University of Tennessee Athletics
Game Preview - UT vs. Gonzaga
December 15, 2007 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME
The #1-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (8-0) welcomes the Gonzaga Bulldogs (6-3), a fi rst-time visitor to ???The Summitt??? and Thompson-Boling Arena on Sun., Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. The Bjorklund sisters -- the Lady Vols??? Angie and the Zags??? Jami -- will square-off today with their respective teams.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols??? 34th season under Head Coach Pat Summitt???She has compiled a staggering 955-180 overall record??? Is just 45 wins away from a remarkable 1,000 career victories???Achieved her 950th win with a 92-67 decision over #22/21-ranked Texas on Nov. 18, 2007... Collected her 900th coaching win with a 80-68 decision over #19- ranked Vanderbilt on Jan. 19, 2006??? She passed Dean Smith (879 wins) for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 victory over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005 ???Her 2006-07 squad was crowned as the NCAA Champions producing the program???s seventh title???UT fi nished with a 34-3 overall record and were also the SEC Champions??? This season, UT returned seven letterwinners and welcomed a talented quartet of rookies???The 2007-08 season marks the Lady Vol debut for freshmen, #5 Angie Bjorklund, a 6-0 forward/guard from Spokane, Wash., #20 Sydney Smallbone, a 5-10 guard from Granger, Ind., and #21 Vicki Baugh, a 6-4 center from Sacramento, Calif. Kelley Cain, a 6-6 center from Atlanta, Ga., will redshirt after undergoing surgery on Dec. 11.
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
This week, the Lady Vols have a light schedule with two teams on the board -- UT faced Middle Tennessee on Dec. 13 (an 84-61 win) and now meets Gonzaga on Dec. 16, following a week of fi nal exams. These will be the last home games of 2007 as the team will not return to Thompson-Boling Arena until Jan. 10, 2008, when they face Auburn to open SEC play. On Monday, UT travels to the West Coast for games versus UCLA (Dec. 19) and #5/4-ranked Stanford (Dec. 22).
ON THIS DAY IN LADY VOL BASKETBALL HISTORY
UT is 8-3 in games played on Dec. 16. The Lady Vols are 1-1 at home, 4-1 on the road and 3-1 on neutral courts. The last time out on Dec. 16, the #2-ranked Lady Vols defeated #6-ranked Stanford, 68-62, in Palo Alto in 2001.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 8-1 on the season after defeating #21 George Washington, 85-62, in Knoxville on Dec. 7. LADY VOLS ON TV A record 26 (of 29) Lady Vol regular season games are slated for television this season. Upcoming TV games include: Gonzaga on SportSouth and Stanford on FOX Sports in a national telecast. Games versus Arkansas and Kentucky in Knoxville will be televised on myvlt2 Knoxville and WZTV Nashville. Stations in Chattanooga and Memphis may be added. UT is 8-0 on TV this season.
FIVE CONSECUTIVE AT HOME -- ALL TELEVISED
Tennessee fans will be enjoying the Lady Vols longest stretch at home...fi ve consecutive games (all televised) between Nov. 26 and Dec. 16. UT defeated Louisiana Tech (81-60), #4-ranked North Carolina (83-79), #24-ranked Old Dominion (83-51), Middle Tennessee (84-61) and will now entertain Gonzaga (Dec. 16). On the fl ip side, UT hits the road for four consecutive road games from Dec. 19 until Jan. 5.
BJORKLUND NAMED SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Lady Vol rookie forward Angie Bjorklund, Spokane Valley, Wash., garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors for her outstanding performance the week of Dec. 3-9. Against No. 24 Old Dominion, the 6???0??? Bjorklund led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals pouring in 19 points (on six-of-seven FG), including a three-of-four clip from beyond the arc. She sank all four of her free throw attempts to remain perfect from the charity stripe this season. Bjorklund also pulled down eight rebounds, nabbed four steals, recorded three assists and a blocked shot in her seventh consecutive starting nod. She has dropped in 13 three-pointers, including nine against ranked foes. She made four treys against Texas, tying for the third-most in a single game by a Lady Vol rookie -- only Kara Lawson made more in a contest during her freshman campaign. Bjorklund is the fi rst Lady Vol freshman to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors since Candace Parker did so fi ve times during the 2005-06 season.
