University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Defend NCAA Championship Against Stanford Sunday
December 20, 2008 | Women's Basketball
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| December 21, 2008 - 7:00 p.m. ET Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) - Knoxville, Tenn. | |||
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THE GAME The #11/13-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (8-2) are back home for the fi rst time in 10 days and will entertain #3/4-ranked Stanford (8-2) on Sunday, Dec. 21 at Thompson-Boling Arena at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2. UT will be looking for its 300th all-time win at TBA (against just 19 losses) in the game with the Cardinal. The contest will also be a rematch of the NCAA title game contested between the two teams last April in Tampa, Fla., at the 2008 Final Four. OFF THE BENCH FOR TENNESSEE 2- Cait McMahan, G, 5-4, R-So., 5.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg (doubtful -- knees have been "talking to her")10- Amber Gray, F, 6-1, Fr., 4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg 15- Alicia Manning, G-F, 6-1, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg 20- Sydney Smallbone, G, 5-10, So., 5.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg 33- Alyssia Brewer, F, 6-3, Fr., 6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg 44- Alex Fuller, F-C, 6-3, R-Sr (graduate)., 5.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg 52- Kelley Cain, C, 6-6, RS-Fr., 7.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE This is the Lady Vols' 35th season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 991-184 overall record... Is just nine 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 have seen their fi rst action in the Orange and White this season. A redshirt freshman, #52 Kelley Cain, a 6-6 center from Atlanta, Ga., restarted her rookie season after undergoing surgery in December 2007.OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK Tennessee had two games this week prior to taking a few days off for Christmas. The Lady Vols snapped Old Dominion's nation-leading 29-game homecourt winning streak at in Norfolk, Va., on Dec. 18, 81-76. UT now returns home to face #3/4-ranked Stanford on Dec. 21 in Knoxville before breaking for the holidays.ON THIS DAY IN LADY VOL BASKETBALL HISTORY UT is 6-1 all-time on December 21 featuring a 3-0 record at home, a 3-1 slate on the road and a 0-0 mark on neutral courts. The last time the Lady Vols were in action on this date, Tennessee came away with a 70-67 win over Stanford in 2004. In the dramatic, one for the highlight reel game, Lady Vol junior guard Shanna Zolman dribbled down the fl oor and sank a 28-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, lifting the Tennessee Lady Vols to a 70-67 victory over second-ranked Stanford before a crowd of 13,209 at Thompson- Boling Arena on Dec. 21. Zolman's game-winning basket came just seconds after Stanford guard Kelley Suminski connected on a long three-pointer of her own, evening the score at 67.LOOKING BACK Last year at this time, the #1-ranked Lady Vols were 10-0 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, Louisiana Tech, 81-60, #5 North Carolina, 83-79, #25 Old Dominion, 83-51 MTSU, 84-61, Gonzaga, 96-73, and UCLA, 82-70.LADY VOLS ON TV Currently, 20 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for television this season. Upcoming TV games include: Stanford (ESPN2), Gonzaga (FSN) and at Rutgers (CBS). Last season, UT had a school record 36 television appearances. UT is 4-2 in TV games this year.AP STREAK IS BROKEN Tennessee's record run in the top 10 is over. The Lady Vols' streak of 211 straight weeks in the top 10 ended on Dec. 15, 2008, when they were ranked 11th in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Tennessee, which lost at then-No. 6/5 Texas 73-59 on Dec. 14, was last out of the fi rst 10 on March 3, 1997. The run went 56 weeks longer than the men's record of 155 set by UCLA. 