Thursday, December 18, 2008
Bjorklund’s 3s lift Vols past Old Dominion, 81-76
NORFOLK, Va. — Angie Bjorklund matched her career high with 29 points and hit two huge 3-pointers Thursday night as No. 11 Tennessee got back to its winning ways by prevailing in a back-and-forth battle with longtime rival Old Dominion, 81-76.
Tennessee (8-2), coming off a 73-59 loss at Texas that knocked it out of the top 10 after a record 211 consecutive weeks there, won for the 13th straight time in the series between two of the schools that first brought women’s college basketball to prominence.
Old Dominion (5-3) got 17 points from Tiffany Green and 14 from Jasmine Parker, but couldn’t overcome a major size deficiency as the Lady Vols outrebounded them 56-58.
Tennessee scored 23 second-chance points, and Old Dominion had just 13.
Jessica Canady’s putback and Jazzmin Walters’ layup gave the Lady Monarchs a 67-65 lead with 4:56 left but, just as the crowd whipped itself into an upset-minded frenzy, Bjorklund’s fifth 3-pointer put the Lady Vols back in front. It was the first of her two daggers.
The second came with 1:51 to play, after Shadasia Green’s putback gave the Lady Monarchs the lead at 71-70, again igniting the crowd. This time, Bjorklund connected from deep on the left wing to restore Tennessee’s lead to 73-71. She added a 15-footer with 1:03 to play, pushing the Lady Vols’ lead to four, and Old Dominion couldn’t recover.
Alyssia Brewer added 15 points for Tennessee and Glory Johnson had 10. Vicki Baugh and Alex Fuller each grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lady Vols, who had 26 offensive boards.
Canady and Jen Nuzzo added 11 each for Old Dominion.
Tennessee led 50-45 with 14:12 to play before Tiffany Green scored inside on a feed from Nuzzo, and Parker’s fourth 3-pointer 36 seconds later pulled the Lady Monarchs even.
Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way.
The Lady Vols led 24-18 until Tiffany Green’s two free throws with 6:39 left in the half sparked a 14-4 run for Old Dominion capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Parker.
The burst gave the Lady Monarchs a 32-28 lead, but just as quickly, Tennessee responded with an 11-4 spurt to end the half, getting two 3-pointers from Bjorklund in the run.
Tennessee (8-2), coming off a 73-59 loss at Texas that knocked it out of the top 10 after a record 211 consecutive weeks there, won for the 13th straight time in the series between two of the schools that first brought women’s college basketball to prominence.
Old Dominion (5-3) got 17 points from Tiffany Green and 14 from Jasmine Parker, but couldn’t overcome a major size deficiency as the Lady Vols outrebounded them 56-58.
Tennessee scored 23 second-chance points, and Old Dominion had just 13.
Jessica Canady’s putback and Jazzmin Walters’ layup gave the Lady Monarchs a 67-65 lead with 4:56 left but, just as the crowd whipped itself into an upset-minded frenzy, Bjorklund’s fifth 3-pointer put the Lady Vols back in front. It was the first of her two daggers.
The second came with 1:51 to play, after Shadasia Green’s putback gave the Lady Monarchs the lead at 71-70, again igniting the crowd. This time, Bjorklund connected from deep on the left wing to restore Tennessee’s lead to 73-71. She added a 15-footer with 1:03 to play, pushing the Lady Vols’ lead to four, and Old Dominion couldn’t recover.
Alyssia Brewer added 15 points for Tennessee and Glory Johnson had 10. Vicki Baugh and Alex Fuller each grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lady Vols, who had 26 offensive boards.
Canady and Jen Nuzzo added 11 each for Old Dominion.
Tennessee led 50-45 with 14:12 to play before Tiffany Green scored inside on a feed from Nuzzo, and Parker’s fourth 3-pointer 36 seconds later pulled the Lady Monarchs even.
Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way.
The Lady Vols led 24-18 until Tiffany Green’s two free throws with 6:39 left in the half sparked a 14-4 run for Old Dominion capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Parker.
The burst gave the Lady Monarchs a 32-28 lead, but just as quickly, Tennessee responded with an 11-4 spurt to end the half, getting two 3-pointers from Bjorklund in the run.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Pat Summitt: Texas Loss Was Eye-Opener For Lady Vols
Pat Summitt Teleconference – December 17, 2008
Opening statement:
“I think the Texas loss was really an eye-opener for our entire basketball team. It was a tale of two halves. The first half we managed to close it out and tie the game. Then Texas did a much better job in the second half and we didn’t defend well in transition. I think the experience they had versus our youth showed and you have to give them all the credit for how they played in the second half. Looking at Old Dominion, this is going to be quite a challenge. Watching their team, size, quickness, they do a great job of putting pressure on you in transition and that was something we struggled with a bit at Texas. They have a senior point guard that is a great advantage, which is where I think we really have to identify the ball and match-up and be better overall in transition game and in our board play. I haven’t had a chance to see Stanford except for the game last night at Duke, which was a heartbreaker for them at the end. We know Stanford is always going to bring in a team that is going to play well in the high-low, they space really well, and they can shoot the ball from the three, as well as focus on going inside. Certainly, coming off of our championship win over them last year, I can’t imagine them not being motivated to the max and we, obviously lost our starting five, so it could be a challenge for this young team from the standpoint of taking on a team like Stanford, who is so talented and well-coached, with I’m sure some revenge on their mind. But, we’ll take them one at a time and hopefully get better. We’ve had some good practices. I think our team is much more focused now and I think they better understand what you have to do for 40 minutes. We’ve yet consistently perform for 40, so it’s a big challenge.”
How is this coaching experience different for you from the past few years?
“It’s made me really have to think about how I can be patient, patient, patient, because I am not a real patient person. I knew going into this year that it was going to be a different experience and that it would be a teaching experience. And as I’ve told our staff that every moment is a teaching moment. We must be very mindful of that as opposed to losing our patience as coaches. Of course that happens from time to time. It is important that we teach and re-teach, show film, challenge them to watch game tape as well, and invest in preparation. I think they are starting to get it. I think the loss at Texas hurt them. It hurts coaches all the time because it’s our livelihood, but sometimes players can walk away from it and not feel what the coaches feel. I think the loss at Texas really got the attention of our team. I think because of that, once they got over being very down because of the loss and how they played in the second half, they’ve responded in practice pretty well throughout our workouts.”
Is it similar to parenting younger children as opposed to teenagers?
“Yes, it could definitely be that. I think that I’ve already calling in individuals one-on-one and encouraging them to not get down and discouraged, and just focus on the things they can control every day. And that’s coming to practice every day and trying to understand being a student of the game, and investing. Investing in the system, your teammates and keeping things very, very positive.”
Reflect back on the championship game, and how much did UT feel disrespected going in and how much did that factor in:
“Our team gave our staff confidence and it started with our preparation on the floor and having that day to prepare, and then in pregame. They were so loose, and I just thought they’re either going to be awful or they’re going to be great. You never know. As a coach sometimes you think the worst, but I liked the fact that they were pretty loose. When we got to the arena, even before we went, I just felt like our defensive pressure, if we could sustain it, would give us a chance to be right in the game and have a chance to win. Stanford looked so strong and was so good. We knew that if we had a chance to win, we had to definitely make Candice Wiggins our priority. As we put together the game plan, Dean Lockwood was in charge of that scout and I thought he did a phenomenal job, but players have to make that commitment. I just thought defensively, they did everything we asked them to do. I felt very good going in to the game, but it’s never like ‘hey, we’re going to go in and win this game’. It’s always touch-and-go until you see how they play on the floor. I have so much respect for Tara and her team, but for us it was one of our better performances of the year.”
How much did experience factor in there?
“There’s no doubt that we had a lot of experience on our team and I thought that was a key for us. We graduated five seniors so that’s very telling when you have that experience on the court. Even when we went to the bench and played Vicki Baugh, playing with four seniors gave Vicki Baugh a lot of confidence. I think that there is no doubt that experience matters. It was a real key for us in that game. Now that we don’t have experience, it shows you how much it can affect a team.”
On the Old Dominion series and Thursday’s game:
“I think the series has been a great one. We always know when we go to Old Dominion that we are going to have a battle. Their preparation, what they bring on the court and their toughness; just watching them I know we have our hands full in the paint with Tiffany (Green) and Jazzmin (Walters), having a senior point guard being able to step up and dribble and create, not only for herself but for her team, and watching how hard they push the ball, this is typical to me. This team reflects how Old Dominion typically plays the game and they play with great passion. Wendy has done a tremendous job, year-in, year-out. No question it’s going to be a challenge for our young team. For us to hang 40 minutes of effort and intensity and execution because we’ve yet to prove we’re a 40 minute team, that’s going to be key, going to be real key. And our bench is going to be key because we’re playing a lot of people. I think that could be a positive for us if the players coming off the bench can step in and be very effective for us.”
On playing time and the lineup:
“We’ll probably tinker with this all year. We’re starting now Vicki Baugh and Glory Johnson inside and Briana Bass at the point. I think that’s really been a good move in terms of having a point guard that reminds me an awful lot of Shannon Bobbitt, certainly not the experience that Shannon brought to the program. Her quickness, her speed with the basketball is as good as we’ve had. I’m encouraged by that. Angie Bjorklund in the lineup gives us a couple veterans in there and I think Angie is gaining more and more confidence from early on, but she seems to be committing more to getting open and is getting better at creating shots. I think she’s a better player all around. Shekinna Stricklen will be on the other wing. She’s young, but she is certainly a very gifted player and can play multiple positions, and will probably have to because Cait McMahan right now, we’re giving her some time to rest. It will be up to Shekinna and Alicia Manning to help fill in behind Briana.
“Cait is having some knee issues. She has her fair share of swelling and pain to go along with it. So I said ‘that’s it. Let’s rest.’ We’re going to rest her as long as it takes. She will not play tomorrow night.”
You were the last team to beat Old Dominion at home. Would that be motivation for you if the shoe was on the other foot?
“I hate you mention that. I’m not real good with numbers, Debby can tell you that. I just move on and live in the moment. I’m sure that’ll be great motivation. And as coaches we always try to use anything that is going to inspire our team and have a reason for revenge. That’s just another incentive, as if they need any, because any time we play, those teams bring great competitive intensity.”
Coach Wendy Larry said playing teams like Tennessee is to see what it’s like to play like the best:
“You just look at the parity in our game now. It’s probably the best ever as far as the depth on a given night that can knock off the top-ranked teams. Obviously, we’re experienced in that with such a young team. I knew that there would be a lot of growing pains, but felt like going and playing Old Dominion on their home floor, that’s going to be a huge test. I don’t see us going into a lot of gyms as top dogs anymore. We’re going to be underdogs and we’re going to have to fight because of our youth. We struggled at UTC, but we were able to close that one out. We struggled at George Washington and managed to win that game. We lose to Virginia on our home court. We go to Texas and play 20 minutes of good basketball and then we struggle. I think that’s going to be something, that right now, I’m focusing on what we have to do, but I’ll tell you that Old Dominion as a team, if you’re not ready to play against that kind of pressure, it’s going to be a long night, because they do a great job of getting pressure on you both ways, offensively and with their defense.”
On matching up with Stanford and it looked like Stanford struggled with the Duke pressure:
“Well, that was an interesting game and I’m not going to comment on anything that happened in the end. I watched that game closely. Stanford is very skilled and spread you out. They’ve got size on the inside. Last year, when we lost at Stanford, their high-low game just wore us out. They got so many good looks in the paint. I think they couldn’t afford to lose a point guard. At this point, all of us, each and every day, we can’t lose players. I think that with Duke’s pressure really did bother them, but you’re talking about a Duke team that has some experience. We don’t have that kind of experience, but we certainly will press because we’re too young. You have to give it every game. I don’t think we’ve played a game in years that we haven’t pressed at some point in time.”