THE 4-1-1 ON GONZAGA
In their fi nal outing on Dec. 8, Gonzaga senior Michelle Elliott connected on a single-game school record nine threepointers and fi nished with career-high 31 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 75-63 victory over Sacramento State on the road. Elliott received ample assistance from sophomore Heather Bowman, who chipped in 28 points, as GU improved to 6-3 overall. Elliott tallied three treys in the fi rst half and drained six in the second stanza, en route to breaking a 14-year old Bulldog singlegame three-pointer record. She fi nished the contest hitting 11-of-16 from the fl oor, including 9-of-12 three-pointers. Bowman hit 11-of-17 from the fi eld and 6-of-10 from the free throw line to register her sixth 20+ point game. She also had eight rebounds; two steals, one block and one assist in the Zag victory. Junior Jami Bjorklund fi nished with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the fi eld and 2-of-2 at the charity stripe. Gonzaga trailed for the majority of the fi rst half. Its only lead of the half was at the 18:59 mark when freshman Courtney Vandersloot hit a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 edge. GU was able to slice Sacramento State???s lead to one at halftime after the Zags scored the fi nal fi ve points to put the score at 33-32. It was all Elliott and Bowman in the second half for the Bulldogs; combining for 40 of Gonzaga??? 4673 points. Elliott nailed three 3-pointers in the opening three minutes, while Bowman hit two jumpers to give Gonzaga a quick 45- 35 advantage at 17:00. Sac State closed it to three at 55-52 with 9:20 remaining in the game but the Zags answered with a trey on the next possession. Gonzaga fi nished the game shooting a sizzling 53.8% (28- 52) from the fi eld, including 52.4 (11-21) on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs held a narrow 32- 29 advantage in rebounds and dished out 25 assists.
LAST MEETING WITH GONZAGA
Nicky Anosike scored 15 points to lead Tennessee to its fourth straight victory, a 79-65 triumph over Gonzaga in the Paradise Jam tournament in St. Thomas, USVI, on Nov. 25, 2005. Tye???sha Fluker added 13 points and Candace Parker 12 for the Lady Vols. The victory set up a meeting with #10-ranked Maryland in the Paradise Jam Championship game. Anne Bailey scored 22 points and Katy Ridenour had 17 points for Gonzaga. The Zags shot an incredible 58.8 percent from the fi eld in the fi rst half that saw four ties and six lead changes. Tennessee managed to lead by seven points at the break. Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt was not happy with the fi rsthalf effort by her team. ???I told them, ???You just don???t understand. It???s Tennessee,?????? Summitt said. ???So, we had a little history lesson at halftime. ???I said, ???You have to understand, everyone is going to bring their A game against you.?????? Tennessee started the second half with more energy and extended its lead to 21 points in the fi rst fi ve minutes. The Lady Vols shot 40.6 percent from the fi eld in the game and went a perfect 10- of-10 from the line in the second half. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 61.5 percent from beyond the arc, including a 66.7 percent effort in the fi rst period. Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves was pleased with his team???s effort. ???I???ve never been one for moral victories, but I???m really proud of our team,??? Graves said. ???We didn???t give in and give up.???
COMMON OPPONENTS
Gonzaga and Tennessee do not share any common opponents this season.
VERSUS THE WCC
All-time, Lady Vol basketball has faced four schools from the West Coast Conference: Gonzaga (1-0), Portland (2-0), Santa Clara (1-0) and St. Mary???s (Calif.) 1-0 for a 5-0 record.
TACKLING A TOUGH SLATE
Gonzaga is coming off a 2006-07 season that saw it win their fi rst-ever WCC Tournament Championship and make their inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA???s, the 12th-seeded Zags were placed in top-seeded Tennessee???s half of the Dayton Regional bracket. Gonzaga faced 5th-seeded Middle Tennessee in opening round play. In the crazy First/Second Rounds at Stanford, GU dropping a 85-46 decision to MTSU. Middle was then upset by #13-seed Marist who had earlier knocked off #4 seed Ohio State. The Lady Vols sent Marist, dubbed the Cinderella Team of the 2007 tournament, home in the Sweet 16. This season, 10 of Gonzaga???s opponents either made it to the NCAA Tournament or participated in the 2007 Women???s National Invitational Tournament.
