University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Hopeful to Have Full Roster; Host DePaul Sunday
November 29, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2008
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| November. 30, 2008 - 3:00 p.m. ET Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) - Knoxville, Tenn. | |||
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THE GAME The #9/12-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols, 4-1 overall, continues to enjoy the friendly confi nes of Thompson-Boling Arena taking on DePaul, 5-1, on Sun., Nov. 30 at 3:00 p.m. Odds are pretty good that UT will have all 12 players dressed and available for action for the fi rst time this season including Angie Bjorklund. The 2008 SEC Rookie of the Year has been sidelined with back issues and this would be her fi rst appearance of the 2008-09 season. Today's game will mark the last home game for the Lady Vols until the conclusion of fi nal exams. Tennessee's next home date will be on Thurs., Dec. 11 taking on Middle Tennessee. LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE This is the Lady Vols' 35th season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 987-183 overall record... Is just 13 wins away from a remarkable 1,000 career victories...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 and 2007-08 squads were crowned as the NCAA Champions producing the program's seventh and eighth titles...Last season, UT fi nished with a 36-2 overall record and were also the SEC Tournament Champions... This season, UT returned fi ve letterwinners, a redshirt freshman and welcomed a talented six-pack rookie class...The 2008-09 season marked the Lady Vol debut for freshmen: #1 Briana Bass, a 5-2 guard from Indianapolis, Ind., #10 Amber Gray, a 6-1 forward/ center from West Chester, Ohio, #15 Alicia Manning, a 6-1 guard/forward from Woodstock, Ga., #25 Glory Johnson, a 6-3 forward from Knoxville, Tenn., #33 Alyssia Brewer, a 6-3 forward from Sapulpa, Okla. and #40 Shekinna Stricklen, a 6-2 guard/forward from Morrilton, Ark. -- all saw their fi rst action in the Orange and White this season. A redshirt freshman, #52 Kelley Cain, a 6-6 center from Atlanta, Ga., will be restarting her rookie season after undergoing surgery last December.OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK After a crazy busy start with fi ve games shoehorned into 10 days, the Lady Vols slow down a little and have two games scheduled this week before taking a break for fi nal exams. Tennessee entertains DePaul (5-1) in the Arena on Nov. 30 at 3:00 p.m. before traveling to the nation's capital for a Tues., Dec. 2 showdown at George Washington University (3-2) at 7:30 p.m.ON THIS DAY IN LADY VOL BASKETBALL HISTORY UT is 7-2 all-time on November 30th featuring a 3-1 record at home, a 3-0 slate on the road and a 1-1 mark on neutral courts. The last time the Lady Vols were in action on this date, Tennessee came away with a 83-59 victory over Notre Dame in 2003. in the Paradise Jam Invitational in the U.S. Virgin Islands.LOOKING BACK Last year at this time, the #1-ranked Lady Vols were 5-0 on the campaign having defeated UT-Chattanooga in the season-opener, 76-56, #9-ranked Oklahoma 70-67, #21 Texas, 92-67, #15 West Virginia, 67-49, and Louisiana Tech, 81-60.LADY VOLS ON TV Currently, 20 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for television this season. Upcoming TV games include: MTSU (FSN South) and at Texas (FSN). Last season, UT had a school record 36 television appearances. UT is 2-1 in TV games this year.BAUGH NAMED LADY VOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK UT sophomore Vicki Baugh was named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week in helping UT to a 2-0 record on the hardwood Nov. 18-24. At Chattanooga, Baugh saw her fi rst action of the season after recovering from a torn ACL and made her fi rst career start. Her two blocks in the last 1:38 of the game were two key defensive stops and she added a free throw with 56.7 seconds left to give the Lady Vols a 64-63 lead. Against Louisiana Tech, she scored seven of the Lady Vols' fi rst nine points and fi nished with her fi rst career double-double. In 17 minutes of action, she scored 13 points and grabbed 12 boards.4-1-1 ON DEPAUL The two returning Blue Demon starters from a year ago are junior Deirdre Naughton, who is averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game...Senior Natasha Williams is averaging 8.7 points and 5.7 boards a game...This year's young squad has opened with a 5-1 record and an average margin of victory of nearly 24 points...In their last outing, DePaul downed Illinois State 80-68, again paced by Naughton, who fi nished with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds...It marks