University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS FACE VANDERBILT IN SEC SEMIFINALS
March 05, 2005 | Women's Basketball
March 5, 2005
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| #2 Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. #3 Vanderbilt Commodores
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THE GAME The #5/4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (24-4, 13-1 SEC) continue play in the 2005 SEC Tournament taking on a tough #18/17-ranked and third seeded Vanderbilt Commodores (22-6, 10-4 SEC) to see who advances to the SEC Championship game on Sunday, Mar. 6. LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE This is the Lady Vols' 31st season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 876-171 overall record...Needs just four wins to become the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history...With the victory over Auburn in the SEC Tournament, she tied the legendary Adolph Rupp (876) of Kentucky for second place...Her 2003-04 squad finished as the NCAA runner-up with a 31-4 record and were the regular season SEC Champs with a 14-0 record... This season, UT returned seven letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers ...Rookies Candace Parker and Alex Fuller will redshirt this season continuing to rehab their left knees...In the last week, the Lady Vols were dealt a double blow losing sophomore Sidney Spencer to a right knee ACL and rookie guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood to patella tendonitis surgery scheduled for Mar. 21...The Lady Vols are down to nine healthy scholarship players as they begin March Madness... COMMODORES AT A GLANCE The "No Love Lost" SEC rivalry between Tennessee and Vanderbilt continues today for the 51st time with a meeting at the SEC Tournament. Under the direction of coach Melanie Balcomb, the Commodores are 22-6 overall and 10-4 in the SEC this season. Senior Ashley Earley leads the charge for Vanderbilt tossing in 18.4 ppg while connecting on 63.6% of her shots. VU SERIES TIDBITS Tennessee and Vanderbilt have a storied past. This will mark the 51st meeting between these SEC foes. UT has played Vandy 30 times since 1994. No other team has recorded as many back-to-back games with the Lady Vols in single seasons since UT played Old Dominion home-and-home and in the postseason (practically every year) in the late 1970s and early 80s. Though the Lady Vols possess a dominant 44-6 advantage in the overall series, the last several years have brought a more competitive match-up as UT has edged Vandy 10-2 in the past 12 meetings. Vanderbilt and Tennessee met in the SEC's tournament finals twice with UT winning in 1994 and VU triumphing in 1995. Overall, UT is 6-2 in postseason meetings with Vandy. FIFTY IS NIFTY Vanderbilt became the first opponent to face UT 50 times in a series. OUR LAST MEETING WITH VANDERBILT Playing in front of the largest home crowd this season (18,643), the fifth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols defeated intrastate rival No. 21/20 Vanderbilt, 72-63, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 13. The win was UT's second against the Commodores this season, as the Orange and White were victorious, 79-65, in Nashville on Jan. 16. Additionally, the Lady Vols extended their SEC regular season home winning streak to 59 games. While it was VU that struck first with a three-pointer by Abi Ramsey, the Lady Vols responded with a 9-0 run that forced the Commodores to take their first timeout less than three minutes into the contest. Tennessee would extend the lead to seven points, 12-5, following a layin by Shanna Zolman off an assist by Loree Moore, but Vanderbilt answered with a 10-0 spurt to go ahead by three. Unfazed by the opposition's rally, the Big Orange charged back with an 11-0 run to lead by eight points, 23-15, with 8:49 remaining in the opening half. Shortly thereafter VU narrowed the margin to just one point, 28-27, but the Lady Vols closed out the half with a 10-2 run to take a nine-point lead into the locker room. Following the intermission, UT scored six