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.ALL THINGS ACADEMIC Seven Lady Vol hoopsters earned Dean's List honors for the just completed Fall semester. Rookies Briana Bass, Kelley Cain, Glory Johnson, Alicia Manning and sophomores Vicki Baugh, Angie Bjorklund and Sydney Smallbone all earned over a 3.0 GPA.VYING FOR A PATCH Tennessee athletes who have achieved honor roll status in the classroom display a "Vol Scholar" patch on their uniform. The "VS" letters are wrapped around a replica of the torch carried by the UT Torchbearer. Currently, sophomores Angie Bjorklund, Cait McMahan and Sydney Smallbone display the academic patch on their uniforms. Following Fall semester grades, new additions to wear the patch will be Briana Bass, Kelley Cain, Glory Johnson, Alicia Manning and Vicki BaughTHE 4-1-1 ON STANFORD Number 3/4-ranked Stanford (8-2) continued its east coast swing with a 78-47 win over South Carolina in Columbia on Dec. 19, 78-47. Kayla Pedersen and Jayne Appel each posted double-doubles as the Cardinal bounced back from its 56-52 loss at #8/12-ranked Duke on Dec. 16. Pedersen fi nished with 15 points and tied her career high with 16 rebounds. Appel added 15 points and 14 rebounds.LAST MEETING WITH THE CARDINAL National Player of the Year Candace Parker, playing through the pain of a dislocated shoulder, scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth NCAA women's basketball title with a 64-48 victory over Stanford on April 8, 2008, in Tampa, Fla. The Lady Vols became the fi rst repeat champs since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04. Parker became the fourth player to win back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four honors. She joined Connecticut's Diana Taurasi (2003-04), Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw (1997-98), and Southern Cal's Cheryl Miller (1983-84). Unlike earlier games in the tournament when Parker had to carry the Lady Vols, her supporting cast came through. Shannon Bobbitt scored 13 points and Nicky Anosike added 12 points, eight rebounds and six steals for the Lady Vols. Rookie post Vicki Baugh contributed eight points and four rebounds before tearing her ACL midway through the second half. Bobbitt scored all of her points in the fi rst half as the Lady Vols jumped out to a 37-29 advantage. Trailing by one early, Tennessee used a 13-4 run to take a 17-9 lead midway through the half. Bobbitt hit two threepointers and made a wild layup to cap the spurt. The teams traded baskets before two free throws by Bobbitt gave the Lady Vols a 35-25 edge. She also harassed Stanford into 14 turnovers by the break. The Cardinal looked tight on offense, committing more turnovers in the fi rst half than they did in the semifi nal win over UConn. They fi nished with 25 for the game. Jayne Appel fi nished with 16 points to lead the Cardinal, whose 23-game winning streak -- the longest in the nation -- ended. The victory redeemed the Lady Vols' 73-69 overtime loss to the Cardinal when the teams met Dec. 22, 2007 at Stanford. Tennessee is now 8-5 in championship games after barely making it to No. 13. The Lady Vols also hold the record for most NCAA Tournament victories (104) in men's or women's collegiate history.THE 2007-08 REGULAR SEASON MEETING Stanford handed the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols their fi rst loss of the 2007-08 season with a 73-69 overtime victory on Dec. 22, 2007, in Palo Alto. Pac-10 Player of the Week Candice Wiggins scored 22 points in her fi rst career win over UT, and Stanford's fi rst since Dec. 15, 1996. SU sophomore Jayne Appel had 19 points (11 in the last 20 minutes), 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Lady Vol Candace Parker put up 25 points, 10 rebounds and tallied four blocks. Wiggins scored the Cardinal's fi nal six points of regulation but missed two free throws with 16.9 seconds to go, allowing Parker to score the tying basket with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Rosalyn Gold-Onwude scored nine of Stanford's 10 points in overtime, with the other coming from a Wiggins' free throw. Gold-Onwude fi nished with 13. UT seniors Alexis Hornbuckle and Shannon Bobbitt added 15 and 12 tallies, respectively. In the following week's polls, UT fell to third, while the Cardinal shot up from No. 5/4 to second.UT VS. THE PAC-10 Tennessee has taken on