the third game this season she has scored at least 26 points and her fourth game in double-fi gures in 2008-09... Naughton has made 25 straight free throws and 30- of-32 for the season...The 80 points against Illinois State is the fourth time in the fi rst six games, DPU has tallied at least 80...The Blue Demon defense has held fi ve of its fi rst six opponents to less than 70 points...In the championship game of the DePaul Invitational, Naughton went off against Hartford for 35 points in 38 minutes to lead the Blue Demons to an 80-71 win...In the fi rst game of the DePaul Invitational, the Blue Demon scoring was much more spread out, with four players fi nishing in double-fi gures... Naughton again led the team with 15 points in 18 minutes...In the 48-point win over Alcorn State, Hampton led all players with 16 points, to go with seven rebounds...Against the Lady Braves, DePaul broke a nearly 17-year-old school-record with 14 blocked shots...In their only loss of the season at New Mexico, Naughton set a career-high with six three-pointers en route to 31 points in 31 minutes.OUR LAST CONTEST WITH DEPAUL It wasn't exactly the homecoming that Candace Parker had envisioned. Benched for the fi rst half for missing curfew, Parker scored 17 points and #3-ranked Tennessee beat #15 DePaul 102-68 on Jan. 2, 2008. Even without Parker, the Lady Vols were too much for DePaul, handing the Blue Demons their worst loss at the sold-out McGrath Arena. In her second career start, Alex Fuller scored a career-high 19 points and Nicky Anosike added 17 for UT who improved to 11-1. Alexis Hornbuckle surpassed the 600-rebound plateau for her career with her 16 points and four boards. Deirdre Naughton, Allie Quigley and Natasha Williams each scored 13 for DePaul who fell to 11-2. With the game tied at 27 with 7:17 left in the fi rst half, Tennessee went on a 17-2 run over the next fi ve minutes. The Lady Vols pounded the ball inside as Anosike and Fuller combined for eight of the points. DePaul's Erin Cattell made a threepointer with 2:20 left to cut it to 44-32, and the teams traded baskets before Fuller scored the last seven points of the half for Tennessee to extend the lead to 19. After Quigley hit a three-pointer to start the second half, the Lady Vols scored the next seven points to put the game away. DePaul could get no closer than 21. Fuller was eight-foreight from the fi eld in the fi rst half as the Lady Vols shot 62.5 percent (20-for-32). Parker started the second half to a rousing cheer from the crowd. After drawing two quick offensive fouls, she fi nally scored on a lay up and would eventually extend her streak of games with double digit scoring to 18. DePaul was no match for Tennessee, which has The Blue Demons 26-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents also ended.LAST MEETING WITH DEPAUL IN KNOXVILLE After trailing by as many as 15 points in the fi rst half, No. 9-ranked Tennessee outscored 15th-ranked DePaul 47-23 after halftime to cruise to a 78-63 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 12, 2004. The Lady Vols struggled at the offensive end of the fl oor early in the game, missing their fi rst fi ve shot attempts from the fi eld and enabled DU to jump out to a 7-1 lead. Despite the offensive woes, the Orange and White fought back and narrowed the margin to just one point, 11-10. The Blue Demons responded with a 9-0 run to pull ahead by 10 points, 20-10. DePaul pushed the margin to 15 points, 40-25, but UT closed the half on a 6-0 spurt to narrow the gap to single digits and trailed by just nine at the break. The Lady Vols slowly cut into the lead and with 12:20 remaining, Shyra Ely had a putback giving UT its fi rst lead of the game, 50-48, and capped off a 12-1 run. The Blue Demons would keep the contest close until the fi ve minute mark, when UT closed the game with an 18-6 run to seal the comeback victory.UPCOMING OPPONENTS The Lady Vols have two games scheduled this week before taking a break for fi nal exams. Tennessee entertains DePaul (5-1) in the Arena on Nov. 30 at 3:00 p.m. before traveling to the nation's capital for a Tues., Dec. 2 showdown at George Washington University (3-2) at 7:30 p.m.PIVOTAL WEEK AHEAD After facing DePaul at home and George Washington on the road, the Lady Vols will have nine days of practice sandwiched around fi nal exams for the Fall semester. Redshirt senior Alex Fuller will be completing her undergraduate requirements during this time.BAUGH BACK IN A BIG WAY Lady Vol sophomore Vicki Baugh missed a lot of the preseason rehabbing her ACL repaired knee. It doesn't seem to matter that she is having to play catch up. Since she was cleared to play, Baugh has played and started in three games and is averaging 9.