On the rivalry with Stanford:
“I think it’s been great for us. Obviously, Palo Alto is a place we love to go and get some decent shopping out there. At the same time, we know we’re going to play an opponent that most likely we can see in the postseason and it’s going to be a great challenge. I love playing out there; I don’t like losing out there, or anywhere. I think Tara does such a great job. It’s good for us to play against a team that has the skill and the discipline and the competitive edge to them that Stanford does. They’ve made us better. I doubt that Tara would think the series hasn’t made them better. Again, it’s a team that last year that lost to our team, but our team is different team now. But good sets of players don’t forget. I know they don’t just forget what happened and I’m sure they are coming here very fired up with a score to settle.”
On Glory Johnson playing the three:
“I think it’s something we’re going to wait and see. It all depends on how the game unfolds with Old Dominion and Stanford and where we think we need Kelley Cain and Vicki Baugh to play inside together. We know that Glory can get to the rim any place on the floor in a timely fashion and rebound for us. She just has to keep herself out of foul trouble and have more composure at both ends. She’s an incredible athlete, but at times, she is over-anxious, and just has to learn to have more composure and settle down.”
Opening statement:
“I think the Texas loss was really an eye-opener for our entire basketball team. It was a tale of two halves. The first half we managed to close it out and tie the game. Then Texas did a much better job in the second half and we didn’t defend well in transition. I think the experience they had versus our youth showed and you have to give them all the credit for how they played in the second half. Looking at Old Dominion, this is going to be quite a challenge. Watching their team, size, quickness, they do a great job of putting pressure on you in transition and that was something we struggled with a bit at Texas. They have a senior point guard that is a great advantage, which is where I think we really have to identify the ball and match-up and be better overall in transition game and in our board play. I haven’t had a chance to see Stanford except for the game last night at Duke, which was a heartbreaker for them at the end. We know Stanford is always going to bring in a team that is going to play well in the high-low, they space really well, and they can shoot the ball from the three, as well as focus on going inside. Certainly, coming off of our championship win over them last year, I can’t imagine them not being motivated to the max and we, obviously lost our starting five, so it could be a challenge for this young team from the standpoint of taking on a team like Stanford, who is so talented and well-coached, with I’m sure some revenge on their mind. But, we’ll take them one at a time and hopefully get better. We’ve had some good practices. I think our team is much more focused now and I think they better understand what you have to do for 40 minutes. We’ve yet consistently perform for 40, so it’s a big challenge.”
How is this coaching experience different for you from the past few years?
“It’s made me really have to think about how I can be patient, patient, patient, because I am not a real patient person. I knew going into this year that it was going to be a different experience and that it would be a teaching experience. And as I’ve told our staff that every moment is a teaching moment. We must be very mindful of that as opposed to losing our patience as coaches. Of course that happens from time to time. It is important that we teach and re-teach, show film, challenge them to watch game tape as well, and invest in preparation. I think they are starting to get it. I think the loss at Texas hurt them. It hurts coaches all the time because it’s our livelihood, but sometimes players can walk away from it and not feel what the coaches feel. I think the loss at Texas really got the attention of our team. I think because of that, once they got over being very down because of the loss and how they played in the second half, they’ve responded in practice pretty well throughout our workouts.”
Is it similar to parenting younger children as opposed to teenagers?
“Yes, it could definitely be that. I think that I’ve already calling in individuals one-on-one and encouraging them to not get down and discouraged, and just focus on the things they can control every day. And that’s coming to practice every day and trying to understand being a student of the game, and investing. Investing in the system, your teammates and keeping things very, very positive.”
Reflect back on the championship game, and how much did UT feel disrespected going in and how much did that factor in:
“Our team gave our staff confidence and it started with our preparation on the floor and having that day to prepare, and then in pregame. They were so loose, and I just thought they’re either going to be awful or they’re going to be great. You never know. As a coach sometimes you think the worst, but I liked the fact that they were pretty loose. When we got to the arena, even before we went, I just felt like our defensive pressure, if we could sustain it, would give us a chance to be right in the game and have a chance to win. Stanford looked so strong and was so good. We knew that if we had a chance to win, we had to definitely make Candice Wiggins our priority. As we put together the game plan, Dean Lockwood was in charge of that scout and I thought he did a phenomenal job, but players have to make that commitment. I just thought defensively, they did everything we asked them to do. I felt very good going in to the game, but it’s never like ‘hey, we’re going to go in and win this game’. It’s always touch-and-go until you see how they play on the floor. I have so much respect for Tara and her team, but for us it was one of our better performances of the year.”
How much did experience factor in there?
“There’s no doubt that we had a lot of experience on our team and I thought that was a key for us. We graduated five seniors so that’s very telling when you have that experience on the court. Even when we went to the bench and played Vicki Baugh, playing with four seniors gave Vicki Baugh a lot of confidence. I think that there is no doubt that experience matters. It was a real key for us in that game. Now that we don’t have experience, it shows you how much it can affect a team.”
On the Old Dominion series and Thursday’s game:
“I think the series has been a great one. We always know when we go to Old Dominion that we are going to have a battle. Their preparation, what they bring on the court and their toughness; just watching them I know we have our hands full in the paint with Tiffany (Green) and Jazzmin (Walters), having a senior point guard being able to step up and dribble and create, not only for herself but for her team, and watching how hard they push the ball, this is typical to me. This team reflects how Old Dominion typically plays the game and they play with great passion. Wendy has done a tremendous job, year-in, year-out. No question it’s going to be a challenge for our young team. For us to hang 40 minutes of effort and intensity and execution because we’ve yet to prove we’re a 40 minute team, that’s going to be key, going to be real key. And our bench is going to be key because we’re playing a lot of people. I think that could be a positive for us if the players coming off the bench can step in and be very effective for us.”
On playing time and the lineup:
“We’ll probably tinker with this all year. We’re starting now Vicki Baugh and Glory Johnson inside and Briana Bass at the point. I think that’s really been a good move in terms of having a point guard that reminds me an awful lot of Shannon Bobbitt, certainly not the experience that Shannon brought to the program. Her quickness, her speed with the basketball is as good as we’ve had. I’m encouraged by that. Angie Bjorklund in the lineup gives us a couple veterans in there and I think Angie is gaining more and more confidence from early on, but she seems to be committing more to getting open and is getting better at creating shots. I think she’s a better player all around. Shekinna Stricklen will be on the other wing. She’s young, but she is certainly a very gifted player and can play multiple positions, and will probably have to because Cait McMahan right now, we’re giving her some time to rest. It will be up to Shekinna and Alicia Manning to help fill in behind Briana.
“Cait is having some knee issues. She has her fair share of swelling and pain to go along with it. So I said ‘that’s it. Let’s rest.’ We’re going to rest her as long as it takes. She will not play tomorrow night.”
You were the last team to beat Old Dominion at home. Would that be motivation for you if the shoe was on the other foot?
“I hate you mention that. I’m not real good with numbers, Debby can tell you that. I just move on and live in the moment. I’m sure that’ll be great motivation. And as coaches we always try to use anything that is going to inspire our team and have a reason for revenge. That’s just another incentive, as if they need any, because any time we play, those teams bring great competitive intensity.”
Coach Wendy Larry said playing teams like Tennessee is to see what it’s like to play like the best:
“You just look at the parity in our game now. It’s probably the best ever as far as the depth on a given night that can knock off the top-ranked teams. Obviously, we’re experienced in that with such a young team. I knew that there would be a lot of growing pains, but felt like going and playing Old Dominion on their home floor, that’s going to be a huge test. I don’t see us going into a lot of gyms as top dogs anymore. We’re going to be underdogs and we’re going to have to fight because of our youth. We struggled at UTC, but we were able to close that one out. We struggled at George Washington and managed to win that game. We lose to Virginia on our home court. We go to Texas and play 20 minutes of good basketball and then we struggle. I think that’s going to be something, that right now, I’m focusing on what we have to do, but I’ll tell you that Old Dominion as a team, if you’re not ready to play against that kind of pressure, it’s going to be a long night, because they do a great job of getting pressure on you both ways, offensively and with their defense.”
On matching up with Stanford and it looked like Stanford struggled with the Duke pressure:
“Well, that was an interesting game and I’m not going to comment on anything that happened in the end. I watched that game closely. Stanford is very skilled and spread you out. They’ve got size on the inside. Last year, when we lost at Stanford, their high-low game just wore us out. They got so many good looks in the paint. I think they couldn’t afford to lose a point guard. At this point, all of us, each and every day, we can’t lose players. I think that with Duke’s pressure really did bother them, but you’re talking about a Duke team that has some experience. We don’t have that kind of experience, but we certainly will press because we’re too young. You have to give it every game. I don’t think we’ve played a game in years that we haven’t pressed at some point in time.”
On the rivalry with Stanford:
“I think it’s been great for us. Obviously, Palo Alto is a place we love to go and get some decent shopping out there. At the same time, we know we’re going to play an opponent that most likely we can see in the postseason and it’s going to be a great challenge. I love playing out there; I don’t like losing out there, or anywhere. I think Tara does such a great job. It’s good for us to play against a team that has the skill and the discipline and the competitive edge to them that Stanford does. They’ve made us better. I doubt that Tara would think the series hasn’t made them better. Again, it’s a team that last year that lost to our team, but our team is different team now. But good sets of players don’t forget. I know they don’t just forget what happened and I’m sure they are coming here very fired up with a score to settle.”
On Glory Johnson playing the three:
“I think it’s something we’re going to wait and see. It all depends on how the game unfolds with Old Dominion and Stanford and where we think we need Kelley Cain and Vicki Baugh to play inside together. We know that Glory can get to the rim any place on the floor in a timely fashion and rebound for us. She just has to keep herself out of foul trouble and have more composure at both ends. She’s an incredible athlete, but at times, she is over-anxious, and just has to learn to have more composure and settle down.”
Dream Acquires Rights to Chamique Holdsclaw
The Atlanta Dream acquired the rights to forward Chamique Holdsclaw from the Los Angeles Sparks today in exchange for the 13th overall pick (first round) in the 2009 WNBA Draft. Holdsclaw, an eight-year veteran, is returning to the WNBA after a two year hiatus.
“We are very excited to bring one of the best players in Tennessee women’s basketball history to our roster,” said Team President & COO Bill Bolen. “The excitement this will bring to our fans is huge.”
Holdsclaw had a legendary career at the University of Tennessee where she was a four-time Kodak All-American. She finished her collegiate career with 3,025 points and 1,295 rebounds, making her the all-time leading scoring and rebounder in school history (men’s and women’s), the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in SEC women's history, and the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the history of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Holdsclaw won the Naismith player of the year trophy twice (1998 and 1999) and posted a 134-17 win/loss record during her remarkable career as a Lady Vol. In 2000, she was named Naismith's Player of the Century for the 1990s.
University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summit echoed the sentiments of Meadors. “I’m excited for her [Holdsclaw] and I’m excited for the Atlanta Dream,” she said. “Great players usually make everyone around them better and I see Chamique doing that for Atlanta right away. She will bring a different dimension to the court for her team. She is tremendously skilled, she knows how to win, and she is an exciting competitor.”
“We are very excited to bring one of the best players in Tennessee women’s basketball history to our roster,” said Team President & COO Bill Bolen. “The excitement this will bring to our fans is huge.”
Holdsclaw had a legendary career at the University of Tennessee where she was a four-time Kodak All-American. She finished her collegiate career with 3,025 points and 1,295 rebounds, making her the all-time leading scoring and rebounder in school history (men’s and women’s), the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in SEC women's history, and the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the history of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Holdsclaw won the Naismith player of the year trophy twice (1998 and 1999) and posted a 134-17 win/loss record during her remarkable career as a Lady Vol. In 2000, she was named Naismith's Player of the Century for the 1990s.
University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summit echoed the sentiments of Meadors. “I’m excited for her [Holdsclaw] and I’m excited for the Atlanta Dream,” she said. “Great players usually make everyone around them better and I see Chamique doing that for Atlanta right away. She will bring a different dimension to the court for her team. She is tremendously skilled, she knows how to win, and she is an exciting competitor.”