unanswered points to take its biggest lead of the game, 44-29, forcing the Commodores into a timeout. With Head Coach Pat Summitt's squad still leading by double digits with less than five minutes to play, Vanderbilt utilized an 11-4 spurt during a three-minute span to cut the margin to just four with 1:55 showing on the clock. However, the Lady Vols went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the triumph. Individually, Tennessee was led by a trio of players who posted double-digit scoring totals: Shyra Ely (18), Tye'sha Fluker (14) and Zolman (14). As a team, UT shot 50 percent from the field and held the opposition to 44.6 percent shooting. Additionally, the Big Orange won the battle of the boards, 36-27. UT AND VANDY RANKED MEETINGS IN 2004-05 The Lady Vols game against #1 LSU marked the Lady Vols (5-4) ninth game versus a ranked team this season. Meanwhile Vanderbilt (1-3) will be meeting its fifth ranked opponent. UT defeated #15 DePaul, 78-63, #2 Stanford, 70-67, #15/14 UConn, 68-67, #17/15 Vandy, 79-65 #18/20 Georgia, 77-70, and #21/20 Vanderbilt72-63, but lost to #4 Texas, 74-59, #10/9 Duke, 59-57, #24 Rutgers, 65-51 and LSU, 68-58. Vanderbilt is 1-3 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season. The Commodores have lost to #8 Tennessee, 79-65, #2 LSU 79-68, #5 Tennessee, 72-63, but defeated #18 Georgia, 66-59 in overtime. LADY VOL SENIORS IN SEC LEAGUE GAMES Tennessee's senior trio of Shyra Ely, Brittany Jackson and Moore have fashioned a 54-2 overall record in four seasons in SEC league games...Until the loss at LSU on Feb. 10, their only previous loss came at the hands of Vanderbilt, 76-59, on Feb. 2, 2002, as rookies...In four years, they never lost a home SEC game. SUMMITT TIES RUPP AT THE SEC TOURNAMENT Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt (876-171) has an SEC Semifinal contest and a possible one more in the SEC Tournament coming up. With her victory over Auburn, Summitt tied the legendary Kentucky coach, Adolph Rupp (876-190) for second all-time in NCAA Division 1 coaches' victories. RUPP'S RECORD TIDBITS Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt claimed her 876th career win with a victory over Auburn, 64-54, on Mar. 4, 2005, in her 31st season at the helm of the Lady Vols. Rupp notched his 875th coaching win with a 67-66 victory over Tennessee in Stokely Athletics Center on March 9, 1972. Rupp achieved this in his 41st season of coaching. By virtue of defeating Tennessee, Rupp's Wildcats earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. His 876th win came at the 1972 NCAA Mideast Regional Tournament where his Wildcats defeated Marquette, 85-69, on Mar. 16 in Dayton, Ohio. The illustrious Rupp's coaching career came to an end in his very next game losing to Florida State, 73-54, on Mar. 18 in the MER finals. Rupp concluded 41 years in coaching with an 876-190 all-time record. OUR FIRST MEETING WITH VANDERBILT IN 2005 The No. 8/10-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols rallied back from a 15-point first half deficit to defeat No. 17/15 Vanderbilt, 79-65, before a crowd of 9,651 at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 16. With the victory, UT has now triumphed over the Commodores in each of the last seven meetings and extended its SEC regular season winning streak to 36 games. Early on, it was all Vanderbilt as the Black and Gold connected on their first nine shots from the floor to build a 14-point lead, 24-10, at the 12:37 mark. Following the second media timeout, however, the Lady Vols narrowed the margin to just eight after a pair of three-pointers by Brittany Jackson. VU responded with a 7-0 spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 31-16. Determined not to be put away easily, Pat Summitt's squad charged back with a 13-0 run, capped by a pair of Tye'sha Fluker free throws, and trailed by just two with a little more than five minutes left in the opening half. UT would even the score with a three-pointer by Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood as the buzzer sounded, and the teams went to the locker room with the