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 2.9 bpg in 23.7 minutes of action. She has also recorded back-to-back double-doubles of 13 pts. and 12 rbs. (La Tech) and 11 pts. and 15 rbs. (Western Carolina).STAFFERS HAVE -- NEVER A FORMER PLAYER Coaches Kellie Jolly Harper and Tanya Haave gave it a shot but couldn't knock off their former college coach. UT coach Pat Summitt has faced many former players and assistant coaches in a variety of games thru the years but no former Lady Vol player has ever defeated her mentor. Former assistant Carolyn Peck was the fi rst to record a victory over her former boss. While at Purdue, Peck handed Summitt a 78-68 loss on Nov.15, 1998 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in West Lafayette, Ind. The defeat snapped UT's 46-game consecutive winning streak (that was second only to Louisiana Tech's NCAA all-time 54-game winning streak). Former assistants Mickie DeMoss turned the trick as a head coach at Kentucky, 66-63, on Jan. 26, 2006, and Sylvia Hatchell managed to pull off the feat twice at North Carolina (75-63 on Mar. 28, 2006 and 70- 57, Dec. 3, 2006). Former Lady Vol players turned head coaches have been less successful. Former Lady Vol All-America Patricia Roberts tried while head coach at Maine (0-2, lost 77-64 on Dec. 13, 1990 and 86-71 on Nov. 24, 1991). Former Lady Vol Olympian and point guard Lea Henry faced Summitt in the NCAA Tournament with her Georgia State team and lost 98-68 on Mar. 15, 2002. Next to try to knock off Summitt was Kellie Jolly Harper with her Western Carolina team on Mar. 20, 2005. The Lady Catamounts lost 94-43. The most recent former Lady Vol hoopsters to take on their former coach was UT All-American and San Francisco head coach Tanya Haave. "LaMachine's" Dons fell to UT on Nov. 15, 2008, 68-39. Ten days later in Knoxville, Harper's Catamounts fell to the Lady Vols, 83-56.END OF A GRAND SERIES The Tennessee and Louisiana Tech series has come to a regular season close. UT defeated LTU, 94-59 on Sun., Nov. 23 in Knoxville, Tenn., in the last scheduled game between the two proud programs.OUTSIDE THE BOXSCORE Virginia was Tennessee's fi rst ranked opponent of the 2008-09 season...The Cavs were ranked #16/15 when they defeated the #5/6 Lady Vols...Tennessee's 2008-09 slate includes 11 contests against currently ranked opposition... Last season, Tennessee faced a total of 20 ranked opponents in 38 games and produced a 18-2 record...JOHNSON WAS THE SEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK University of Tennessee rookie hoopster Glory Johnson (Knoxville, Tenn.) was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week (Nov. 10-16) for her performance in the Lady Vols' 68-39 season-opening win over San Francisco. Against the Dons, Johnson became only the 11th freshman to start her fi rst game in the Orange and White for Head Coach Pat Summitt. The Webb School product was 7-of-11, 63 percent, from the fi eld to fi nish with a team-high 17 points. She also hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end, for her fi rst career double-double.TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT The young Lady Vol team escaped a potentially huge upset at Chattanooga to grab a 66-63 victory on Nov. 21. UT saw its 10 point lead at 13:50 to go in the game evaporate quickly and the Lady Vols trailed UTC by eight points with 8:08 to play. The Lady Vols used a 7-0 run to cut the UTC lead to one at 61-60. UT rookie Alicia Manning tied the game with a three-pointer at 63-63 and Vicki Baugh put the Lady Vols up one at 64-63 with a free throw with 53.7 to play. Rookie Shekinna Stricklen's free throw with 2.0 seconds to play gave UT a 66-63 fi nal advantage. The Lady Vols opened the second half on an 8-2 run, opening up a 44-35 lead. The Lady Mocs used a 19-1 run to go from a 10 point defi cit at 49-39 to take a 58-50 lead.BAUGH IS ONBOARD Sophomore Vicki Baugh was cleared to play against UT-Chattanooga and found herself starting the fi rst game of her career. Jenny Moshak, University of Tennessee Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine, indicated earlier in the week that the strength in Baugh's quad had increased signifi cantly. The super soph had anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery on May 13, 2008. During her freshman season, Baugh played in all 38 games helping the Lady Vols to a 36-2 record. She averaged 5.