nine of the 10 teams from the Pacifi c-10 Conference all-time and sport a 54-13 record. Only three teams have claimed victories over UT-Southern California (seven times), Stanford (fi ve) and UCLA (once).LOTS OF WINS Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt and Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer are a combined 1723-374 for a staggering .822 winning percentage. While Summitt is chasing 1,000 career wins, VanDerveer is on her way to the 800 Club. Since the inception of the NCAA Women's Final Four in 1982, UT and Stanford have made a combined 25 trips and collected 10 NCAA titles. The Lady Vols have made 18 visits and grabbed eight titles, while the Cardinal has two titles in seven trips.RANKING WITH THE BEST In 25 meetings, there has only been one game where both teams were not ranked, Dec. 19, 1998, when UT was No. 2 and Stanford was unranked...In 24 of the 25 all-time meetings at least one of the two teams has been ranked in the top fi ve nationally...The only exception was on Dec. 30, 1990, when UT was ranked No. 7 and Stanford was No. 8...The two squads met in the Hilton Head Super Shootout on Hilton Head Island, S.C.THE UT-STANFORD SERIES Tennessee leads 20-5
STANFORD SERIES This marks the 26th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1988 season. UT and Stanford have developed a strong highranking intersectional rivalry in a series contested at least once annually for the last 20 years. UT has controlled the recent match-ups, amazingly having taken the last 12 of 13 contests. Stanford has won consecutive meetings over the Lady Vols only once. The Cardinal has forced four of those games into extra minutes and came out with two wins in overtime including last season's 73-69 OT win. The squads have competed three times in the postseason, with each of those games going Tennessee's way. In 1991, the Lady Vols defeated the Cardinal in the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, La., 68-60, on their way to their third national championship. In 2004, the two met in the Midwest Regional Championship game in Norman, Okla., on March 30. The Lady Vols earned a close 62-60 win to reach the Final Four in New Orleans. And in 2008, UT defeated SU in the NCAA title game, 64-48, in Tampa, Fla.HALL OF FAMERS & OLYMPIC GOLD Tara VanDerveer joined Pat Summitt in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as she was inducted in April 2002 in Knoxville, Tenn. Both also were gold medal winning Olympic coaches -- Summitt in 1984 and VanDerveer in 1996. Tara VanDerveer served as head coach of the 1996 United States Olympic Women's Basketball Team that won the gold medal in Atlanta, Ga. She guided the Olympic Team to an unblemished 60-0 record from 1995-96 and owns an all-time international head coaching record of 88-8 (.917), while coaching a pair of Lady Vols (Nikki McCray and Carla McGhee) on the squad. Meanwhile, Pat Summitt boasts an all-time international record of 63-4 (.940) during her time at the helm of the national squad. She served as head coach of the 1984 United States Olympic Women's Basketball Team that won the gold medal in Los Angeles.UT'S OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the fi eld: 60% FG: none; 50%FG: MTSU (.517); 40%FG: WCU (.475), LaTech (.429), DePaul (.427), Virginia (.413), San Francisco (.400); 30%FG: ODU (.386), GWU (.353), UT-Chattanooga (.344), Texas (.333); 20%FG: none.DEEE ----- FENSE In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the fi eld: 50%FG: Virginia (.500), 40%FG: MTSU (.412), GWU (.404); 30%FG: ODU (.385), DePaul (.373), Texas (.369), UT-Chattanooga (.365), LaTech (.313), 20%FG: WCU (.298); 10%FG: San Francisco (.186)2008-09 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL Wins: +35 (1), +29 (2), +27 (1), +21 (1), +12 (1), +5 (1), +3 (1) Losses: -1 (1), -14 (1)SURVIVED A HEAVY WEIGHT FIGHT AT ODU In the fi ve-point win over Old Dominion, freshman Glory Johnson fi nished with 11 points, including a fi veof- eight effort from the free throw line...She has now scored in double-digits in her fi rst 10 games at Rocky Top...She became only the second Lady Vol to open her career with double-digit scoring in her fi rst 10 games... Four-time