just went and sat at the visitors’ bench, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is a little different,”’ Caldwell said. “I never feel like a visitor coming back home though.”
Her team’s style of physical defensive play bore a close resemblance to Tennessee, and UCLA (4-2) smothered the Lady Vols in the first half, forcing 12 turnovers.
The Lady Vols shot only 29 percent from the field in the first half, and the Bruins grabbed a 25-14 lead off a jumper by Rebekah Gardner with 4:56 left in the first half.
UCLA cooled off as Spani began finding some rhythm. The freshman hit two 3-point baskets and a pair of free throws before halftime, and the Bruins’ lead was cut to 27-25 by the break.
“The first half we didn’t bring it consistently energy-wise. That cannot happen against any team, especially a team like UCLA,” Spani said.
The Bruins trailed 43-40 with 9:10 left when the Lady Vols launched a 10-2 run. A 3-pointer by Angie Bjorklund gave Tennessee a 53-42 lead with 5:12 left, and the Lady Vols kept a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
Bjorklund hit three 3s and finished with 12 points, tying Shannon Bobbitt for fourth in the Tennessee record books with 147 career 3-pointers. Glory Johnson added 11 points, and Kelley Cain grabbed 11 rebounds.
Markel Walker, who is almost averaging a double-double this season, led UCLA with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Tennessee grabbed 49 rebounds, compared to UCLA’s 35, and scored 30 second-chance points.
Most of the attempts by Summitt’s former players turned opponents have ended up as Tennessee blowouts. North Carolina State coach Kelly Harper was the last to try as coach of Western Carolina last season, but the Catamounts lost 83-56. Tanya Haave’s San Francisco team lost 68-39 earlier in the 2008-09 season.
Maine coach Patricia Roberts came the closest to beating her mentor with a 77-64 loss on Dec. 13, 1990.
“I never doubted that (Caldwell) would be successful,” Summitt said. “They’ll win some games in the Pac-10.”
Still accustomed to tutoring the players in orange, Caldwell told Spani, Bjorklund and Johnson as they listened to her post game press conference that she was in agreement with Summitt’s decision to make the Lady Vols practice on Sunday.
Caldwell also said she brought a bag of UCLA clothing for her family members to wear to the game.
“They are loyal (Tennessee) fans,” she said. “I threatened my mom today. I told her, ‘Three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year you can be all about Tennessee, but this one day that we play you have to wear the blue and gold.”’
After a slow start by the Lady Volunteers, Taber Spani scored 16 and helped sixth-ranked Tennessee (5-0) hang on to beat the Bruins 61-47 on Saturday.
“It certainly wasn’t pretty. I’m not happy. I’m glad we won,” said Summitt, who wore her trademark stare for much of the game and told her players they’d be practicing Sunday instead of taking the day off as planned.
Caldwell, a native of nearby Oak Ridge, Tenn., played for Summitt from 1990-94 and worked as her assistant coach from 2002-08 before taking over the Bruins.
“At shootaround I just went and sat at the visitors’ bench, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is a little different,”’ Caldwell said. “I never feel like a visitor coming back home though.”
Her team’s style of physical defensive play bore a close resemblance to Tennessee, and UCLA (4-2) smothered the Lady Vols in the first half, forcing 12 turnovers.
The Lady Vols shot only 29 percent from the field in the first half, and the Bruins grabbed a 25-14 lead off a jumper by Rebekah Gardner with 4:56 left in the first half.
UCLA cooled off as Spani began finding some rhythm. The freshman hit two 3-point baskets and a pair of free throws before halftime, and the Bruins’ lead was cut to 27-25 by the break.
“The first half we didn’t bring it consistently energy-wise. That cannot happen against any team, especially a team like UCLA,” Spani said.
The Bruins trailed 43-40 with 9:10 left when the Lady Vols launched a 10-2 run. A 3-pointer by Angie Bjorklund gave Tennessee a 53-42 lead with 5:12 left, and the Lady Vols kept a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
Bjorklund hit three 3s and finished with 12 points, tying Shannon Bobbitt for fourth in the Tennessee record books with 147 career 3-pointers. Glory Johnson added 11 points, and Kelley Cain grabbed 11 rebounds.
Markel Walker, who is almost averaging a double-double this season, led UCLA with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Tennessee grabbed 49 rebounds, compared to UCLA’s 35, and scored 30 second-chance points.
Most of the attempts by Summitt’s former players turned opponents have ended up as Tennessee blowouts. North Carolina State coach Kelly Harper was the last to try as coach of Western Carolina last season, but the Catamounts lost 83-56. Tanya Haave’s San Francisco team lost 68-39 earlier in the 2008-09 season.
Maine coach Patricia Roberts came the closest to beating her mentor with a 77-64 loss on Dec. 13, 1990.
“I never doubted that (Caldwell) would be successful,” Summitt said. “They’ll win some games in the Pac-10.”
Still accustomed to tutoring the players in orange, Caldwell told Spani, Bjorklund and Johnson as they listened to her post game press conference that she was in agreement with Summitt’s decision to make the Lady Vols practice on Sunday.
Caldwell also said she brought a bag of UCLA clothing for her family members to wear to the game.
“They are loyal (Tennessee) fans,” she said. “I threatened my mom today. I told her, ‘Three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year you can be all about Tennessee, but this one day that we play you have to wear the blue and gold.”’
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