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tennessee’s record Top 10 streak ends at 211 weeks
Tennessee’s record run in the top 10 is over.
The Lady Vols’ streak of 211 straight weeks in the top 10 ended Monday when they were ranked 11th in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Tennessee, which lost at then-No. 6 Texas 73-59 on Sunday, was last out of the first 10 on March 3, 1997. The run went 56 weeks longer than the men’s record of 155 set by UCLA.
Meanwhile, Connecticut remained an unanimous No. 1 choice for the third straight week.
North Carolina, which stayed No. 2 this week, now has the longest active streak in the Top 10 with 70 consecutive weeks. It would take them nearly eight years to match the Lady Vols’ run.
Stanford and Texas A&M remained third and fourth. The Cardinal will visit Duke on Tuesday night. Texas switched places with Oklahoma after its win over Tennessee. The Longhorns are 9-0 for the first since 1987-88. It’s the first time they’ve cracked the first five since Dec. 27, 2004. Texas will host No. 21 Arizona State on Thursday.
Baylor, Duke, Louisville, and Auburn each moved up three places to round out the first 10.
It’s only the second time Tennessee has been ranked so low since opening the season at No. 3 in 1986—an almost unbelievable run for the Lady Vols, who have won all eight of their national titles during the stretch.
The Lady Vols schedule doesn’t get easier. They visit Old Dominion on Thursday before hosting Stanford on Sunday.
California fell three places to 12th after blowing a 26-point halftime lead to Oklahoma on Saturday. Notre Dame dropped five spots to 13th following an overtime loss to Michigan.
Rutgers was 14th, followed by Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Ohio State. Vanderbilt moved up one spot to 19th. Florida climbed three places to No. 20.
Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, TCU and Georgia Tech rounded out the top 25. TCU fell five places after losing at Oklahoma State on Sunday. Georgia Tech entered the poll for the first time this season. The Yellow Jackets were in it for one week last season at No. 23 before falling out the next week.
Purdue was the lone team to fall out after losing to Valparaiso 71-60.
The Lady Vols’ streak of 211 straight weeks in the top 10 ended Monday when they were ranked 11th in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Tennessee, which lost at then-No. 6 Texas 73-59 on Sunday, was last out of the first 10 on March 3, 1997. The run went 56 weeks longer than the men’s record of 155 set by UCLA.
Meanwhile, Connecticut remained an unanimous No. 1 choice for the third straight week.
North Carolina, which stayed No. 2 this week, now has the longest active streak in the Top 10 with 70 consecutive weeks. It would take them nearly eight years to match the Lady Vols’ run.
Stanford and Texas A&M remained third and fourth. The Cardinal will visit Duke on Tuesday night. Texas switched places with Oklahoma after its win over Tennessee. The Longhorns are 9-0 for the first since 1987-88. It’s the first time they’ve cracked the first five since Dec. 27, 2004. Texas will host No. 21 Arizona State on Thursday.
Baylor, Duke, Louisville, and Auburn each moved up three places to round out the first 10.
It’s only the second time Tennessee has been ranked so low since opening the season at No. 3 in 1986—an almost unbelievable run for the Lady Vols, who have won all eight of their national titles during the stretch.
The Lady Vols schedule doesn’t get easier. They visit Old Dominion on Thursday before hosting Stanford on Sunday.
California fell three places to 12th after blowing a 26-point halftime lead to Oklahoma on Saturday. Notre Dame dropped five spots to 13th following an overtime loss to Michigan.
Rutgers was 14th, followed by Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Ohio State. Vanderbilt moved up one spot to 19th. Florida climbed three places to No. 20.
Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, TCU and Georgia Tech rounded out the top 25. TCU fell five places after losing at Oklahoma State on Sunday. Georgia Tech entered the poll for the first time this season. The Yellow Jackets were in it for one week last season at No. 23 before falling out the next week.
Purdue was the lone team to fall out after losing to Valparaiso 71-60.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Raven’s 21 lead No. 6 Texas over Tennessee, 73-59
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas was already off to its best start in 20 years and shooting up the rankings under second-year coach Gail Goestenkors.
Still, there’s no measuring stick quite like the Tennessee Lady Vols, the defending national champs and winners of eight titles overall.
The No. 6 Longhorns measured up in every way Sunday, thumping No. 7 Tennessee 73-59 behind 21 points from Brittainey Raven and a dominant effort on defense and rebounding.
“We knew we could win,” said Kat Nash, who scored 12 points and hit a big 3-pointer in a 10-1 Texas run in the second half. “We knew if we played our hardest, we would win.”
Texas is 9-0 for the first time since the 1987-88 season.
“We are growing,” Goestenkors said. “We are going to be a national power and a team to always be reckoned with.”
Tennessee (7-2) lost five key players, including national player of the year Candace Parker, from last year’s national title team that pounded Texas 92-67 last season. The loss left Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt 10 wins shy of career No. 1,000.
“Night and day,” Summitt said in comparing this Texas team to last season.
A quick look at the stat sheet showed just how far the Longhorns have come.
Texas held Tennessee to 33 percent shooting, forced 18 turnovers and dominated the rebounding 52-41, including 19 offensive boards that led to 17 second-chance points.
“We missed so many, easy, easy shots in the paint,” Summitt said. “You’ve got to give Texas an awful lot of credit. They were tough.”
The young Lady Vols hurt themselves with fouls and 11 of 24 free throw shooting. Freshman Glory Johnson, Tennessee’s leading scorer this season, played less than three minutes of the first half because of foul trouble and was 7-of-14 from the line with several key misses in the second.
Johnson picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and went to the bench for the next 13. She was back in the game only 44 seconds before she picked up her third and went right back to her seat.
“I just had to play smarter,” Johnson said. “I just wasn’t as physical, wasn’t as aggressive.”
Texas started fast, hitting four of its first five shots, then went cold, going 5-of-26 for the rest of the half. The Lady Vols, even with Johnson spending most of the half on the bench and Angie Bjorkland picking up three fouls in the half, rallied from eight points down to make it 31-31 at halftime.
Johnson gave Tennessee it’s only lead the first time she touched the ball in the second and had eight of the Lady Vols’ first 10 points of the half. The game was tied 41-all when Texas cobbled together the big run that changed the game.
Raven started it with a baseline layup off a nifty no-look pass from Carla Cortijo before Raven and Nash hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Texas up 51-42.
“That’s what we’re known for, driving in and kicking it out to our shooters,” Raven said. “Once we got that going in the second half, we hit those threes,”
Another 3-pointer by Nash made it 57-46. Tennessee got back within six before Johnson and Vicki Baugh missed four straight free throws that could have pulled the Lady Vols back into the game.
After the misses, Texas steadily built its lead to put the game away. Raven made a pair of free throws and Cortijo drove for a layup to push the lead back to 11.
Cortijo, who played only six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, finished with 11 points and five assists and Ashley Lindsey had 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
“This was a big win for us,” Raven said. “We’ve been waiting for a big game like this.”
Still, there’s no measuring stick quite like the Tennessee Lady Vols, the defending national champs and winners of eight titles overall.
The No. 6 Longhorns measured up in every way Sunday, thumping No. 7 Tennessee 73-59 behind 21 points from Brittainey Raven and a dominant effort on defense and rebounding.
“We knew we could win,” said Kat Nash, who scored 12 points and hit a big 3-pointer in a 10-1 Texas run in the second half. “We knew if we played our hardest, we would win.”
Texas is 9-0 for the first time since the 1987-88 season.
“We are growing,” Goestenkors said. “We are going to be a national power and a team to always be reckoned with.”
Tennessee (7-2) lost five key players, including national player of the year Candace Parker, from last year’s national title team that pounded Texas 92-67 last season. The loss left Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt 10 wins shy of career No. 1,000.
“Night and day,” Summitt said in comparing this Texas team to last season.
A quick look at the stat sheet showed just how far the Longhorns have come.
Texas held Tennessee to 33 percent shooting, forced 18 turnovers and dominated the rebounding 52-41, including 19 offensive boards that led to 17 second-chance points.
“We missed so many, easy, easy shots in the paint,” Summitt said. “You’ve got to give Texas an awful lot of credit. They were tough.”
The young Lady Vols hurt themselves with fouls and 11 of 24 free throw shooting. Freshman Glory Johnson, Tennessee’s leading scorer this season, played less than three minutes of the first half because of foul trouble and was 7-of-14 from the line with several key misses in the second.
Johnson picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and went to the bench for the next 13. She was back in the game only 44 seconds before she picked up her third and went right back to her seat.
“I just had to play smarter,” Johnson said. “I just wasn’t as physical, wasn’t as aggressive.”
Texas started fast, hitting four of its first five shots, then went cold, going 5-of-26 for the rest of the half. The Lady Vols, even with Johnson spending most of the half on the bench and Angie Bjorkland picking up three fouls in the half, rallied from eight points down to make it 31-31 at halftime.
Johnson gave Tennessee it’s only lead the first time she touched the ball in the second and had eight of the Lady Vols’ first 10 points of the half. The game was tied 41-all when Texas cobbled together the big run that changed the game.
Raven started it with a baseline layup off a nifty no-look pass from Carla Cortijo before Raven and Nash hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Texas up 51-42.
“That’s what we’re known for, driving in and kicking it out to our shooters,” Raven said. “Once we got that going in the second half, we hit those threes,”
Another 3-pointer by Nash made it 57-46. Tennessee got back within six before Johnson and Vicki Baugh missed four straight free throws that could have pulled the Lady Vols back into the game.
After the misses, Texas steadily built its lead to put the game away. Raven made a pair of free throws and Cortijo drove for a layup to push the lead back to 11.
Cortijo, who played only six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, finished with 11 points and five assists and Ashley Lindsey had 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
“This was a big win for us,” Raven said. “We’ve been waiting for a big game like this.”
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Basketball power couple: Candace Parker, Williams are newlyweds
The Sacramento Bee said that former University of Tennessee basketball star Candace Parker and NBA player Shelden Williams, her fiance', eloped Nov. 13 at Lake Tahoe.
'We just decided that with both of our schedules, it would be better to elope,' Williams told the newspaper.
Parker, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, was named MVP and Rookie of the Year in September by the WNBA.
The newlyweds live in Sacramento with their three dogs.
'We just decided that with both of our schedules, it would be better to elope,' Williams told the newspaper.
Parker, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, was named MVP and Rookie of the Year in September by the WNBA.
The newlyweds live in Sacramento with their three dogs.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
No. 7 Tennessee beats Middle Tennessee 81-52
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Tennessee coach Pat Summitt drilled her seventh-ranked Lady Volunteers this week in shooting, and it showed.
The young Tennessee squad had its best shooting game of the season, including a career-high 20 points by freshman Shekinna Stricklen, in an 81-52 victory over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night.
“We devoted one whole practice this week just to shooting. We were able to get in a lot of reps,” Summitt said. “We’ve been doing so much teaching that I think we’ve suffered a little bit time-wise not getting reps.”
The result was a season-high 52-percent effort from the field and 77-percent shooting at the line by the Lady Vols (7-1). Angie Bjorklund added 16 points for the Lady Vols, and Glory Johnson had 11.
The improvement came as Summitt fielded her youngest starting lineup in history with freshmen Stricklen, Johnson and Briana Bass and sophomores Vicki Baugh and Bjorklund.
“I think we as a team, we’re about to shock the world,” said the 5-foot-2 Bass, whose play energized both her team and the fans. “Even though we’re young, we’re about to bring some heat, so they better get ready for us.”
Middle Tennessee coach Rick Insell said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Tennessee return to the Final Four, even after losing all five starters from last year’s national championship team.
“They’re one of the youngest teams in the country, but I thought tonight they played a lot better than I’d seen them on film,” he said.
Despite the Lady Vols’ improved shooting, Insell’s Blue Raiders (5-4) never let them get too comfortable, especially thanks to Alysha Clark’s 28 points. Brandi Brown added 11.
