University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS LOOK TO REBOUND AGAINST DEPAUL SUNDAY
December 11, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2004
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| THE GAME | |
| The No. 15 DePaul Blue Demons venture to Rocky Top with vengeance on their minds after having their 2003-04 campaign end with a 79-59 loss to Tennessee in the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament. DePaul finished 23-7 overall, with two losses against UT. The squad returns pretty much intact, minus the departure of four letterwinners, including starters Ashley Luke and Sarah Kustok. DePaul started 6-0 this season, but is 0-1 since the loss of senior guard Charlene Smith to a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, the Lady Vols have lost two of their last three games, after falling to Duke, 59-57, on Dec. 2. However, Pat Summitt's staff has had ten days to work with the team and will look to right the ship versus DePaul. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM at Thompson-Boling Arena. | |
| The No. 9 Lady Vols' (4-2) tough early season schedule continues today as Tennessee plays host to No. 15 DePaul. After starting the season 3-0, the Orange and White have lost two of their last three games. UT, fresh off a ten-day layoff for exams, will be looking to return to its winning ways. The Big Orange will have to do so without the services of senior guard Loree Moore, out up to a month after undergoing a tonsillectomy. In DePaul, Tennessee faces a very formidable foe that gave UT a run for its money last season in Chicago, Ill. Down by four with 1:30 to go, the Lady Vols rallied to force overtime, and prevailed 96-89. The two teams would hook up again in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but this time DePaul was no match for Tennessee as UT led 50-24 at the half and won easily, 79-59, to advance to the Sweet 16. With Moore out, only two other Lady Vols have started every game, as leading scorer Shanna Zolman (11.2 ppg) and sophomore forward Sidney Spencer, averaging 6.8 ppg, have started all six. Senior forward Shyra Ely responded to being held out of the starting lineup versus Temple by posting 15 points and eight rebounds against Duke. Zolman led the way with 19 points, but it wasn't enough as the Blue Devils escaped Rocky Top with a 59-57 win. With the victory, the Blue Devils became just the seventh team to defeat the Lady Vols at the Thompson-Boling Arena where Tennessee is an amazing 241-14. | The No. 15 DePaul Blue Demons raced out to a 5- 0 record, fueled by an explosive offense that opened the first 205 minutes of the 2004-05 campaign scoring over 100 points per game while netting a high of 118, the second-most points in a single game in school history. DePaul was then dealt a dose of the injury bug just 5:08 into Monday's win over Loyola-Chicago, losing senior guard Charlene Smith for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Thrust into the lineup for her first collegiate start, freshman guard Allie Quigley scored seven points, but DePaul suffered its first loss of the season, scoring a season-low 61 points in a 68-61 defeat at No. 21 Purdue on Thursday night. DePaul is just 1-1 since the Smith injury. Quigley had been a spark plug coming off the bench, connecting on 16-of-28 three-pointers while averaging 13.4 points per game. Junior forward Khara Smith leads the team, averaging 19.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, while senior guard Jenni Dant has spread the ball around, dishing out four assists per game. On the defensive end, DePaul has held opponents to just 61.1 ppg, and 37 percent shooting from the field. The team has six players with at least 12 steals. |
| COACHING STAFFS | |
| Pat Summitt is in her 31st year as head coach of the Lady Vols. Her overall career record stands at 856 wins and 169 losses, and she has led UT to six national championships. Summitt is assisted by Holly Warlick, Nikki Caldwell and Dean Lockwood. | The DePaul Blue Demons are coached by Doug Bruno, sporting a 328-206 record in his 19th season at the helm of the program. Bruno is assisted by Candis Blankson, Maggie Dixon and Samantha Williams. |
| TIDBITS | |
| Tennessee is 15-0 versus DePaul, having tallied 100 points three times against the Blue Demons...The two teams met last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with Tennessee advancing to the Sweet 16...Loree Moore underwent a tonsillectomy on Friday, Dec. 10, and will likely sit out a month...Moore's shoes will certainly be tough to fill, as the senior guard led the team in steals and assists, while ranking second in rebounds behind Shyra Ely...Freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle will start in her place...Hornbuckle joins Nicky Anosike as the two freshmen to start games this season...Junior guard Shanna Zolman has hit 44 straight free throws (10-of-10 this season), and has not missed a free throw since Jan. 29, 2004...Tiffany Woosley holds the Lady Vol record, converting 45 straight from 12/21/92- 2/6/93...Zolman already owns one Lady Vol foul line record, converting throws at a .957 clip (88-of-92) last season...Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt needs just 24 wins to pass Dean Smith as the NCAA's all-time winningest coach...Summitt earned her 800th career win on Jan. 14, 2003, 76-57 over DePaul. | The Blue Demons are shooting 49 percent on the season...DePaul is 29-8 over their last 37 games, scoring at least 90 points 16 times...DU has scored at least 50 points in a half seven times this year...DePaul led the nation in scoring, averaging 84.4 points per game in 2003-04...The Blue Demons have been selected as the preseason favorite to win the Conference USA Championship...Junior forward Khara Smith and senior guard Charlene Smith are cousins, combining for 30 points per game...C. Smith tore her ACL on Monday, versus Loyola-Chicago and is out indefinitely...C. Smith has scored 1055 points in her four-year collegiate career, splitting time at DePaul and UW-Milwaukee...She reached double-figures in points in 53 out of 68 games...The Blue Demons opened the season with six home wins, and lost the first of a six-game road trip...Dating back to last year, DePaul has lost four consecutive regular-season road games...Head coach Doug Bruno became a grandfather on Wednesday. |