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg in 13.1 minutes per contest. She shot a team best 55.2 percent from the fi eld (79-143) and knocked in 77.8 percent of her charity tosses. She recorded six games in double-digits scoring including a season high 12 point effort versus Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. Baugh had a monster game on the boards against Louisiana Tech hauling in 16 rebounds.FIRST LOSS IN SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON The last time Tennessee opened the season with a 1-1 record was during the 2002-03 campaign. The Lady Vols started the year with a win over #22-ranked Oklahoma, 94-68, and then fell to #1-ranked Duke, 76-55, in the Jimmy V Classic at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. UT met Duke again later that season and handed the Blue Devils a 66-56 loss in the NCAA Final Four semifi nals.THE COUNTDOWN The much anticipated countdown to Coach Pat Summitt's 1,000 career victories has begun. Summitt (with 987 wins) now needs just 13 victories to hit the magic mark and with such a young team, it will be awfully hard to predict when that could be in 2008-09. Summitt started the year needing 17 victories. Last season, UT grabbed win number 17 on Jan. 24 vs. Arkansas (98-55) and in 2006-07, win number 17 occurred on Jan. 18 with a victory over Miss. State. Traditionally, Tennessee has reached 17 wins in 20.5 games each season (on average).1,000 win milestone opportunities
SUMMITT RECEIVES AWARD Coach Pat Summitt was selected as an inaugural recipient of the Joe Lapchick Character Award. Also honored at the Nov. 20 ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York City was Hall of Fame coaches Lou Carnesecca of St. John's and Dean Smith of North Carolina. "It is an honor to have been selected as the fi rst recipient of the Joe Lapchick Character Award. He was a legendary fi gure on both the collegiate and professional level of our game," said Summitt. "I am humbled to accept an award which bears his name."BUMPS AND BRUISES Several Lady Vols have been nicked up already this season and qualify for "Moshak's Medical Moments."Angie Bjorklund- Back spasms. MRI revealed a bulging disc in her back. Conservative treatment underway and she is listed day-to-day. Has not played. Kelley Cain- Suffered a concussion in practice Nov. 10. Was cleared to play on Nov. 17. Is back listed as day-to-day. Alicia Manning- Suffered a knock to the head in the game with Louisiana Tech. Will not play against Western Carolina. Cait McMahan- occasionally resting knees as needed. JOINING THE LADY VOL FOLD University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball head coach Pat Summitt announced the early signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2009-10 academic school year. Joining the eight-time NCAA Champions are signees Taber Spani, a 6'1" home-schooled shooting guard from Lee's Summit, Mo., playing for the Metro Academy Mavericks; Kamiko Williams, a 5'11" combination guard from Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tenn., and Faith Dupree, a 6'3" post from The Webb School in Knoxville, Tenn. "We are thrilled to have signed Faith, Kamiko and Taber," said Summitt. "All three are tremendous people, excellent students, outstanding basketball players and great fi ts for our basketball team." Spani, ranked by ESPN.com as the nation's 13th ranked overall player in the class of 2009, is also regarded as one of the top backcourt players. She is a heady guard with incredible three point range. Last season, she averaged 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, three blocks and 2.4 steals a game and capped her junior campaign by winning the DiRenna Award, which honors the top boys and girls basketball players in metropolitan Kansas City. In signing Dupree and Williams, it marks the fi rst time Summitt has picked up two scholarship players from the state of Tennessee in the same recruiting class since Misty Greene (Decatur), Kellie Jolly (Sparta) and Brynae Laxton (Oneida) signed with the Lady Vols in 1995. That trio went on to win three consecutive NCAA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Dupree plays at The Webb School and is coached by former Lady Vol Shelley Sexton Collier. As a junior, she averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game as the Spartans were the Division II-AA state runner-up and she was named to the Division II-AA all-tournament and all-region teams. Dupree will join former teammate and current Lady Vol starting rookie forward Glory Johnson at UT. Williams was the fi rst player to commit to this recruiting class when she notifi ed Summitt of her intentions in the Fall of 2007. She is a lefthanded combination guard who is comfortable at the point or on the wing. In 22 games last season, she averaged 19.