“We knew (Clark) was going to be tough to defend,” Summitt said. “She’s a tough-minded player. She’s tough with the ball. She’s a player that keeps them in the game.”
Tennessee missed its first four shots—grabbing the offensive rebound each time—before Baugh hit a jumper. The Lady Vols jumped out to a 20-6 lead on a jumper by Johnson with 11:58 in the first half.
Middle Tennessee starting making shots as Tennessee began missing, hitting 13 straight to cut the Lady Vols’ lead to 20-19 with a jumper by Clark with 6:21 to go in the first half.
Tennessee responded with a 12-1 run.
Alyssia Brewer grabbed two steals in the last minute before the half, using one to set up Stricklen and driving the other to the hoop. Stricklen hit a 27-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving Tennessee a 41-23 lead, the largest of the half.
The Blue Raiders threatened again after the half, going on a 17-2 run. Chelsia Lymon’s layup in the paint cut Tennessee’s lead to 55-44 with 8:56 left, but it was as close as Middle Tennessee got.
Lymon fouled out with 7:43 left in the game, leaving the Blue Raiders with sophomore Anne Marie Lanning and freshman Tina Stewart to play at the point.
“We’ve just got to have other players step up,” Clark said. “We can’t have inexperience there. They’re going to have to grow up quick.”
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Pat Summitt On The DePaul Game And Facing Middle Tennessee
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt teleconference
Opening statement:
'I think our DePaul game was a good challenge for us and we responded very well. Overall, I am pleased with the exception of not closing out the first half. I thought we brought a lot of energy. We probably had better spacing in that game than we had prior to that. That was good because I really felt like DePaul was coming in playing very, very well; I was pleased there. Last night was a different kind of challenge for us. George Washington, certainly, brought a lot of energy and played us tough. The physicality in that game was a challenge at times. I thought it really affected the inside game defensively, took us out of what we wanted to do. We didn't do a good job of running to the rim. We got pushed off the block. I thought our post people were over anxious, but at the same we found a way to win. I thought our defense really had to have it. We did some good things, particularly the margin we had on the boards. Not that we were missing shots, but getting 25 offensive rebounds was a big help for us. We have a long way to go to get where we need to be as a team. Some of our freshmen didn't seem to be ready for the intensity and the pace of that game, so we definitely shortened our bench. Now we're on break for exams; we're off today, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we'll probably practice three of those four days. I'll probably give them another day off to prepare for exams. It's a good time for them to re-focus, not only for basketball, but for exams coming up and what they have to do to heading into exam week.'
'Middle Tennessee beat LSU so that speaks to what they are capable of doing as a team. We have to be ready. It's like when we played at UT-Chattanooga and you playing teams in your state, it's always a hard-fought, intense game. Preparation will be key. In particular, you know you're trying to play as we've been trying to play a number of players, I'm not sure that our bench is going to be as deep as I've anticipated, so we have to get ready for a tough Middle Tennessee team. Going on the road at Texas and at Old Dominion, having those games, will be a tremendous test for us. Probably, without question, in terms of road games, that should be the two toughest to date. I think we have a lot of work to do between now and then.'
On the team's shooting:
'Watching the tape, and watching the game tape and the breakdown tape and just focused on our inside game, that's probably my biggest disappointment. The lack of composure against the size and it was physical game in the paint. I really felt like Vicki and Glory both, as well as Kelley, just really rushed. A lot had to do, I'm sure, with the physicality of the post game and what they were doing a lot of times. They dribbled two, three, four times to try and make something happen as opposed to catch and read. We talked about it on the plane and I'm sure Dean will be right on top of that. We ran to the block, we didn't run to the rim, we were so inconsistent in establishing the paint points that we typically have been much better at. Again, we talked about it as a staff, we've got to be more mindful. When that happens, our eyes have got to be on it, see it and correct it right away. I thought that was costly for us. And I think that's why our posts shot so poorly because they were having to dribble too much to create scoring opportunities and we got in to rushing and forcing. That obviously hurt us. I was a little disappointed with our perimeter game. Angie was two for six, but hit a great three for us. Cait didn't score'we need a little bit more scoring out of our point guard, particularly if they're going to be left open, and she got some good looks. We just didn't shoot the ball well. Does that happen on the road' Yes. More so than at home, but at the same time, I thought we had a lot to do with it. They played tough defense on us and we were impatient offensively and didn't screen, didn't assist, didn't work well together.
On being over-anxious:
'First and foremost, they didn't run to the rim. They got pushed off the block early. That's where I take responsibility for that. I just did not feel in watching the game we ever really got the kind of post-up opportunities and I think that we settled for just going on the block and trying to score from there as opposed to just beating people down the floor. That's where Glory and Vicki have been so good and we have to re-visit that every day in practice as we want to run rim to rim. We didn't do that consistently.'
Free throw and outside shooting has improved, is this reason to believe this is a way this team will evolve:
'I think it's obviously going to take time and its going to take on the part of the people that I got frustrated last night with'lack of help that I felt like we got from Brewer, Manning'I didn't give Manning a chance, so I told her last night 'I got really focused after Brewer and Gray' and decided early on to shorten the bench. I don't regret that because I thought we had to have some people that had been producing and that's why I wanted to go with Baugh, Johnson and Cain. Stricklen, once she got re-focused, I thought she stepped up and was key for us. If you look at point guard play, we didn't get a lot of scoring there. That kind of put even more pressure on our post game.
On point guard play:
'I think looking to be more aggressive and looking for their shots. Like I said Cait didn't shoot well and Briana only took two shots. I didn't mind the fact that we went inside, but I do think we have to establish some balance on the perimeter. We've got to have inside-outside. There are a lot of people, just like last night, they're just going after our post game.
On post play:
'They were sagging off and felt like our perimeter game could've really helped us just by knocking down a couple shots. That's where Angie's got to get in a better rhythm and probably should've played Syd more just looking at the tape. She's really starting to play with confidence and not forcing things and knocking down some shots for us. We're still learning as we go and sometimes it's wait and see, and its wait and see during the game who is going to be driven. I thought at the end Angie stepped up and made big three for us and Stricklen came back in and definitely had an impact. It's there it's just a lack of consistency.'
If last night was good preparation for future road games:
'Certainly it was a good challenge for us and we know we have those road games that are going to be a huge test for our basketball team. Being in that environment was probably a good thing for us in terms of preparation and hopefully it did things for the players that didn't come ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work right away. Hopefully it will have a positive impact when we get ready to play again on the road.'
On finding a way to win:
'In both of those (road) games we found a way to close it out. The little bit of difference in last night's game is being able to answer everything they came at us with. In the end, being able to close out the game we did. At Chattanooga, we're down and fighting to get back. Last night we're fighting to hold on to the lead. I think both were valuable learning experiences for our basketball team and that's good. At the same time, because of the lack of performance in certain areas, I think, we won, but it still gives us an opportunity to teach because they know we did not play the way we wanted to play. Granted, George Washington had something to do with it. They were physical, aggressive and tough-minded. They played inside and outside. It was a good challenge for us, but also good preparation for the future.'
On zone play:
'I thought there was an important change'I was a little hesitant to go to it. I felt like they were in such a rhythm going against our man, trying to break us down off the dribble. I thought we did a really nice job in particular defending Booker. I thought we extended pretty well.'
On the team's communication:
'I think there was a sense of urgency in our zone, when we went to it, and that hasn't always been the case. Because we play so much man-to-man, there are times we've been in zone and it seems like a resting defense. It wasn't last night, I thought it was a very active defense for us last night. It did make a difference and it was a good change at that time.'
Opening statement:
'I think our DePaul game was a good challenge for us and we responded very well. Overall, I am pleased with the exception of not closing out the first half. I thought we brought a lot of energy. We probably had better spacing in that game than we had prior to that. That was good because I really felt like DePaul was coming in playing very, very well; I was pleased there. Last night was a different kind of challenge for us. George Washington, certainly, brought a lot of energy and played us tough. The physicality in that game was a challenge at times. I thought it really affected the inside game defensively, took us out of what we wanted to do. We didn't do a good job of running to the rim. We got pushed off the block. I thought our post people were over anxious, but at the same we found a way to win. I thought our defense really had to have it. We did some good things, particularly the margin we had on the boards. Not that we were missing shots, but getting 25 offensive rebounds was a big help for us. We have a long way to go to get where we need to be as a team. Some of our freshmen didn't seem to be ready for the intensity and the pace of that game, so we definitely shortened our bench. Now we're on break for exams; we're off today, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we'll probably practice three of those four days. I'll probably give them another day off to prepare for exams. It's a good time for them to re-focus, not only for basketball, but for exams coming up and what they have to do to heading into exam week.'
'Middle Tennessee beat LSU so that speaks to what they are capable of doing as a team. We have to be ready. It's like when we played at UT-Chattanooga and you playing teams in your state, it's always a hard-fought, intense game. Preparation will be key. In particular, you know you're trying to play as we've been trying to play a number of players, I'm not sure that our bench is going to be as deep as I've anticipated, so we have to get ready for a tough Middle Tennessee team. Going on the road at Texas and at Old Dominion, having those games, will be a tremendous test for us. Probably, without question, in terms of road games, that should be the two toughest to date. I think we have a lot of work to do between now and then.'
On the team's shooting:
'Watching the tape, and watching the game tape and the breakdown tape and just focused on our inside game, that's probably my biggest disappointment. The lack of composure against the size and it was physical game in the paint. I really felt like Vicki and Glory both, as well as Kelley, just really rushed. A lot had to do, I'm sure, with the physicality of the post game and what they were doing a lot of times. They dribbled two, three, four times to try and make something happen as opposed to catch and read. We talked about it on the plane and I'm sure Dean will be right on top of that. We ran to the block, we didn't run to the rim, we were so inconsistent in establishing the paint points that we typically have been much better at. Again, we talked about it as a staff, we've got to be more mindful. When that happens, our eyes have got to be on it, see it and correct it right away. I thought that was costly for us. And I think that's why our posts shot so poorly because they were having to dribble too much to create scoring opportunities and we got in to rushing and forcing. That obviously hurt us. I was a little disappointed with our perimeter game. Angie was two for six, but hit a great three for us. Cait didn't score'we need a little bit more scoring out of our point guard, particularly if they're going to be left open, and she got some good looks. We just didn't shoot the ball well. Does that happen on the road' Yes. More so than at home, but at the same time, I thought we had a lot to do with it. They played tough defense on us and we were impatient offensively and didn't screen, didn't assist, didn't work well together.
On being over-anxious:
'First and foremost, they didn't run to the rim. They got pushed off the block early. That's where I take responsibility for that. I just did not feel in watching the game we ever really got the kind of post-up opportunities and I think that we settled for just going on the block and trying to score from there as opposed to just beating people down the floor. That's where Glory and Vicki have been so good and we have to re-visit that every day in practice as we want to run rim to rim. We didn't do that consistently.'
Free throw and outside shooting has improved, is this reason to believe this is a way this team will evolve:
'I think it's obviously going to take time and its going to take on the part of the people that I got frustrated last night with'lack of help that I felt like we got from Brewer, Manning'I didn't give Manning a chance, so I told her last night 'I got really focused after Brewer and Gray' and decided early on to shorten the bench. I don't regret that because I thought we had to have some people that had been producing and that's why I wanted to go with Baugh, Johnson and Cain. Stricklen, once she got re-focused, I thought she stepped up and was key for us. If you look at point guard play, we didn't get a lot of scoring there. That kind of put even more pressure on our post game.
On point guard play:
'I think looking to be more aggressive and looking for their shots. Like I said Cait didn't shoot well and Briana only took two shots. I didn't mind the fact that we went inside, but I do think we have to establish some balance on the perimeter. We've got to have inside-outside. There are a lot of people, just like last night, they're just going after our post game.