contest knotted at 37 apiece. Following the intermission, neither team was able to make a significant run as the margin was no more than four points in favor of either side through the opening 12 minutes. However, the Big Orange finally pulled ahead by utilizing a full-court press and rattled off a 13-0 run to lead 72-59 with 3:56 remaining. Vanderbilt would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way as UT sealed the 14-point victory. The Lady Vols were led by a quartet of players in double figures: Shanna Zolman (20), Alexis Hornbuckle (16) and Fluker and Jackson (14). Fluker's total equaled a career high, and she just missed out on a double-double by equaling a career high in rebounds with nine. ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES . . . UT and Vandy have met three times in a season on seven different occasions. CAREER STATS VS. VANDERBILT Returning Lady Vol career statistics versus Vanderbilt can be found on p. 80 in the 2004-05 Tennessee media guide. Junior Shanna Zolman has proven that she enjoys playing against Vanderbilt, as she owns an 13.2 points per game average versus the Commodores and hits on 39% of her treys against the SEC rivals. Senior Shyra Ely is the second-leading scorer (11.8 ppg) and has connected at a .597 clip against the instate rivals. HOW MANY GAMES? There will be some discrepancy in the game notes as to the records for UT and Vandy in the all-time series. The Lady Vols records show that the first game between the two teams was played on Jan. 18, 1976 in Nashville. Tennessee won the contest, 96-27. Counting that game, UT has a 44-6 lead over the Commodores in the all-time series VANDY HAS NEVER WON IN K-TOWN Four of Vandy's wins in the series have come at Memorial Gymnasium on the Nashville campus, while two of the Commodores six victories over UT have come on neutral courts in the SEC Tourney. The closest Vanderbilt has come to claiming a win in Knoxville in 20 meetings was a two-point loss on Feb. 26, 1984, 74-72, in Stokely Athletics Center on the UT campus. Other near misses include a three-point loss in 1996 and a four-pointer on 2-22-01. SERIES RANKINGS Typically, going into the Tennessee versus Vanderbilt match-up, the Lady Vols have entered the contest as the higher ranked team. In fact, in the last 31 meetings dating back to Jan.30, 1993, the Commodores have been ranked higher just six times. Going into that memorable oversold game on the Nashville campus in 1993, Vanderbilt was ranked number one while the Lady Vols were a step behind at #2. TURNSTILE HEAVEN Tennessee and Vanderbilt love to attract the crowds on their campuses when the two teams meet. Here are all of the attendance averages dating back to 1986-87 season. KNOXVILLE TOTAL (AVG.) --15 games - 225,062 (15,004); NASHVILLE TOTAL (AVG)--17 games - 193,497 (11,382); NEUTRAL TOTAL (AVG)--7 games- 53,001 ( 7,571). Largest gatherings: 21,968 in Knoxville 2/22/01, 15,317 in Nashville 1/30/93 and 11,182 in Memphis 3/3/01. LADY VOLS HIT 50% It took 23 games but the 2004-05 Tennessee Lady Vols finally had a game where they connected on 50% from the field. In the second meeting with Vanderbilt (2-13-05), Tennessee was 27-54 from the field for a perfect .500 shooting day in the 72-63 victory. Since then, the Lady Vols have record over fifty-percent shooting days at Arkansas (.545) and at Alabama (.580). BETTER SCORING APTITUDE The Lady Vols have flirted with scoring almost 70 points per game all season long. Following the game with Auburn on Mar. 4, Tennessee's per game average rose to 72.0 ppg - the highest of the season. In Pat's Summitt's 31 years at the helm of the Lady Vols, only two teams have failed to average at least 70 points per game. In consecutive seasons, the 1983-84 (69.2) and 1984-85 (69.8) teams fell short of the 70.0 ppg mark. SHOT OUT OF A CANNON SINCE THE LOSS TO LSU In the Tennessee Lady Vols six games since the loss at top-ranked LSU on Feb. 10, some pretty interesting statistical changes have occurred. UT went from barely scoring 70 points per game to averaging 80.4 ppg during this span. Along with playing tougher