All-American Chamique Holdsclaw holds the UT record for most consecutive double-digit scoring outputs to begin her Tennessee career with 14...On Thursday night, Johnson passed Candace Parker for second on the list...Parker had nine straight games of double-digit scoring to open her freshman year...Senior Alex Fuller set a career-high with fi ve assists and tied another with 12 rebounds after being inserted back into the starting lineup replacing an ailing Shekinna Stricklen....ANGIE B IN THE GROOVE Coming off a career-high night against Old Dominion with 29 points, sophomore Angie Bjorklund will look to continue her hot streak. As a rookie, she did not score a single point against the Cardinal last season...GOT BACK ON TRACK Before UT lost at Texas on Dec. 14, 2008, the Lady Vols had won 13 consecutive road games dating back to a 73-68 OT loss at #5-ranked Stanford on Dec. 22, 2007. Tennessee got back on the winning road track with a tough 81-76 win at Old Dominion on Dec. 18.COUNTDOWN TO 1,000 The much anticipated countdown to Coach Pat Summitt's 1,000th career victory continues tonight with a game against Stanford. Summitt (with 991 wins) now needs just nine 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 to reach 1,000. 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 Game Date Opponent (TV) 19 Jan. 25 at Auburn (CSS) 20 Jan. 29 Mississippi (ESPNU) 21 Feb. 2 at Oklahoma (ESPN2) 22 Feb. 5 Georgia (FSS)When rookies Shekinna Stricklen, Glory Johnson and Briana Bass started the game versus Middle Tennessee with sophomores Vicki Baugh and Angie Bjorklund, it marked the youngest starting lineup in Lady Vol history. Three rookies have started in three other lineups in the past but never with a couple of sophomores as their wing men. Previous three freshmen lineups: 1980- 81 - Tanya Haave (Fr.), Mary Ostrowski (Fr.), Pat Hatmaker (Fr.), with Lea Henry (So.) and Cindy Noble (Sr.); 1984-85 - Karla Horton (Fr.), Kathy Spinks (Fr.), Dawn Marsh (Fr.), with Shelley Sexton (So.) and Shelia Collins (Sr.); 1997-98 - Tamika Catchings (Fr.), Semeka Randall (Fr.), Teresa Geter (Fr.), with Chamique Holdsclaw (Jr.) and Kellie Jolly (Jr.). THE NATIONAL YOUNGSTER WATCH Tennessee has a young team this season but there are a few other schools also up to their elbows in Pampers and Desenex. The Lady Vols have the fourth youngest team in the nation. Youngest Teams 1. Tennessee-Martin, T2. Idaho, San Jose State, T4. Tennessee, Illinois, 6. UMBC, 7. Elon, T8. Central Arkansas, Arkansas, 10. Northeastern.
FAST STARTS FOR LADY VOL ROOKIES UT has enjoyed a tremendous tradition of some great Lady Vol rookies. Currently, frosh Glory Johnson has registered double-fi gure scoring in each of her fi rst 10 games. Other Lady Vol rookies doublefi gure scoring streaks to start their UT career-- Consecutive Double-Digit Scoring PerformancesTo Begin UT Freshman Season (Since 1980-81):
NO WHAMMIES The Lady Vols have lost back-to-back games just 24 times in Coach Pat Summitt's 35-year career. The last time it happened, UT lost at #2 Duke, 75- 53, and at Kentucky, 66-63, on Jan. 23 & 26, 2006. Before that, you have to go all the way back to the 1996-97 season for back-to-back losses.CAN'T SPOT OPPONENTS 36 POINTS In Tennessee's loss at Texas, the Lady Vols missed 13 free throws (11-24) and allowed Texas to register 23 points off of 18 UT miscues -- basically spotting the Longhorns 36 points.GOTTA HAVE GLORY The Lady Vols were a little hamstrung in the Texas game with leading scorer Glory Johnson on the bench. The super rookie from Knoxville was whistled for two fouls in the fi rst 1:52 of the game and took a seat on the bench. After watching her teammates fall behind by eight points during a 13 minute span, Johnson was sent back into the game. A scant 52 seconds was all the action Johnson saw before she was whistled for her third foul. Amazingly, Johnson played all 20 minutes in the second stanza and did not pick up another foul.REVIEWING THE GOOD... The Lady Vols have been hitting the boards in the early going...Tennessee is grabbing 48.3 rpg and outrebounding the opposition by +9.0 (39.3)... At Texas, the Longhorns schooled the Lady Vols on the boards, 52-41...Leading