On post play:
'They were sagging off and felt like our perimeter game could've really helped us just by knocking down a couple shots. That's where Angie's got to get in a better rhythm and probably should've played Syd more just looking at the tape. She's really starting to play with confidence and not forcing things and knocking down some shots for us. We're still learning as we go and sometimes it's wait and see, and its wait and see during the game who is going to be driven. I thought at the end Angie stepped up and made big three for us and Stricklen came back in and definitely had an impact. It's there it's just a lack of consistency.'
If last night was good preparation for future road games:
'Certainly it was a good challenge for us and we know we have those road games that are going to be a huge test for our basketball team. Being in that environment was probably a good thing for us in terms of preparation and hopefully it did things for the players that didn't come ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work right away. Hopefully it will have a positive impact when we get ready to play again on the road.'
On finding a way to win:
'In both of those (road) games we found a way to close it out. The little bit of difference in last night's game is being able to answer everything they came at us with. In the end, being able to close out the game we did. At Chattanooga, we're down and fighting to get back. Last night we're fighting to hold on to the lead. I think both were valuable learning experiences for our basketball team and that's good. At the same time, because of the lack of performance in certain areas, I think, we won, but it still gives us an opportunity to teach because they know we did not play the way we wanted to play. Granted, George Washington had something to do with it. They were physical, aggressive and tough-minded. They played inside and outside. It was a good challenge for us, but also good preparation for the future.'
On zone play:
'I thought there was an important change'I was a little hesitant to go to it. I felt like they were in such a rhythm going against our man, trying to break us down off the dribble. I thought we did a really nice job in particular defending Booker. I thought we extended pretty well.'
On the team's communication:
'I think there was a sense of urgency in our zone, when we went to it, and that hasn't always been the case. Because we play so much man-to-man, there are times we've been in zone and it seems like a resting defense. It wasn't last night, I thought it was a very active defense for us last night. It did make a difference and it was a good change at that time.'
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Lady Vols Hold Off George Washington, 71-59
The Tennessee Lady Vols scored seven unanswered points in the final 1:24 of play and passed their second road test of the season with a 71-59 triumph over George Washington University Tuesday night in the nation's capital.
Seventh-ranked UT (6-1) was leading 64-59 with 84 seconds remaining, but Angie Bjorklund, playing in just her second game this season after being afflicted with back spasms, and Alex Fuller each sank three-pointers to end GWU's hopes of getting their first win over the Lady Vols in 10 meetings.
Glory Johnson, who was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday for the second time this young season, had a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds along with four steals.
Fuller, the lone Lady Vol senior, added 13 points while freshman Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 to go with her five steals.
Bjorklund added eight points and Vicki Baugh had 10 rebounds.
Three GWU players finished in double figures led by Tara Booker's 14 points followed by Jazmine Adair with 12 and Tiana Myers' 10.
The Lady Vols will host Middle Tennessee Thursday night in Knoxville at 7 p.m. in an intrastate showdown that will be televised on FSN South.
Seventh-ranked UT (6-1) was leading 64-59 with 84 seconds remaining, but Angie Bjorklund, playing in just her second game this season after being afflicted with back spasms, and Alex Fuller each sank three-pointers to end GWU's hopes of getting their first win over the Lady Vols in 10 meetings.
Glory Johnson, who was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday for the second time this young season, had a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds along with four steals.
Fuller, the lone Lady Vol senior, added 13 points while freshman Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 to go with her five steals.
Bjorklund added eight points and Vicki Baugh had 10 rebounds.
Three GWU players finished in double figures led by Tara Booker's 14 points followed by Jazmine Adair with 12 and Tiana Myers' 10.
The Lady Vols will host Middle Tennessee Thursday night in Knoxville at 7 p.m. in an intrastate showdown that will be televised on FSN South.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Lady Vols handle DePaul 88-67
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Glory Johnson tied a career high with 19 points and No. 9 Tennessee rolled to an 88-67 victory against DePaul on Sunday.
The Lady Vols (5-1) also got 16 points from freshman Shekinna Stricklen and 12 from freshman Kelley Cain as coach Pat Summitt notched career victory No. 988.
DePaul (5-2) put four players in double figures, but shot 37.3 percent from the field. Sam Quigley led the Blue Demons with 15 points and Deirdre Naughton added 14.
It was the third time this season Johnson, a freshman from Knoxville, has hit the 19-point mark. She added seven rebounds.
Tennessee made an early statement with a 13-0 run to begin the game, but DePaul managed a 10-0 run and trailed 44-34 at the half.
Tennessee improved to 18-0 in its series against DePaul.
The Lady Vols (5-1) also got 16 points from freshman Shekinna Stricklen and 12 from freshman Kelley Cain as coach Pat Summitt notched career victory No. 988.
DePaul (5-2) put four players in double figures, but shot 37.3 percent from the field. Sam Quigley led the Blue Demons with 15 points and Deirdre Naughton added 14.
It was the third time this season Johnson, a freshman from Knoxville, has hit the 19-point mark. She added seven rebounds.
Tennessee made an early statement with a 13-0 run to begin the game, but DePaul managed a 10-0 run and trailed 44-34 at the half.
Tennessee improved to 18-0 in its series against DePaul.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Johnson helps Tennessee rout Western Carolina
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman Glory Johnson tied a career-high with 19 points and ninth-ranked Tennessee rolled to an 83-56 victory against Western Carolina on Tuesday night.
The Lady Vols (4-1) rallied from a sluggish start to pull away late in the first half and give coach Pat Summitt her 987th victory in 35 seasons.
The two-time defending national champion Lady Vols trailed 19-18 midway through the first half, but outscored the Lady Catamounts 31-7 in the final nine minutes for a 49-26 halftime lead.
Tennessee sophomore Vicki Baugh added her second consecutive double-double with 11 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Western Carolina (2-2), coached by former Lady Vol Kellie Jolly-Harper, now has two losses to top-10 ranked teams. The Lady Catamounts dropped their season opener at No. 4 North Carolina.
Lauren Powell led Western Carolina with 14 points.
The Lady Vols (4-1) rallied from a sluggish start to pull away late in the first half and give coach Pat Summitt her 987th victory in 35 seasons.
The two-time defending national champion Lady Vols trailed 19-18 midway through the first half, but outscored the Lady Catamounts 31-7 in the final nine minutes for a 49-26 halftime lead.
Tennessee sophomore Vicki Baugh added her second consecutive double-double with 11 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Western Carolina (2-2), coached by former Lady Vol Kellie Jolly-Harper, now has two losses to top-10 ranked teams. The Lady Catamounts dropped their season opener at No. 4 North Carolina.
Lauren Powell led Western Carolina with 14 points.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tennessee beats Louisiana Tech 94-59
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vicki Baugh, in only her second game back after knee surgery, scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help No. 5 Tennessee beat Louisiana Tech 94-59 on Sunday.
Baugh reached the double-double before sitting down for good to rest her knee with 14:52 to play. Amber Gray and Alyssia Brewer each had 16 points to lead the Lady Vols. Glory Johnson added 12.
Whitney Jones, the only starter who didn’t get in early foul trouble, led Louisiana Tech with 23 points. Keshia Warren grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ahead 40-33 at the half, Tennessee (3-1) came out on a 19-3 run, punctuated by a jumper plus one by Glory Johnson to give the Lady Vols a 52-36 lead with 16:40 left.
With just over 10 minutes left Louisiana Tech starters Jasmine Bendolph, Tiawana Pringle, Adrienne Johnson and Shanavia Dowdell had four fouls apiece. The Lady Vols wore down the Lady Techsters (1-2) from there.
The first half was marked by hot-and-cold streaks, and both teams struggled with sloppy play and ball control. Tennessee had 34 points off 28 Louisiana Tech turnovers, and the Lady Techsters had 12 points off 16 Lady Vols turnovers.
Louisiana Tech went cold for 3 1/2 minutes and Tennessee went on a 13-0 run to go ahead 34-19 with 5:10 to go before halftime on a free throw by Gray.
The Lady Techsters answered with their own 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 38-33 just before the break.
Baugh reached the double-double before sitting down for good to rest her knee with 14:52 to play. Amber Gray and Alyssia Brewer each had 16 points to lead the Lady Vols. Glory Johnson added 12.
Whitney Jones, the only starter who didn’t get in early foul trouble, led Louisiana Tech with 23 points. Keshia Warren grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ahead 40-33 at the half, Tennessee (3-1) came out on a 19-3 run, punctuated by a jumper plus one by Glory Johnson to give the Lady Vols a 52-36 lead with 16:40 left.
With just over 10 minutes left Louisiana Tech starters Jasmine Bendolph, Tiawana Pringle, Adrienne Johnson and Shanavia Dowdell had four fouls apiece. The Lady Vols wore down the Lady Techsters (1-2) from there.
The first half was marked by hot-and-cold streaks, and both teams struggled with sloppy play and ball control. Tennessee had 34 points off 28 Louisiana Tech turnovers, and the Lady Techsters had 12 points off 16 Lady Vols turnovers.
Louisiana Tech went cold for 3 1/2 minutes and Tennessee went on a 13-0 run to go ahead 34-19 with 5:10 to go before halftime on a free throw by Gray.
The Lady Techsters answered with their own 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 38-33 just before the break.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Johnson helps No. 5 Tennessee avoid upset 66-63
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As unhappy as Pat Summitt was after Tennessee escaped with a win, it could have been a lot worse.
For example, the Lady Vols could have played terrible defense and lost, to boot.
Instead, they only got a scare until Vicki Baugh made a tiebreaking free throw with 53.7 seconds remaining and No. 5 Tennessee beat Chattanooga 66-63 on Friday night to avoid a major upset.
“Probably everyone in the building had the opinion that we haven’t worked on defense not a day,” the Tennessee coach said. “That’s about the most miserable defense that a team could play when it comes to the 3-ball.
“Believe it or not, we did work on it this week.”
Glory Johnson scored 19 points for the Lady Vols (2-1), who trailed 61-53 with 6 minutes remaining after building a 10-point lead earlier in the half.
Alicia Manning drilled a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner to tie it at 63 with 1:22 left.
Baugh, Cait McMahan and Shekinna Stricklen each made a foul shot in the final minute for Tennessee, which has won 17 straight against Chattanooga (1-1).
Shanara Hollinquest scored 17 for Chattanooga, which squandered its final chance at an upset.
With 3.7 seconds left, Baugh missed a pair of free throws and the Lady Mocs used their final timeout with 2.6 seconds remaining.
But Chattanooga’s Megan Rollins, unable to find an open player from her spot on the baseline, called a timeout to avoid getting a 5-second violation.
She got a technical foul for calling a timeout when her team didn’t have any remaining, and Chattanooga never got a chance to win the game.
“I didn’t realize we didn’t have any timeouts left,” Rollins said. “I thought the previous timeout was a media timeout.”
The whole affair was far too close for Summitt’s comfort, especially after the Lady Vols were upset earlier in the week by Virginia.
“I’m just wondering how many more of these I got in me,” Summitt said.
For example, the Lady Vols could have played terrible defense and lost, to boot.
Instead, they only got a scare until Vicki Baugh made a tiebreaking free throw with 53.7 seconds remaining and No. 5 Tennessee beat Chattanooga 66-63 on Friday night to avoid a major upset.
“Probably everyone in the building had the opinion that we haven’t worked on defense not a day,” the Tennessee coach said. “That’s about the most miserable defense that a team could play when it comes to the 3-ball.
“Believe it or not, we did work on it this week.”
Glory Johnson scored 19 points for the Lady Vols (2-1), who trailed 61-53 with 6 minutes remaining after building a 10-point lead earlier in the half.
Alicia Manning drilled a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner to tie it at 63 with 1:22 left.
Baugh, Cait McMahan and Shekinna Stricklen each made a foul shot in the final minute for Tennessee, which has won 17 straight against Chattanooga (1-1).
Shanara Hollinquest scored 17 for Chattanooga, which squandered its final chance at an upset.
With 3.7 seconds left, Baugh missed a pair of free throws and the Lady Mocs used their final timeout with 2.6 seconds remaining.