defense, Tennessee is now outscoring its opponents by +17.4 (80.4 to 63.0) Horrible field goal accuracy has climbed from the 39% range to 50.2% in the last six games. Similarly, UT is canning 42% of its treys and connecting on 73% from the charity stripe. Tennessee continues to maintain a rebounding edge - an increase to 11.2 more rebounds per game in the wins over #21/20 Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn. The Lady Vols have become less passive and worked their way to the free throw line 53 MORE TIMES than the opponents (UT 93-127 and opponents 52-74). Individual players have become more efficient since the loss at LSU. Shyra Ely had been struggling offensively but a position change (and not starting 3 of the 6 games) has paid huge dividends. Ely is confidently connecting on 57% from the field and 72% from the charity stripe while averaging 20.2 ppg and 9.2 rpg. Tougher defensively, she is a team leader with 11 steals in the last five contests. Junior Shanna Zolman has worked her way back as a starter in the last six games. The junior sharpshooter has connected on 50% of her treys and is averaging 12.4 ppg. Rookie All-SEC selection Nicky Anosike has emerged as the team's third leading scorer and second leading rebounder during this span. Anosike is tossing in 59% of her field goals and has become more confident from the charity stripe connecting on 74% of her shots. Her points per game average is closing in on double-figures at 9.8 ppg. Just about every Lady Vol has shown improvement since the loss. Brittany Jackson has nailed 46% of her treys...Alexis Hornbuckle is taking more measured shots and had made 68% of her tries. She has also gone to the board an averages five rebounds per contest. With Sidney Spencer lost for the rest of the season, classmate Dominique Redding has logged some significant improvement in the last six games. Redding has connected on 11 of her 13 charity tosses (.846). OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK The #5/4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols continue March Madness at the SEC Tournament, Mar. 4-6, 2005. LADY VOLS ON TV Sixteen Lady Vol regular season games have been on television this season. Upcoming games on TV: SEC TOURNAMENT. UT is 12-4 in TV games. ON THIS DAY Tennessee is 11-4 in their history when playing on Mar. 5. The Lady Vols are 2-1 at home, 0-1 on the road, and 9-2 on neutral courts. The last time out on the 5th, the Lady Vols defeated Miss. St., 67-57, in the 2004 SEC Tourney. LOOKING BACK Last year at this time, the Lady Vols (26-2) had just defeated Mississippi State, 67-57, in the second round of the SEC Tournament. SUMMITT 'S TELECONFERENCE -- Coach Pat Summitt will be on her weekly teleconference at 11:00 a.m. ET, on Mar. 9. UT'S OFFENSIVE ACCURACY In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 60%: none 50%FG: .580 (Alabama), .545 (Ark2), .500 (Vandy2) 40%FG: .486 (Ole Miss), .483 (Vandy1), .481 (UTC), .469 (SoCarolina2), .468 (GWU & Auburn), .456 (LaTech), .441 (TCU),.438 (Miss St) .436 (Ark1), .435 (DePaul), .418 (Fla), 30%FG: .397 (UConn), .393 (Georgia), .391 (SoCarolina1), .373 (Stanford, NC State), .370 (ODU), .369 (Kentucky), .323 (Temple), .329 (Texas); .310 (LSU) 20%FG: .284 (Auburn2), .280 (Duke), .278 (Rutgers). DEEE ----- FENSE In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 60% FG: .604 (Texas), 50%FG: .581 (Auburn), .520 (LSU) 40%FG: .490 (UConn), .473 (Stanford), .456 (Vandy1), .448 (Georgia), .446 (Vandy2), .426 (LaTech & Fla.), .400 (Miss St. & Ark2), ,30%FG: .393 (Rutgers), .391 (SoCarolina2), .390 (Duke), .389 (Auburn2), .373 (NC State), .333 (Ark1, Temple), .321 (GWU), .311 (SoCarolina1), .310 (Ole Miss), .300 (TCU), 20%FG: .299 (ODU), .288 (Kentucky), .265 (DePaul), 10%: .135 (UTC) 2005 SEC HONORS Tennessee senior Shyra Ely was named to the All-SEC First Team on Mar. 1, 2005. It marked Ely's second appearance on the first team. She was All-Rookie with Loree Moore in 2002. Also making her second consecutive appearance on the All-SEC Coaches Second Team is junior Shanna Zolman. First-Team All-SEC TWO LADY VOLS NAMED - SEC ALL-ROOKIE TEAM Lady Vol rookies, Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike, were unanimous picks for the 2005 SEC All-Freshman team as selected by the league coaches. Anosike and Hornbuckle become just the 23rd and 24th UT rookies to be named since the inception of the team in 1987. All-Freshman Team SIXTH TIME TWO NAMED 2005 marks the sixth time a pair of Tennessee rookies had been named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. In 1991, current Lady Vol assistant coach Nikki Caldwell was named to the SEC rookie squad with teammate Peggy Evans. In 1992, it was Tiffany Woosley and Dana Johnson; 1998, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall; 2000, Gwen Jackson and Kara Lawson, and 2002, Shyra Ely and Loree Moore. OTHER 2005 SEC HONORS 2005 Coach of the Year: TONIGHT MARKS OUR 22ND TIME IN THE SEMIFINALS Tonight's game against Vanderbilt in the 2005 SEC Tournament marks the Lady Vols 22nd incredible trip to the semifinal round of the nation's toughest conference tournament. UT is 15-6 in all-time SEC semi meetings. OUR SEC TOURNAMENT SEMI MEETING WITH VANDY Tennessee has faced Vanderbilt in three SEC semifinal meetings all-time and lead 2-1. In the most recent meeting, Vanderbilt knocked UT out with a 77-74 win in 2001. Previously, the Lady Vols had defeated the Commodores 61-53 in 2000 and 106-45 in 1998 in the semifinals. UT's average score in these games is 81.3 to 57.3 for Vandy -- a +20 winning margin for UT. SEVENTH TIME PITCHED A SHUT-OUT Tennessee's 14-0 slate during the 2004 season marked the seventh time that the Lady Vols pitched a shut-out to win the regular season SEC title. Previously, the Lady Vols were undefeated in 2003 (14-0), 2001 (14-0), 1998 (14-0), 1995 (11-0), 1994 (11-0) and 1993 (11-0). NUMBER TWO SEED UT will be the number two seed when the SEC Tournament starts on Thurs., Mar. 3 in Greenville, South Carolina. After a first round bye, the Lady Vols will be in action on Fri., Mar. 4 at 3:15 p.m. taking on the winner of the game between #7-seeded Auburn and #10 seeded Kentucky. HEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT The Lady Vols carry a modest five-game winning streak into Greenville this weekend. The Lady Vols had an 10-game winning streak before losing to LSU, 68-58 on Feb. 10. Since dropping early season contests to then #4 Texas and then #10/9 Duke, the Lady Vols have won 19 out of 21 games - losing on Dec.29 to a hot Rutgers squad and then to top-ranked LSU on Feb. 10. BOWING OUT EARLY FROM THE SEC's There have been four trips to the SEC Tournament since 1980 when the Lady Vols didn't even get to unpack their bags, losing in second round action after receiving a bye. In 1981, Alabama sent UT packing after a 77-71 loss; in 1984, Alabama again provided the honors with a 85-66 drubbing; in 1986, Ole Miss dealt UT a 83-78 loss, and in 1993, Georgia provided UT with an early exit from Chattanooga, 73-72. 15 SEC FINAL APPEARANCES The 2003 SEC title game against LSU marked Tennessee's 15th appearance in an SEC Championship. UT has won 10 SEC Tournament titles with half occurring in the 1990s (1999, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1992). The Lady Vols amassed a 16-3 record in SEC games played in Chattanooga and brought home four titles from that venue (1994, 1996, 1999 and 2000). DOUBLED OUR PLEASURE Since the SEC began crowning regular season champions and tournament champions back in 1980, the Tennessee Lady Vols have hit the double-dip of winning the regular season and the tournament on six occasions - 1980, 1985, 1994, 1998, 1999 and 2000. 2005 SEC TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK 26 APPEARANCES The Lady Vols' 2005 appearance in the SEC Tournament is the school's 26th time to the mini-Final Four. This season marks the 25th time with a first round bye. The only year that Tennessee had to play on opening day was in 1997 when the Lady Vols were suffering through a rare 10-loss season. UT suffered its final defeat of the year at the Round House in Chattanooga (a 61-59 loss to Auburn) and then ran the table in the NCAA's to finish the year 29-10 and 1997 NCAA Champions. 