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and also recorded 87 assists and 84 steals. These signees will join 11 returning players on the Lady Vols 2009-10 roster. Tennessee's lone graduate will be fi fth year senior forward Alex Fuller. Next year, UT's roster will have no seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores and the freshmen class of Dupree, Spani and Williams.WHO IS WHO Six Lady Vols made their rookie debut on Sat., Nov. 15 against San Francisco. About the newbies... Shekinna Stricklen and Alyssia Brewer are fi rst-time Lady Vols from their home states, Arkansas and Oklahoma, respectively. Briana Bass, from Indianapolis, Ind., grew up watching Tamika Catchings play for the WNBA's Indiana Fever from a bird-eye view. Bass was a ball girl for the Fever. Glory Johnson is the sixth player from Knoxville to don a Lady Vol jersey. She joins Liza Graves (1975-78), Holly Warlick (1976-80), Pat Hatmaker (1980-84), walk-on Kristie Snyder (1983-84) and Tanika Smith (1993-95) as local products who wore the orange and white. Alicia Manning, from Woodstock, Ga., is sure happy that video streaming and Lady Vol radio broadcasts are available on the internet. Her parents (Virginia and Jeff) currently live in Hawaii where her dad has a job. Amber Gray lives in a long shadow. Her father, Carlton had a seven-year playing career as an NFL defensive back. Her great grandfather, Benjamin Hooks, was a colleague of Martin Luther King and once headed the NAACP. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.KEEP AN EYE ON REBOUNDING For two of the past three seasons, the Lady Vols have reset 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. The 2008 NCAA Champs collected 40.9 rpg and fi nished as the sixth worst in Lady Vol history last year. The two 2008-09 exhibition tilts found the Lady Vols averaging 63.0 rpg and allowing just 31.5 rpg.GET THIS... It's a fact that Tennessee has produced some of the greatest players ever in women's collegiate basketball. It's a little known fact that there has only been one double-fi gure rebounder in the history of the program -- Olympian and Kodak All-American Patricia Roberts. Roberts hauled in 14.2 rpg (467 total) in her only season as a Lady Vol in 1976-77. She also claimed scoring honors with 29.9 ppg (987 points). In 2006-07, Candace Parker came the closest to a double-fi gure rebounding average but had to settle for 9.8 rpg.TENNESSEE'S SEASON-OPENERS Over the last 35 years on opening day, the Lady Vols have won 32 times and lost just three contests. Coach Pat Summitt lost her very fi rst game as a college head coach -- a heartbreaking one-point decision at home to Mercer, 84-83, on Dec. 7, 1974. The next time UT lost an opening game was in Knoxville on Nov. 21, 1981, to Stephen F. Austin, 80-74. Most recently, UT fell in their fi rst contest of the 1999-2000 campaign dropping a 69-64 decision to La Tech on Nov. 14, 1999. Until the loss to the Lady Techsters, the Lady Vols had won 18 consecutive openers.BANNER RAISING For the second season in a row, the Lady Vols hoisted a banner to the Thompson-Boling Arena rafters to commemorate another NCAA title. Championship number eight was celebrated on Nov. 15 in pregame ceremonies before the Lady Vols' game with San Francisco. NCAA MVP Candace Parker and Alberta Auguste were on hand representing two of the starting fi ve who completed their eligibility after season's end last year. Quan and Jerome Hornbuckle stood in for their daughter Alexis who is currently playing in Turkey. Also playing professionally overseas and unable to attend were Shannon Bobbitt (playing in Turkey) and Nicky Anosike (playing in Israel). Prior to raising the 2007 Championship last Nov. 18 on the day the Lady Vols defeated #21/22 Texas, 92-67, nine years and fi ve days had passed since the Tennessee Lady Vols last hung a NCAA Championship banner in Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 13, 1998, UT celebrated the 1998 title with a banner raising against another WCC school, the Portland Pilots with a 94-57 win.JUST AN EXHIBITION The two exhibition games - versus Carson- Newman and Love & Basketball did not count toward UT head coach Pat Summitt's career wins.TOP OF THE LADDER In partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Werner Ladder, the Offi cial Ladder of the NCAA ®Basketball Championships, presented Coach Pat Summitt and her Tennessee Lady Volunteers with a pair of ladders in honor of their 2008 NCAA® Women's Basketball National Championship. One ladder, used to cut down the championship nets, was given to Coach Summitt while the second was signed by the coach and auctioned off with proceeds going to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer FundTM. A presentation was made at the beginning of the San Francisco at Tennessee game on November 15.ALWAYS A HOT TICKET Joe Arnone, UT Asst. AD for Tickets, says Lady Vol season ticket sales have been impressive despite the loss of fi ve starters from last year. Going into tonight's exhibition game, 10,491 season tickets have been sold. Last year, the Lady Vols sold 11,484 season ticket packages. |
Players Mentioned
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