But Chattanooga’s Megan Rollins, unable to find an open player from her spot on the baseline, called a timeout to avoid getting a 5-second violation.
She got a technical foul for calling a timeout when her team didn’t have any remaining, and Chattanooga never got a chance to win the game.
“I didn’t realize we didn’t have any timeouts left,” Rollins said. “I thought the previous timeout was a media timeout.”
The whole affair was far too close for Summitt’s comfort, especially after the Lady Vols were upset earlier in the week by Virginia.
“I’m just wondering how many more of these I got in me,” Summitt said.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Post-Game Quotes After Lady Vols Lose To Virginia, 83-82
Head Coach Pat Summitt: (opening remarks): “I thought Virginia was mentally and physically tougher than we were. I was very disappointed. There aren’t many times in my career that I can say that. (Virginia’s) Monica Wright is a great go-to player. We didn’t limit her touches. She had her way tonight, and (Aisha) Mohammed did as well. We didn’t have the toughness that they did. We made some costly mistakes at the end, and the technical—that better never happen again. Give Virginia credit. They played with composure. They were the tougher team, as much as I hate to say that. We couldn’t depend on our bench. Hopefully, we’ll learn from this. It’s not going to get any easier. We’re young, but if we use that as an excuse, it’s not going to get any better. We can’t use it as an excuse.”
(on Tennessee’s search for a go-to player): “Obviously, we don’t have an established go-to player. We have to do this as a team. They (Virginia) have two go-to players. I have to remind myself that we’re young. Someone has to step up. Kelley Cain has not been in practice. She battled hard, but she was not as efficient tonight. We were playing without Vicki Baugh and Angie Bjorklund. We haven’t lost that much in this arena, and we don’t want it to be a habit.”
(on Tennessee’s Glory Johnson being assessed with a technical late in the game): “I didn’t see what happened. I thought she threw an elbow. I told her that it’s not about her. She has to keep her composure. It was a very physical game. There was a lot of physical contact in the game.”
(on teams feeling they have a better chance to beat Tennessee this year): “I think people feel that they have a chance to beat us this year because we’re young. The bad part for our coaching staff and our players tonight is that we didn’t play as hard. We have to commit to great defense. We took possessions off tonight. There will be a lot more repetitions us. We’ve got to grow up. We definitely had a chance. Is that youth? Some of it is. . .We lost our composure at times. We played in a little bit of a panic as opposed to being composed and executing. We’ve got to practice our late-game situations.”
(on sophomore Sydney Smallbone): “Sydney’s really been great. She’s really getting her shot off quicker. She does it in a very quiet way, and I’m OK with that. I thought she did a good job defensively, at least until I watch the film, which I will over and over. We’ve got to change our mindset defensively. We competed in stretches. We can’t win against a veteran team like this by playing in stretches. We’re not doing what we need to do.”
(on Tennessee’s defense): “As far as our inside game, we were caught out of position. (Alyssia) Brewer, (Glory) Johnson, and (Alex) Fuller let them get way too many touches on the low block. We just weren’t tough enough. We didn’t have a consistent drive on every possession.”
Cait McMahan (on the loss): “You always learn more from a loss than a win. We’ll go to practice and just rebuild.”
“We hate to lose. We weren’t supposed to lose. I think averything happens for a reason. We’ll get better. We just have to rebuild. We’ll learn lots from this game. It will make a huge difference.”
(on Virginia’s Monica Wright): “She played outstanding. I knew in high school that she was a great player. We knew coming in what she could do. It’s our fault. We knew from the scouting report that she’s a great player.”
Glory Johnson (on being assessed a technical foul): “It was a tough call. It was a physical game on both sides. It just happened that I got the technical. We were tied up, and I got the call.”
(on the loss): “We know that Virginia is a great team. We didn’t play our best. A loss is a loss. We have a lot of talent on our team, and tonight, we weren’t using it as much.”
(on Virginia’s Monica Wright): “She had a lot of open shots. Our helpside (defense) needed to get there faster against her. We need to get there quicker.”
Sydney Smallbone (on the reaction to the loss in the Tennessee lockerroom): “Obviously, we were quiet. There wasn’t much to say. We’ve got to learn to fight through adversity down the stretch. We didn’t respond. Give Virginia credit.”
(on Tennessee’s need for a go-to player): “Candace (Parker) was a great player, and teams keyed on her. Kelley Cain needs to get more touches for us. She’s a big body down low. In the first half, if we had gotten her more touches, she could have set the tempo. That could have made the difference for us.”
(on maturing as a team): “You’ve got to play for 40 minutes. You’ve got to make plays. We’ve been in pressure situations. We have to mature a lot more. The turnovers broke us.”
Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan
(On returning to Thompson-Boling Arena): “My memories of being here in this arena and in this locker room are not very good. I told my team before the game started that I was in this exact same locker room back in 1990. That was my first Final Four and I was very nervous and we didn’t know how to act. We didn’t win that game against Stanford here, and ever since then when I’ve returned it was usually just a complete drubbing, so I was pretty surprised to see our team step up like they did.”
(On the youth of Tennessee): “I think the Tennessee team is very talented. I think Glory Johnson is a special talent. I think all their kids are going to be very special. Really at this time of the year it comes down to who has the most veterans out there at once. I think we played the boards well and that’s what I was most concerned with. We also defended well towards the end of the game and that’s what it came down too.”
(On coming back from an eight-point halftime deficit): I reminded my team before we started the game that we couldn’t afford to have a lot of turnovers. After halftime I just really wanted them to settle down and stop the turnovers. We only had six (turnovers) in the second half. I felt like being down eight points wasn’t that bad and we would give them a game. I thought Monica Wright’s performance was absolutely incredible. She just put us on her back and carried us.”
Virginia junior Monica Wright
(On staying poised): “I would say we are team that’s come a long way and grew up tonight. Coach reminded us in this house, we are not going to get anything handed to us. We had it in our mind that we were going to have to be tougher mentally, be tougher physically and be poised at the end of the game.”
(On Tennessee’s tradition): “Coach Ryan reminded us not to be intimidated by the names on the jerseys. She reminded us to just play our game. This place is definitely legendary. They’ve had so many great players here that have made it to the WNBA and are in coaching. It was really important for us to play the team we were playing and not be intimidated.”
(On scoring 35 points): “I was just trying to play relaxed and not force anything. Coach Ryan settled me down a few times when I was doing too much. She told me to just play within myself and I stay relaxed. I had my team to rebound me if I missed.”
(on Tennessee’s search for a go-to player): “Obviously, we don’t have an established go-to player. We have to do this as a team. They (Virginia) have two go-to players. I have to remind myself that we’re young. Someone has to step up. Kelley Cain has not been in practice. She battled hard, but she was not as efficient tonight. We were playing without Vicki Baugh and Angie Bjorklund. We haven’t lost that much in this arena, and we don’t want it to be a habit.”
(on Tennessee’s Glory Johnson being assessed with a technical late in the game): “I didn’t see what happened. I thought she threw an elbow. I told her that it’s not about her. She has to keep her composure. It was a very physical game. There was a lot of physical contact in the game.”
(on teams feeling they have a better chance to beat Tennessee this year): “I think people feel that they have a chance to beat us this year because we’re young. The bad part for our coaching staff and our players tonight is that we didn’t play as hard. We have to commit to great defense. We took possessions off tonight. There will be a lot more repetitions us. We’ve got to grow up. We definitely had a chance. Is that youth? Some of it is. . .We lost our composure at times. We played in a little bit of a panic as opposed to being composed and executing. We’ve got to practice our late-game situations.”
(on sophomore Sydney Smallbone): “Sydney’s really been great. She’s really getting her shot off quicker. She does it in a very quiet way, and I’m OK with that. I thought she did a good job defensively, at least until I watch the film, which I will over and over. We’ve got to change our mindset defensively. We competed in stretches. We can’t win against a veteran team like this by playing in stretches. We’re not doing what we need to do.”
(on Tennessee’s defense): “As far as our inside game, we were caught out of position. (Alyssia) Brewer, (Glory) Johnson, and (Alex) Fuller let them get way too many touches on the low block. We just weren’t tough enough. We didn’t have a consistent drive on every possession.”
Cait McMahan (on the loss): “You always learn more from a loss than a win. We’ll go to practice and just rebuild.”
“We hate to lose. We weren’t supposed to lose. I think averything happens for a reason. We’ll get better. We just have to rebuild. We’ll learn lots from this game. It will make a huge difference.”
(on Virginia’s Monica Wright): “She played outstanding. I knew in high school that she was a great player. We knew coming in what she could do. It’s our fault. We knew from the scouting report that she’s a great player.”
Glory Johnson (on being assessed a technical foul): “It was a tough call. It was a physical game on both sides. It just happened that I got the technical. We were tied up, and I got the call.”
(on the loss): “We know that Virginia is a great team. We didn’t play our best. A loss is a loss. We have a lot of talent on our team, and tonight, we weren’t using it as much.”
(on Virginia’s Monica Wright): “She had a lot of open shots. Our helpside (defense) needed to get there faster against her. We need to get there quicker.”
Sydney Smallbone (on the reaction to the loss in the Tennessee lockerroom): “Obviously, we were quiet. There wasn’t much to say. We’ve got to learn to fight through adversity down the stretch. We didn’t respond. Give Virginia credit.”
(on Tennessee’s need for a go-to player): “Candace (Parker) was a great player, and teams keyed on her. Kelley Cain needs to get more touches for us. She’s a big body down low. In the first half, if we had gotten her more touches, she could have set the tempo. That could have made the difference for us.”
(on maturing as a team): “You’ve got to play for 40 minutes. You’ve got to make plays. We’ve been in pressure situations. We have to mature a lot more. The turnovers broke us.”
Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan
(On returning to Thompson-Boling Arena): “My memories of being here in this arena and in this locker room are not very good. I told my team before the game started that I was in this exact same locker room back in 1990. That was my first Final Four and I was very nervous and we didn’t know how to act. We didn’t win that game against Stanford here, and ever since then when I’ve returned it was usually just a complete drubbing, so I was pretty surprised to see our team step up like they did.”
(On the youth of Tennessee): “I think the Tennessee team is very talented. I think Glory Johnson is a special talent. I think all their kids are going to be very special. Really at this time of the year it comes down to who has the most veterans out there at once. I think we played the boards well and that’s what I was most concerned with. We also defended well towards the end of the game and that’s what it came down too.”
(On coming back from an eight-point halftime deficit): I reminded my team before we started the game that we couldn’t afford to have a lot of turnovers. After halftime I just really wanted them to settle down and stop the turnovers. We only had six (turnovers) in the second half. I felt like being down eight points wasn’t that bad and we would give them a game. I thought Monica Wright’s performance was absolutely incredible. She just put us on her back and carried us.”
Virginia junior Monica Wright
(On staying poised): “I would say we are team that’s come a long way and grew up tonight. Coach reminded us in this house, we are not going to get anything handed to us. We had it in our mind that we were going to have to be tougher mentally, be tougher physically and be poised at the end of the game.”
(On Tennessee’s tradition): “Coach Ryan reminded us not to be intimidated by the names on the jerseys. She reminded us to just play our game. This place is definitely legendary. They’ve had so many great players here that have made it to the WNBA and are in coaching. It was really important for us to play the team we were playing and not be intimidated.”
(On scoring 35 points): “I was just trying to play relaxed and not force anything. Coach Ryan settled me down a few times when I was doing too much. She told me to just play within myself and I stay relaxed. I had my team to rebound me if I missed.”
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Lady Vols win 68-39
KNOXVILLE, TN — Pat Summitt entered her team’s locker room at halftime Saturday and immediately knew something was wrong.
“That is the calmest I ever have been in 35 years in a locker room,” Tennessee women’s basketball coach said.
But her team, composed of six freshmen, was glaringly uptight.
And for the first half of the Lady Vols’ 68-39 season-opening win against San Francisco at Thompson-Boling Arena, it showed.
“They put so much pressure on themselves,” Summitt said, “it was obvious they were kind of like a deer in the headlights.”