the charge on the boards is sophomore Vicki Baugh who is grabbing 9.4 rpg -- just dipping below the +10 rpg she had been pulling down...Should Baugh be able to maintain a double-digit rebounding slate, she'd be the fi rst Lady Vol since Patricia "Trish" Roberts to record extra digit rebounds in a season...Roberts averaged 14.2 rpg (1976-77)...Quick hands and feet for Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson have resulted in the rookies leading the team in thefts this season as "Kinna" has 23 steals and Johnson 20... Stricklen has the individual team lead with fi ve steals against GWU...Speaking of team leaders, Briana Bass dished out eight helpers in the game versus Louisiana Tech...She was one assist off the Lady Vol rookie record of nine set by Jody Adams twice during her freshman campaign in 1989-90.THEN THERE'S THE BAD AND/OR UGLY... Perhaps one of the reasons UT has been so tough on the boards is that there are a lot of misses on the offensive end this year resulting in a 40.7 percent fi eld goal shooting accuracy...The team took a big step in the right direction notching their fi rst 50% game of the season reaching 51.7 percent from the fi eld vs. MTSU and fell off the apple cart one game later posting the worst FG percentage of the season registering 33% at Texas...With the exception of Angie Bjorklund, the Lady Vol three-point bombardiers have only reached 30.6 percent of their tries... As young players learn the UT system, they need to embrace the "Love thy neighbor" credo...The Lady Vols have only registered 137 assists on 271 made fi eld goals...Free throws improved to 66.6 percent after a shaky start but dipped to 45.8% in the Texas game to drop the Lady Vols to just 67.6% FT on the year -- missing charity tosses could cost a bigger win down the line...In the second effort department, theLady Vols are looking to improve on 17.1 ppg second chance points. "BIRD" AND ALEX = GRADUATION RATE PERFECT The Fall semester came to a close on the UT campus on Dec. 11 and redshirt senior Alex Fuller fi nished up her undergraduate degree requirements. On Sat., Dec. 13, Fuller went through commencement and then boarded the plane with her Lady Vol teammates to travel to Texas. Fuller received her degree in exercise science and will begin grad school in January 2009 majoring in both Sport Management and Sport Psychology. Also graduating on Saturday with Fuller was former Lady Vol hoopster Alberta "Bird" Auguste who completed her eligibility last May and was a member of the 2007 and 2008 NCAA title teams.THINGS CEREBRAL During the nine-day fi nal exam period, coach Pat Summitt and her Tennessee squad engaged in some pretty productive practices wrapped around tests, papers and tutors. Like last year, UT also faced MTSU in the fi rst game following fi nals and picked up wins both times. Already this season, four Lady Vols have dealt with concussions just eight games into the season -- a scary stat. Three of the head blows were suffered in practice as Shekinna Stricklen, Kelley Cain and Amber Gray all went to the mat. Rookie Alicia Manning was knocked in the head in the game with Louisiana Tech. Gray was cleared to play against MTSU.AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL Rookie Shekinna Stricklen had a break-out game against MTSU. The Morrilton, Ark., native tossed in a career high 20 points while pulling down six rebounds. Her ATC moment came just before halftime when she nailed a 33-footer before the buzzer.BOMBS AWAY ANGIE B The old Angie Bjorklund showed up for the game at Old Dominion. The long-range gunner hit 6-10 treys en route to tying her career high of 29 points. The sophomore was back as a starter in the game versus MTSU. As a rookie, Bjorklund started 30 games and then hit a wall in February and suffered a case of the "February Freshman Fade." To open this season, she had to deal with a bulging disc in her back and has only played in the last several games. Against Middle, she tossed in 16 points including a couple of her signature treys.GLORY BE Lady Vol rookie Glory Johnson has picked up SEC Rookie of the Week honors twice this season. She received the award for the week of Nov. 23-30 after leading the