2005 LADY VOL GREAT The Tennessee "great" being honored at the 2005 SEC Tournament is Tamika Catchings. A 6'1" forward, Catchings was a four-time KODAK All-American. She was also the SEC Rookie of the Year in 1998 from Duncanville, Texas, Catchings helped to lead the Lady Vols to the perfect 39-0 record in 1997-98. She is currently on campus completing her master's degree requirements in Sport Management. The other "SEC Greats" in the 2005 class includes Pauline Davis Thompson, Alabama; Tracy Webb Rice, Arkansas; Mae Ola Bolton, Auburn; Talatha Bingham, Florida; Katrina McClain, Georgia; Lisa Collins, Kentucky; Julie Gross Stoudemire, LSU; Kimsey O'Neal Cooper, Ole Miss; Sharon Thompson, Mississippi State; Shannon Johnson, South Carolina; Tamika Catchings, Tennessee; Barbara Brackman Capobianco, Vanderbilt. Each "Great" will be introduced during half-time of their teams first game of the tournament, all 12 individuals will also be introduced as a group between games of the second session on Friday, March 4. The "Greats" will then participate in an autograph session at the Dr Pepper SEC Fan Fare, located at the BI-Lo Center, before game eight. Complimentary posters of the "Greats" will be available at the session. OUR SEC OVERTIME GAMES In 26 years and 64 games in the SEC Tournament, the Tennessee Lady Vols have been involved in two overtime contests. Last year in Nashville, Tennessee and Georgia met in the semifinals on Mar.6. #20/16-ranked Georgia forced the overtime with the score knotted at 57-all. #1-ranked UT took a quick four-point lead but Georgia responded with a 7-0 run to take the 68-66 win and earned a trip to the title game. In Tennessee's only other SEC overtime, in 1997, Tennessee snuck by LSU with a narrow 100-99 victory in overtime in second round play. In the next game, a weary UT squad lost a heartbreaker to Auburn, 61-59, in semifinal action. The loss to Auburn was UT's 10th on the season. It would be the last loss for the 1996-97 "Cinderella Season" team as they ran the table in the NCAA Tournament to claim NCAA title number five. IN THE SEC FINALS Tennessee has appeared in the SEC Championship game 15 times. In the 1990s alone, the Lady Vols were in the title game eight times (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999) against five different SEC teams. In the last decade, UT won titles in five of the years - 1999 vs. Georgia, 85-69, 1998 vs. Alabama, 67-63, 1996 vs. Alabama, 64-60 (without Chamique Holdsclaw due to a knee injury suffered in the opening minutes of play), 1994 vs. Vanderbilt, 82-57 and 1992 vs. Georgia, 73-66. Tennessee is 10-5 all-time in the SEC tournament finals. The Lady Vols won titles in 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1992, 1989, 1988, 1985, and 1980. UT's SEC TOURNAMENT W-L Since the tourney began in 1980, the Lady Vols sport the best overall record in the conference tournament. UT has produced a 49-15 (.762) record which breaks down this way: Alabama (8-2), Auburn (8-3), Florida (5-0), Georgia (7-3), Kentucky (3-1), LSU (4-3), Ole Miss (4-1), Miss St. (4-0), USC (1-0), and Vanderbilt (5-2). The Lady Vols have never faced Arkansas. (The SEC record indicates that UT is 48-15 in SEC play. However, in the old format, there was a consolation game. In 1983, UT defeated Auburn, 83-75, in the consolation finals.) 2004 SEC TOURNAMENT: LADY VOLS' SECOND ROUND GAME In Second Round play at the 2004 SEC Tournament, he top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols advanced to the semifinals for the 11th-consecutive year with a hard-fought 67-57 victory over Mississippi State at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Mar. 5, 2004. The win was UT's eighth in a row but broke at five-game streak in which the squad had scored at least 80 points. Despite connecting on just one of its first six attempts from the field, UT trailed by only four, 7-3, early in the contest. However, Pat Summitt's squad appeared to find its offensive rhythm and rattled off a 9-0 run, capped by a Shanna Zolman 3-pointer, to lead 12-7 with 15:42 remaining