Summitt had an idea why.
Before the game, the Lady Vols celebrated last year’s national championship, raising their eighth NCAA banner to the rafters before a cheering crowd of 13,400.
“I’m sure (the players) were thinking, ‘That’s what we’re supposed to do,’” Summitt said.
In attendance for the occasion was former All-American and reigning WNBA MVP Candace Parker, whose presence may have added to the nerves of the newcomers, Summitt said.
“The combination of having Candace, having the banner go up and having the crowd here, I think it was a little overwhelming for some of us,” Summitt said.
After jumping to a 9-3 lead with a 3-pointer from freshman Shekinna Stricklen, the Lady Vols struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. San Francisco (0-1) tied the game at 24 with 1:59 left before the break.
“I think we all went into the locker room at the second half and said we need to calm down and play more together,” Lady Vols senior forward Alex Fuller said. “We were kind of rushing our shots, just rushing our offense. We needed to settle down.”
And they did.
Leading 32-24 at the half, Tennessee convincingly pulled away, stretching its lead to 31 with 2:32 left in the game.
Freshman forward Glory Johnson had a team-high 17 total points and 12 rebounds.
Dons guard Shay Rollins led her team with 17 points, though she was held to one field goal in the second half. She is the sister of Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who was at the game.
Stricklen added 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The freshman wasn’t lacking in effort, either. In a second-half play, she dived into the first-row seats for a loose ball.
“I told her don’t ever go over a chair again,” Summitt said. “This is the second time. She didn’t listen to me after the first. I said, ‘Unless we’re in the national championship game and that could be the difference.’”
“She lays it on the line whatever you ask her to do.”
By necessity, Tennessee’s freshmen had a large role in the game, scoring 53 total points. As expected, sophomore Angie Bjorklund sat out with back spasms along with sophomore Vicki Baugh, who is still rehabbing from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee suffered in last season’s national championship game. Redshirt freshman Kelley Cain was unavailable with a head injury.
Even without them, Tennessee eventually overmatched San Francisco with its size advantage.
“I think what caught up to us was their physical dominance,” said San Francisco coach Tanya Haave, who played at Tennessee from 1980 to ’84. “I think they’re going to be very good, and I’m very proud to come back here as an alumnus and see that.”
“That is the calmest I ever have been in 35 years in a locker room,” Tennessee women’s basketball coach said.
But her team, composed of six freshmen, was glaringly uptight.
And for the first half of the Lady Vols’ 68-39 season-opening win against San Francisco at Thompson-Boling Arena, it showed.
“They put so much pressure on themselves,” Summitt said, “it was obvious they were kind of like a deer in the headlights.”
Summitt had an idea why.
Before the game, the Lady Vols celebrated last year’s national championship, raising their eighth NCAA banner to the rafters before a cheering crowd of 13,400.
“I’m sure (the players) were thinking, ‘That’s what we’re supposed to do,’” Summitt said.
In attendance for the occasion was former All-American and reigning WNBA MVP Candace Parker, whose presence may have added to the nerves of the newcomers, Summitt said.
“The combination of having Candace, having the banner go up and having the crowd here, I think it was a little overwhelming for some of us,” Summitt said.
After jumping to a 9-3 lead with a 3-pointer from freshman Shekinna Stricklen, the Lady Vols struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. San Francisco (0-1) tied the game at 24 with 1:59 left before the break.
“I think we all went into the locker room at the second half and said we need to calm down and play more together,” Lady Vols senior forward Alex Fuller said. “We were kind of rushing our shots, just rushing our offense. We needed to settle down.”
And they did.
Leading 32-24 at the half, Tennessee convincingly pulled away, stretching its lead to 31 with 2:32 left in the game.
Freshman forward Glory Johnson had a team-high 17 total points and 12 rebounds.
Dons guard Shay Rollins led her team with 17 points, though she was held to one field goal in the second half. She is the sister of Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who was at the game.
Stricklen added 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The freshman wasn’t lacking in effort, either. In a second-half play, she dived into the first-row seats for a loose ball.
“I told her don’t ever go over a chair again,” Summitt said. “This is the second time. She didn’t listen to me after the first. I said, ‘Unless we’re in the national championship game and that could be the difference.’”
“She lays it on the line whatever you ask her to do.”
By necessity, Tennessee’s freshmen had a large role in the game, scoring 53 total points. As expected, sophomore Angie Bjorklund sat out with back spasms along with sophomore Vicki Baugh, who is still rehabbing from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee suffered in last season’s national championship game. Redshirt freshman Kelley Cain was unavailable with a head injury.
Even without them, Tennessee eventually overmatched San Francisco with its size advantage.
“I think what caught up to us was their physical dominance,” said San Francisco coach Tanya Haave, who played at Tennessee from 1980 to ’84. “I think they’re going to be very good, and I’m very proud to come back here as an alumnus and see that.”
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tennessee adds young talent in wake of NCAA titles
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Pat Summitt isn't planning on making any excuses for her young Lady Volunteers this season. They're too talented.
The Hall of Fame coach will lead one of her youngest teams ever this season after losing 2008 player of the year Candace Parker and four other key players from last season's national championship squad that finished 36-2.
"The big thing right now is that we are trying to teach six true freshmen how we do things here at Tennessee,'' Summitt said.
Tennessee, ranked 7th, is always expected to make a run at the NCAA title - Summitt has won two straight and eight overall - but hardly anyone expects the Lady Vols to win a third straight with so much youth on the floor.
They weren't even picked to win the Southeastern Conference this season during the league's annual preseason media days. Instead, they were pegged to place second behind rival Vanderbilt.
A national title three-peat might be just out of reach, but there is one landmark to achieve this season. Summitt is only 17 wins away from amassing 1,000 in her career and could reach the mark as soon as mid-January.
"When I think about a thousand wins ... I can't believe I've been doing it this long and we've had the success we've had. But there's a correlation there to winning. The success comes from having the best talent,'' Summitt said.
She prefers talent over experience.
Forward Alex Fuller is Tennessee's only senior, and sophomore guard Angie Bjorklund is its only player with significant starting experience. Bjorklund's 8.4 average points per game and 68 3-point shots last season make her the most productive returning player.
Summitt is looking to both Fuller and Bjorklund to be more vocal team leaders, a role that isn't completely natural for them.
"This year is definitely going to be different - a reloading year - but I'm looking forward to taking that role on,'' Bjorklund said.
Aside from Fuller and Bjorklund, sophomore forward Vicki Baugh and sophomore guard Sydney Smallbone are the only other two players who saw significant playing time last season.
Summitt brought in the top 2008 recruiting class, chock full of McDonald's All-Americans, to fill the gigantic hole left by Parker, Alexis Hornbuckle, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste. The quintet combined to average 55.2 points last season.
For Summitt, teaching freshmen players how to train, practice and communicate at a higher level is a role she relishes.
"Some catch on a little more quicker than others. A lot of that has to do with just the environment they're coming from,'' she said.
The ones who have caught on most quickly are guard Shekinna Stricklen and forward Glory Johnson, who played for high school teams with a similar up-tempo style to Summitt's. Both players have a shot at making a big impact early.
Stricklen said there's still plenty of lessons she's learning about playing defense and communicating with her teammates.
"In high school you're the best player on the team, and they look to you to do everything. But when you come to the University of Tennessee everyone is good and you need to learn to rely on each other,'' she said.
Tennessee's freshman class also features point guard Briana Bass and forwards Amber Gray, Alicia Manning and Alyssia Brewer.
Other players Summitt will lean on early are a few Lady Vols who have spent much of the off season rehabbing injuries. Sophomore point guard Cait McMahan and freshman center Kelley Cain are returning after taking redshirt seasons to recover from knee surgeries.
Baugh, whose 4 rebounds per game and 29 blocks last season are the most of the returning players, also spent the offseason recovering from a knee injury she sustained in the NCAA title game. Baugh will be out for at least the first two weeks of the season as she continues to rehab.
The Lady Vols will celebrate last year's national championship by raising their NCAA banner to the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena when they open their season Saturday against San Francisco.
Tennessee's schedule is as tough as ever with non-conference games at Texas, Old Dominion, Gonzaga, Rutgers and Oklahoma. The Lady Vols will host their NCAA title game opponent, Stanford, at home, as well as DePaul and Duke.
They also play defending SEC regular season champion LSU at Baton Rouge and face Vanderbilt twice.
"We're going to have to grow up in a hurry,'' Summitt said.
The Hall of Fame coach will lead one of her youngest teams ever this season after losing 2008 player of the year Candace Parker and four other key players from last season's national championship squad that finished 36-2.
"The big thing right now is that we are trying to teach six true freshmen how we do things here at Tennessee,'' Summitt said.
Tennessee, ranked 7th, is always expected to make a run at the NCAA title - Summitt has won two straight and eight overall - but hardly anyone expects the Lady Vols to win a third straight with so much youth on the floor.
They weren't even picked to win the Southeastern Conference this season during the league's annual preseason media days. Instead, they were pegged to place second behind rival Vanderbilt.
A national title three-peat might be just out of reach, but there is one landmark to achieve this season. Summitt is only 17 wins away from amassing 1,000 in her career and could reach the mark as soon as mid-January.
"When I think about a thousand wins ... I can't believe I've been doing it this long and we've had the success we've had. But there's a correlation there to winning. The success comes from having the best talent,'' Summitt said.
She prefers talent over experience.
Forward Alex Fuller is Tennessee's only senior, and sophomore guard Angie Bjorklund is its only player with significant starting experience. Bjorklund's 8.4 average points per game and 68 3-point shots last season make her the most productive returning player.
Summitt is looking to both Fuller and Bjorklund to be more vocal team leaders, a role that isn't completely natural for them.
"This year is definitely going to be different - a reloading year - but I'm looking forward to taking that role on,'' Bjorklund said.
Aside from Fuller and Bjorklund, sophomore forward Vicki Baugh and sophomore guard Sydney Smallbone are the only other two players who saw significant playing time last season.
Summitt brought in the top 2008 recruiting class, chock full of McDonald's All-Americans, to fill the gigantic hole left by Parker, Alexis Hornbuckle, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste. The quintet combined to average 55.2 points last season.
For Summitt, teaching freshmen players how to train, practice and communicate at a higher level is a role she relishes.
"Some catch on a little more quicker than others. A lot of that has to do with just the environment they're coming from,'' she said.
The ones who have caught on most quickly are guard Shekinna Stricklen and forward Glory Johnson, who played for high school teams with a similar up-tempo style to Summitt's. Both players have a shot at making a big impact early.
Stricklen said there's still plenty of lessons she's learning about playing defense and communicating with her teammates.
"In high school you're the best player on the team, and they look to you to do everything. But when you come to the University of Tennessee everyone is good and you need to learn to rely on each other,'' she said.
Tennessee's freshman class also features point guard Briana Bass and forwards Amber Gray, Alicia Manning and Alyssia Brewer.
Other players Summitt will lean on early are a few Lady Vols who have spent much of the off season rehabbing injuries. Sophomore point guard Cait McMahan and freshman center Kelley Cain are returning after taking redshirt seasons to recover from knee surgeries.
Baugh, whose 4 rebounds per game and 29 blocks last season are the most of the returning players, also spent the offseason recovering from a knee injury she sustained in the NCAA title game. Baugh will be out for at least the first two weeks of the season as she continues to rehab.
The Lady Vols will celebrate last year's national championship by raising their NCAA banner to the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena when they open their season Saturday against San Francisco.
Tennessee's schedule is as tough as ever with non-conference games at Texas, Old Dominion, Gonzaga, Rutgers and Oklahoma. The Lady Vols will host their NCAA title game opponent, Stanford, at home, as well as DePaul and Duke.
They also play defending SEC regular season champion LSU at Baton Rouge and face Vanderbilt twice.
"We're going to have to grow up in a hurry,'' Summitt said.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Lady Vols Win Exhibition 85-50
Judging by its final exhibition, Tennessee wants a running start to its women's basketball season.