The UT-GU Series
Tennessee leads 1-0
| DATE | RANK | SITE | W/L | SCORE |
| 11/25/05 | 2/nr | N117 | W | 79-65 |
GONZAGA SERIES
This marks just the second meeting between the two schools dating back to the 2005 season. LADY VOLS TO PLAY IN SPOKANE Next season, the Tennessee Lady Vols will travel to Spokane to face the Zags in mid- December.
BJORKLUND SHOWDOWN
Gonzaga University junior guard Jami Bjorklund will see a familiar face when the Bulldogs travel to Knoxville this weekend, little sis Angie. Angie is a just the 11th rookie ever to start her very fi rst game as a Lady Vol. Jami, who turned 21 on Dec. 13, is averaging 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in helping Gonzaga to a 6-3 start. Angie, 18 years old, is averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the top-ranked Lady Vols.
TENN-ZAGA
Mom (Kris) and Dad (Jim) Bjorklund will be sporting Tenn-Zaga t-shirts at the game. One-half is a Tennessee shirt and the other half is a Gonzaga t-shirt. The sister???s parents and grandparents arrived in Knoxville on Wednesday and attended Angie???s game versus Middle Tennessee on Dec. 13.
BJORKLUND SCOUTING
Angie predicts Jami is telling her teammates to pressure her and deny her the ball all over the fl oor. What is Angie telling her teammtes to do to defend against her sister? ???Make Jami dribble; force her to put it on the ground.???
SISTER ACT-- PART ONE
This is not the fi rst time a Lady Vol has had to play against her sister wearing a Bulldog uniform. Back in the 1980???s the Collins??? girls from Colbert, GA -- Shelia playing at Tennessee and Cynthia playing for the hometown Georgia Bulldogs -- battled seven times from 1981-83 with Tennessee and younger sister Shelia coming out on top by a narrow 4-3 margin. They typically guarded each other and older sister Cynthia fouled out of all games, except one, when trying to contain little sis.
UT???S OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES
In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the fi eld: 50%FG: Texas (.537); 40%FG: Old Dominion (.492), MTSU (.473), Chattanooga (.465), UNC (.438), Oklahoma (.429), WVU (.426), LaTech (.405);30%FG: none
DEEE ----- FENSE
In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the fi eld: 50%FG: none, 40%FG: Texas (.436), Oklahoma(.424), UNC (.422); 30%FG: Chattanooga (.389), MTSU (.364), LaTech (.324), Old Dominion (.323), WVU (.306); 20%FG: none
2007-08 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL
Wins: +32 (1), +25 (1), +23 (1), +21 (1), + 20 (1), +18 (1), +4 (1) +3 (1) LADY VOLS ON AN 11-0 HOME
WINNING STREAK
The Tennessee Lady Vols are currently riding an 11-game winning streak at home. UT has not lost in Thompson-Boling Arena since a 74-70 setback to top-ranked Duke on Jan. 22, 2007. This marks the 11th longest home winning skein for the Lady Vols.
COULD TOP 100,000 TODAY
The Lady Vols could eclipse 100,000 in home attendance for the 14th consecutive season and the earliest in program history with a crowd of over 14,000 today. Through six home games, UT has recorded a total attendance of 86,077 for a nation-leading average of 14,346.
BEST STARTS TO OPEN THE SEASON
Currently at 8-0 to start the 2007-08 campaign, this ties the eighth best run to open the season. All-time, there have been 14 perfect starts to a season (of at least 7 wins).