Lady Vols to wins over Western Carolina (83-56) and DePaul (88-67). In each game, she scored a season-high 19 points. Johnson was also named SEC Freshman of the Week for the opening week of the new campaign after leading UT to a 68-39 win over San Francisco with 17 points and 12 rebounds.SYD HAS BEEN FEELING IT Sophomore Sydney Smallbone has been a steady contributor in the line-up thus far. She opened the year as a starter and changed her role to coming off the bench to make way for Vicki Baugh in the line-up. Smallbone has been steady on defense and come up big with some key three-pointers... none bigger than the rally killers she served up at George Washington on Dec. 2.HEY! THE GANG'S ALL HERE -- FINALLY Against DePaul on Nov. 30, Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt enjoyed a full roster available to play for the fi rst time in the 2008-09 season. Sophomore Angie Bjorklund, the only returning player with solid experience as a starter (30 starts) was available for the fi rst time this season after missing fi ves games. Back from concussions were Alicia Manning and Kelley Cain who missed one and four games, respectively.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 six games and is averaging 8.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 2.0 bpg in 22.8 minutes of action. She recorded back-to-back double-doubles of 13 pts. and 12 rbs. (La Tech) and 11 pts. and 15 rbs. (Western Carolina).2008-09 RANKED TIDBITS 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...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.ANOTHER SUMMITT ACCOLADE 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."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 left-handed 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.ABOUT THE ROOKIES 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 birdeye 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.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.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.POLLSTERS The Tennessee Lady Vols started the season in somewhat unfamiliar territory in the Top 25 Preseason polls. The Associated Press had UT in the seventh position to start the season, while the ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Poll had UT in the sixth spot receiving one fi rst place vote. Tennessee's start in the AP poll is the lowest since the 1985-86 season when UT started in the number nine spot.HEY! WE LOVE A HAPPY MEAL The Tennessee Lady Vols lead the nation with the number of McDonald's High School All-Americans on their roster in 2008-09 with nine players. Rutgers follows with eight "Mickey D" selections and Duke has seven. Four schools have six McDonald's honorees on their rosters - North Carolina, Maryland, Stanford and Connecticut. Tennessee's Mc- Donald's All-Americans: Vicki Baugh, Angie Bjorklund, Alyssia Brewer, Kelley Cain, Alex Fuller, Amber Gray, Glory Johnson, Alicia Manning and Shekinna Stricklen.GONZAGA GAME IS SOLD-OUT! All of the tickets were snatched up just a couple of hours after single game ducats for the Tennessee Lady Vols' showdown at Gonzaga went on sale on Monday, Oct. 28. Tennessee, the 2007 and 2008 defending NCAA Champions, are slated to play the Bulldogs at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Dec. 30.ELITE COMPANY On opening day versus San Francisco, rookies Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen earned starts. Only once before in Lady Vol history have two rookies started on opening night - 23 years ago Bridgette Gordon and Sheila Frost earn starts in their very fi rst offi cial games as Lady Vols. When Pat Summitt started freshman forward Angie Bjorklund against the USA National Team on Nov. 4, 2007, it marked only the 10th time in her coaching career that a freshman started her very fi rst game at Tennessee. The list of opening day rookie starters: Angie Bjorklund 2007, Candace Parker, 2005, Shyra Ely 2001, Ashley Robinson 2000, Gwen Jackson 1999, Kyra Elzy 1996, Chamique Holdsclaw 1995, Tiffani Johnson 1994, Bridgette Gordon and Sheila Frost 1985.THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA • WELCOME TO "THE SUMMITT" The playing court in the Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus donned a new look for the 2005-06 season. After Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt passed Dean Smith for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 win over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005, UT named the TBA court, "The Summitt." The fl oor had a complete overhaul with permanent logos of both the Lady Vols and Vols painted directly in front of the scorer's table; the free throw lanes were painted orange with "SEC" reversed out; the giant jump circle/ mid-court TENNESSEE was given a new brighter color scheme, and "The Summitt," Coach Summitt's actual signature adorns the sidelines opposite the team benches.ON OUR WAY TO 300 WINS Tennessee recorded its 200th win in Thompson- Boling Arena when the Lady Vols defeated the University of Southern California on Nov. 18, 2001, 106-66. UT has now amassed a 299-19 (.942) record since the Orange and White moved into the Thompson-Boling Arena to start the 1987-88 season 20-years ago. Along the way, the Lady Vols have produced nine fl awless home records in 1988-89 (15-0), 1991-92 (14-0), 1992-93 (13-0), 1993-94 (15- 0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 2000-01 (15-0) and 2002-03 (16-0). UT also registered an NCAA record 69-game home court-winning streak from Feb. 1, 1991 thru Jan. 2, 1996.JUST 19 LOSSES The Tennessee Lady Vols rarely lose at home. In fact, since moving to the Thompson-Boling Arena for the 1987-88 campaign, UT has lost two games in one season just six times. UT lost two games in TBA during the inaugural 1987-88 campaign, 1996-97, 1999-00, 2001-02, 2003-04 and the 2005-06 seasons. The 19 all-time losses at TBA have come at the hands of just 10 teams: Virginia (2008), Florida (2006), LSU (2006, 2008), Duke (2004, 2007), Connecticut (2004, 2002, 2000, 1996), Louisiana Tech (1999, 1989), Georgia (1996, 1991), Texas (2003, 2002, 1987), Stanford (1996) and Auburn (1988).HOME SWEET HOME -- OVER 400 HOME WINS The victory over Georgia on Jan. 31, 2005, was the Lady Vols 400th home win since Pat Summitt took over as head coach in 1974. Summitt has won 91.4 percent of all home games in 35 years producing a 448-44 overall record. Home losses (in the Summitt era) include: six in Alumni Gym from 1974- 76; 18 in Stokely Athletics Center from 1976-87; and 19 in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1987.A LOOK AT ATTENDANCE The Tennessee Lady Vols staying power with the home fans is evidenced by the huge numbers who have turned out for games in Knoxville since 1990. Tennessee has won the attendance challenge 13 out of the last 19 years. From 2000-08, the Lady Vols attracted 1,719,694 spectators per game for an average of 14,451 at 119. Texas Tech is second with 1,317,848 attending 108 games in Lubbock for an average of 12,202. Connecticut ranks third with 1,534,673 folks at 128 games for an average of 11,989.100 POINT GAMES Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 69 times. Last season, DePaul allowed 102 Tennessee points on Jan. 2, 2008. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games to lead the NCAA.IN OVERTIME The Lady Vols are 25-14 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a year was tied in 2003-04 with four as the Lady Vols went 3-1 in overtime losing to Georgia, 68-66, and defeating Auburn, 68-61, DePaul, 96-89, and Stanford, 70-66. It tied the mark set in 1996-97, when the Lady Vols were 3-1 in overtime contests losing to Georgia, 94-93, and defeating Texas, 68-65, Vanderbilt, 92-79 and LSU, 100-99. UT's 22 points in the OT against Florida (2-3-05), was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime. UT's most recent OT affair was a 73-69 loss to Stanford on Dec. 22, 2007, on the road. |
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/ Women's BasketballWBB | Talaysia Cooper, Nya Robertson & Kim Caldwell Postgame vs. NC State, NCAA Tournament First Round (3.20.26)
Friday, March 20
WBB | Highlights: NC State 76, Lady Vols 61 (3/20/26)| 3.29.25
Friday, March 20
WBB | Janiah Barker, Nya Robertson & Kim Caldwell NCAA Friday News Conference (3.19.26)
Thursday, March 19
WBB | Kim Caldwell Media Availability (3.16.26)
Monday, March 16