A bigger, more experienced opponent tried to impose a speed limit on the Lady Vols on Sunday afternoon but succeeded for only about 10 playing minutes.
Love & Basketball barely resembled a speed bump as UT pulled away to an 85-50 victory before a crowd of 11,149 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT coach Pat Summitt has been specific with her marching orders and the Lady Vols are doing their double-time best to comply.
"They're really trying to stay in the up-tempo mode,'' Summitt said. "That's what we want to do."
UT took the lead for good at 12-11 with 11:08 left in the first half and bolted to 29-point advantage by the break (42-13) against a team of former collegiate players who reside in Southern California.
Despite some performance lapses, the lead grew to as many as 40 points on two second-half occasions in Tennessee's final tune-up before Saturday's regular-season opener against San Francisco.
Shekinna Stricklen finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She was one of five Lady Vols scoring in double figures. Kelley Cain and Sydney Smallbone each scored 12. Alyssia Brewer scored 11 and Amber Gray added 10.
Brewer grabbed 11 rebounds and Cain 10 as UT built a sizable 54-36 advantage.
The 6-foot-3 Brewer came off the bench to record double-doubles for points and rebounds in both exhibitions.
"What Lyssi Brewer has brought has been solid,'' Summitt said.
Charlee Underwood led the opposition with 16 points.
Sunday's outcome was noteworthy when compared to Love & Basketball's 83-74 loss at Vanderbilt on Friday night. The Commodores, the preseason SEC favorite, led by just three points with 1:57 left.
"I think it's a very interesting selection," Love & Basketball coach Colleen Matsuhara said of the media and coaches both picking Vanderbilt to win the conference. "They are very talented. I think the Lady Vols probably go a little deeper in terms of athleticism and quickness.''
The Lady Vols used those attributes and their size to advance their fast-paced agenda against Matsuhara's team. With redshirt sophomore Cait McMahan resting her surgically repaired right knee, Stricklen and Briana Bass took turns at point guard, combining for 11 of Tennessee's 24 assists and just two of the 16 turnovers.
"I'm really getting comfortable with it,'' said Stricklen, who is new to the position. "I have great teammates. When I'm pushing the ball, they're running the floor. They're open. They're making it easy."
Although Stricklen had five assists, she was a receiver on the game's prettiest play - a behind-the-back pass from Gray for a transition layup during the first-half surge.
"I kind of looked at her and she was looking at me,'' Stricklen said. "I was like 'oh, she's about to do something.' So I was kind of looking for it."
Gray said her decision had a calculated dimension.
"People think it's a fancy pass but at that time it was the easiest pass to make,'' she said. "If you have someone running side by side the (defender) can't stop. It was something I practiced all the time in high school."
Bass' vapor trail was conspicuous in the second half as she pushing the basketball up the floor. The 5-2 freshman recorded five of her six assists in the final 20 minutes. Most of them came on transition plays.
"I believe she's faster than (Shannon) Bobbitt,'' said Summitt, referring to UT's economy-sized point guard of the past two seasons. "She doesn't shoot the ball as well, but she's trying to prove me wrong on that, too.
Bass hit three of Tennessee's eight 3-pointers. Smallbone hit a pair, showing a quicker release than last season.
On the flipside, Brewer committed five of her six turnovers during the second half, contributing to UT's intermittent lulls. Fellow freshman Glory Johnson, meanwhile, was topping off a 2-for-11 shooting effort. At times, Tennessee was hurt by deploying an all-freshman lineup.
Senior forward Alex Fuller was missed. She took a blow to her upper body early in the second half and had to be helped off the court. She finished the game as a spectator on the bench.
A bigger, more experienced opponent tried to impose a speed limit on the Lady Vols on Sunday afternoon but succeeded for only about 10 playing minutes.
Love & Basketball barely resembled a speed bump as UT pulled away to an 85-50 victory before a crowd of 11,149 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT coach Pat Summitt has been specific with her marching orders and the Lady Vols are doing their double-time best to comply.
"They're really trying to stay in the up-tempo mode,'' Summitt said. "That's what we want to do."
UT took the lead for good at 12-11 with 11:08 left in the first half and bolted to 29-point advantage by the break (42-13) against a team of former collegiate players who reside in Southern California.
Despite some performance lapses, the lead grew to as many as 40 points on two second-half occasions in Tennessee's final tune-up before Saturday's regular-season opener against San Francisco.
Shekinna Stricklen finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She was one of five Lady Vols scoring in double figures. Kelley Cain and Sydney Smallbone each scored 12. Alyssia Brewer scored 11 and Amber Gray added 10.
Brewer grabbed 11 rebounds and Cain 10 as UT built a sizable 54-36 advantage.
The 6-foot-3 Brewer came off the bench to record double-doubles for points and rebounds in both exhibitions.
"What Lyssi Brewer has brought has been solid,'' Summitt said.
Charlee Underwood led the opposition with 16 points.
Sunday's outcome was noteworthy when compared to Love & Basketball's 83-74 loss at Vanderbilt on Friday night. The Commodores, the preseason SEC favorite, led by just three points with 1:57 left.
"I think it's a very interesting selection," Love & Basketball coach Colleen Matsuhara said of the media and coaches both picking Vanderbilt to win the conference. "They are very talented. I think the Lady Vols probably go a little deeper in terms of athleticism and quickness.''
The Lady Vols used those attributes and their size to advance their fast-paced agenda against Matsuhara's team. With redshirt sophomore Cait McMahan resting her surgically repaired right knee, Stricklen and Briana Bass took turns at point guard, combining for 11 of Tennessee's 24 assists and just two of the 16 turnovers.
"I'm really getting comfortable with it,'' said Stricklen, who is new to the position. "I have great teammates. When I'm pushing the ball, they're running the floor. They're open. They're making it easy."
Although Stricklen had five assists, she was a receiver on the game's prettiest play - a behind-the-back pass from Gray for a transition layup during the first-half surge.
"I kind of looked at her and she was looking at me,'' Stricklen said. "I was like 'oh, she's about to do something.' So I was kind of looking for it."
Gray said her decision had a calculated dimension.
"People think it's a fancy pass but at that time it was the easiest pass to make,'' she said. "If you have someone running side by side the (defender) can't stop. It was something I practiced all the time in high school."
Bass' vapor trail was conspicuous in the second half as she pushing the basketball up the floor. The 5-2 freshman recorded five of her six assists in the final 20 minutes. Most of them came on transition plays.
"I believe she's faster than (Shannon) Bobbitt,'' said Summitt, referring to UT's economy-sized point guard of the past two seasons. "She doesn't shoot the ball as well, but she's trying to prove me wrong on that, too.
Bass hit three of Tennessee's eight 3-pointers. Smallbone hit a pair, showing a quicker release than last season.
On the flipside, Brewer committed five of her six turnovers during the second half, contributing to UT's intermittent lulls. Fellow freshman Glory Johnson, meanwhile, was topping off a 2-for-11 shooting effort. At times, Tennessee was hurt by deploying an all-freshman lineup.
Senior forward Alex Fuller was missed. She took a blow to her upper body early in the second half and had to be helped off the court. She finished the game as a spectator on the bench.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Tennessee Lady Vols defeat Carson-Newman 135-55
Freshman Johnson scores 33 off bench
Glory Johnson set the encore bar pretty high with her Tennessee women’s basketball debut Thursday night.
After scoring 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a 135-55 exhibition victory over Carson-Newman College, what more can the freshman forward do?
Well, how about starting for starters.
“I really don’t want to be on the bench,” the former Webb School star said. “I don’t really need to be there. It was something I was trying to prove.”
She made her case rather emphatically, coming in to shoot 11 for 18 from the floor and amass her impressive totals in just 28 playing minutes before a crowd of 11,781 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Glory is one of the best athletes that we’ve ever had in our program,” UT coach Pat Summitt said. “I would compare her to (former UT All-American) Tamika Catchings with her speed and aggressiveness. She shot the ball well tonight, considering that we haven’t spent a lot of time on her face-up game. … She has a lot of pride in her game. She definitely changes the way we play.”
All of Tennessee’s freshmen introduced them in impressive fashion. Four others scored in double figures with Alicia Manning getting 19, Shekinna Stricklen 17, Amber Gray 16 and Alyssia Brewer 14.
Manning filled out her stat line with six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Brewer, a 6-foot-3 forward, had 13 rebounds and gathered a team-high seven steals, one more than Stricklen.
First-year point guard Briana Bass had four assists and zero turnovers.
Add redshirt freshman center Kelley Cain’s 18 points and nine rebounds to the potent mix and it added up to the second-highest scoring total in UT’s exhibition history. The Lady Vols’ 72 rebounds were four short of the school single-game record.
Carson-Newman College coach Dean Walsh offered a frame of reference for seventh-ranked Tennessee’s performance. Two nights earlier, the Lady Eagles played at No. 6 North Carolina, losing to the Tar Heels 114-64.
“As I told Coach (Summitt) in the hallway out there, at this point in time it’s not close, she’s better than Carolina,’’ he said. “It’s not even close. We were able to get looks against Carolina. We were able to do a lot of things we wanted to do against Carolina. And tonight we couldn’t get the looks that we wanted that we felt were open.”
UT’s effort affirmed the demanding nature of preseason practice. Even with the rout in full swing at 119-50, Summitt took a quick timeout to give Brewer an earful.
Afterward, she was lamenting the Lady Vols’ 25 for 49 free throw shooting, albeit in a joking manner.
“I’m not sure who our free throw coach is,’’ said Summitt, listing the names of assistant coaches Dean Lockwood, Holly Warlick and Daedra Charles-Furlow, “but it wasn’t me. That was unacceptable. We can work on that, though.”
On the other hand, Summitt was serious about deploying Johnson as a reserve. Last week, Summitt had listed the 6-3 high school All-American as a starter but then backtracked based on Johnson’s practice effort.
“Glory can change her role when she brings it in practice every day,” Summitt said. “She’s a special player. I have different expectations for her.”
Walsh’s joking referred to the exhibition gauntlet he put his team through this week.
“I think anybody that knows the game of basketball knows there isn’t a sane coach who would play North Carolina on Tuesday and then turn around and play the Lady Vols,” he said.
In all seriousness, from this point forward it’s bound to get better.
Said C-N guard Ashley Tipton: “It makes our (other) games seem really easy.”
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Summitt to speak at United Way fundraiser
Pat Summitt, head coach of the defending national champion University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, will be the featured speaker at a first-of-its kind United Way fund-raiser Wednesday, featuring a chili cook-off, silent auction and other activities.
The event will be held 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Conference Center at Water’s Edge, 608 Mabry Hood Road, in West Knoxville. It is open to the public and sponsored by the Rodefer Moss accounting firm.
“This is a chance for West Knoxville business people to meet, get to know each other, support a great cause and meet and hear Coach Summitt, one of Tennessee’s true athletic and inspirational treasures,” Jimmy Rodefer, chief executive officer of Rodefer Moss, said in a press release.
There will be a chili cook-off, $5 hotdog lunch, silent auction and door and game prizes. Some auction items include two national championship basketballs autographed by Pat Summitt, a weekend get-away at Fontana Village, guitar autographed by Darius Rucker, a spa package, and others.
For more information, call 865-583-0091.
The event will be held 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Conference Center at Water’s Edge, 608 Mabry Hood Road, in West Knoxville. It is open to the public and sponsored by the Rodefer Moss accounting firm.
“This is a chance for West Knoxville business people to meet, get to know each other, support a great cause and meet and hear Coach Summitt, one of Tennessee’s true athletic and inspirational treasures,” Jimmy Rodefer, chief executive officer of Rodefer Moss, said in a press release.
There will be a chili cook-off, $5 hotdog lunch, silent auction and door and game prizes. Some auction items include two national championship basketballs autographed by Pat Summitt, a weekend get-away at Fontana Village, guitar autographed by Darius Rucker, a spa package, and others.
For more information, call 865-583-0091.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)