in the half. The Lady Bulldogs hung tough, though, and trailed by only two, 21-19, before Tennessee went on a 9-2 run to stretch the margin to nine with 7:52 showing. MSU responded by scoring 10 unanswered points, as the teams went to the locker room with the score knotted at 35. In the opening stanza, UT also controlled the battle of the boards, 24-18, but committed 13 turnovers. Following the intermission, Tennessee seemed poised to pull away as junior Shyra Ely tallied the club's first seven points to help push the margin to five, 42-37. As it had before, however, State rallied back and took a brief lead, 46-44, with 11:31 left in regulation. With UT ahead by a bucket minutes later, Summitt's team finally found the spark it was looking for when senior Tasha Butts completed a conventional 3-point play to put the team up by five. UT would never trail again and advanced to the semifinals with the 10-point win. Leading the way for the Lady Vols was Ely with a 17-point, 12-rebound effort. Also totaling double figures in the scoring column were Zolman (13), senior LaToya Davis (12) and Butts (11). Senior Ashley Robinson also came up big, grabbing 12 rebounds. The Lady Bulldogs were paced by junior Tan White, who recorded a game-high 25 points. On the afternoon, UT shot 46 percent (22-48) from the floor while MSU hit just 29 percent (22-76) of its attempts. The Big Orange also owned the glass, 47-36, but committed 16 more turnovers than the opposition. 2004 SEC TOURNAMENT: LADY VOLS' SEMIFINAL GAME Playing in their fourth overtime game of 2004, #1-ranked Tennessee dropped their first extra-session contest with a 68-66 loss to #20/16 Georgia in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., on Mar. 6, 2004. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak and marked the first time since the 2003 SEC Championship game that the Big Orange had fallen to a conference foe. Play was sloppy early and neither team could take advantage of the other's miscues, as UT connected on just two of their first eight attempts from the field while UGA opened play shooting 2-of-12. However, following 3-pointers by sophomore Shanna Zolman and senior Tasha Butts, UT opened up an 18-12 lead with 11:52 remaining in the first half. Georgia responded and held the Orange scoreless for more than five minutes en route to a 20-18 lead. Pat Summitt's squad answered with an 8-0 run and went to the locker room leading by just one, 28-27. In the opening stanza, the Lady Vols shot 48 percent while UGA connected on 33 percent of its attempts. The rebounding battle was even, 16-16, but Tennessee had 14 miscues. UGA held the edge at the free throw line, hitting 8-of-8, while UT did not even get to the stripe. In the opening minutes of the second half, Georgia jumped out to its biggest lead of the game, 40-34, following a 3-pointer. They maintained control of the game for most of the second session and led by five, 55-50, with less than two minutes left in regulation, but UT managed to even the score with a 5-0 run. Following a timeout, UGA's Alexis Kendrick sank a jumper with five seconds showing to put her team up by a bucket, and UT elected not to call timeout as Butts dribbled the length of the floor and hit a short running jumper from the left side with 0.6 seconds remaining to send the contest into overtime. In the extra session, the Lady Vols took a four-point lead, 63-59, after a pair of Butts' free throws, but UGA responded with a 7-0 run. Trailing by three, junior Brittany Jackson connected on a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to even the score at 66, but Janese Hardrick hit the game-winning jumper with two seconds remaining to complete the upset. Tennessee was led by Shyra Ely, who posted her 10th double-double of the season with a 27-point, 12-rebound effort. Butts also came up big with 17 points, while senior Ashley Robinson totaled five blocks. As a team, UT shot 42 percent from the field and held UGA to a 40 percent mark. The Lady Vols also controlled the glass, 41-32, but committed 23 turnovers.
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