BEST STARTS/SEASON FIRST LOSS FINAL RECORD
39-0 /1997-98 None 39-0
18-0 / 2005-06 at Duke 31-5
16-0 / 1994-95 at UConn 34-3
14-0 / 1993-94 at Rutgers 31-2
11-0 / 2001-02 UConn 29-5
11-0 / 2000-01 at UConn 31-3
11-0 / 1988-89 at Auburn 35-2
8-0 / 2007-08 in progress
8-0 / 1995-96 at Stanford 32-4
8-0 / 1986-87 vs. Texas 28-6
7-0 / 2003-04 Texas 31-4
7-0 / 1988-89 at Auburn 35-2
7-0 / 1979-80 vs. Stephen F. Austin 30-9
7-0 / 1978-79 vs. Long Beach St. 33-5
FANS IN THE STANDS
Once again, the Lady Vols are leading the nation in home attendance for women???s collegiate hoops with 14,346 per game. UT is currently averaging over 4,000 more fans per game than arch rival Connecticut ranking second with 10,130 spectators.
| Rank | School | Total Att./Games | Avg. |
| 1. | Tennessee | 86,077/6 | 14,346 |
| 2. | Connecticut | 40,522/4 | 10,130 |
| 3. | Iowa State | 40,310/4 | 10,078 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 18,117/2 | 9,058 |
| 5. | Purdue | 36,336/4 | 9,056 |
ANKLE-BREAKER GOT WARLICK
Longtime associate head coach Holly Warlick broke her ankle while working out on Dec. 7 and will be sporting an orange cast for the next 6-8 weeks. It was erroneously reported that she was trying to guard Shannon ???ankle-breaker??? Bobbitt in a drill in practice.
SHANNON ???THE STITCH???
Senior guard Shannon Bobbitt required seven stitches to her forehead after catching an elbow in the game with Middle Tennessee on Dec. 13. Bobbitt was clobbered under the boards with nine minutes to go in the game and did not return. She is expected to be back in the line-up versus Gonzaga.
KEEP AN EYE ON REBOUNDING
The past two seasons, the Lady Vols have reset new all-time low rebounding marks. The 2007 NCAA Champs hold the distinction as the worst UT rebounding team of all-time with just 38.4 rpg. North Carolina had a fi eld day on the boards against the Lady Vols outrebounding UT, 57-39. UT is averaging 42.6 rpg thru eight games and giving up 39.5 rpg to the opposition. On Dec. 2, UNC broke the 26-year old opponent single game rebounding mark with 57. One game earlier, UT claimed 54 rebounds vs. Louisiana Tech matching the 2006 high set against Florida on Feb. 26, 2006. After an intense week of rebounding drills during fi nal exams, the Lady Vols posted a +21 rebounding advantage over Middle Tennessee (47-21).
The Sports Animal, WNML (990 AM, 99.1 and 99.3 FM). Mickey Dearstone
Bob Kesling and Debbie Antonelli
Ranking: #1/#1
Record: 8-0 (0-0 SEC)
Coach:
Pat Summitt- 34th (955-180)
Roster
Coaches
Schedule
Stats
Recent Results:
def. MTSU, 84-51
Upcoming Games:
at UCLA 12/19 - 10:00 p.m. ET - No TV
Ranking: NR
Record: 6-3 (0-0 WCC)
Coach:
Kelly Graves- 21st (192-122)
Roster
Coaches
Schedule
Stats
Recent Results:
12/8 def. Sacramento State, 79-73
Overall: UT is 1-0
In Knoxville: UT is 0-0
Away: UT is 0-0
Neutral: UT is 1-0
Last Meeting: 11/25/05 in St. Thomas, VI - UT def. GU, 79-65
Order Home Tickets Online
Ticket Office Hours:
8:30 am - 6:00 EST
Monday - Friday
Week day game ticket office hours are 8:30 am - half time of the game.
Weekend basketball game ticket office hours are 90 minutes before tip off and close at half time.
Ticket Hotline - 24 hour a day ticket office and game day hotline 865-974-9100
The Tennessee Athletic Ticket office is located at 1600 Phillip Fulmer Way in Thompson-Boling Arena (Suite 200). The Ticket Office is at the corner of Phillip Fulmer Way and Lake Loudon Blvd.
Thompson-Boling Arena & Assembly Center
Capacity: 21,678
Seating Chart
Home Court History
