posted December 17, 2006
University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt will be coaching in her 1,100th career game, as she takes her #5-ranked Lady Vols (8-1) on the road to face the #23/24-ranked Texas Longhorns (7-2) at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The matinee tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT on FSN.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 921-178 overall record... Is just 79 wins away from a staggering 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 2005-06 squad advanced to the NCAA Elite...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...
This season, UT returned six letterwinners, welcomed a senior manager turned player, two junior college transfers and a pair of rookies...The 2006-07 season marks the Lady Vol debut for former senior manager #10 Elizabeth Curry, JC transfers #00 Shannon Bobbitt and #33 Alberta Auguste...True freshman, #2 Cait McMahan, a 5-4 guard from Maryville, Tenn., and #34 Nicci Moats, a 6-2 forward from Daleville, Va., also see their first action in the Orange and White this season.
THE 4-1-1 ON THE LONGHORNS
The #23/24-ranked Texas Longhorns are 7-2 on the young season. Like Tennessee, Texas has also been off for the past week. The Longhorns have been enjoying the friendly confines of the Erwin Center facing nine of the first 11 opponents at home. The two Texas road trips resulted in the only losses thus far -- at #23-ranked New Mexico (63-60) and at #4-ranked Duke (80-52). Nevertheless, Texas is off to its best beginning of the season since a 7-0 start in 2003-04. Once again, the burnt orange UT is led by senior All-America candidate Tiffany Jackson who leads the Longhorns statistically: scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg), steals (3.1 spg), and minutes played (30.7). Assisting Jackson in the scoring department is sophomore guard Erika Arriaran chipping in with 10.0 ppg, redshirt freshman forward Earnesia Williams (6.9 ppg), freshman guard Niqky Hughes (7.4 ppg) and junior guard Erneisha Bailey (5.8 ppg).
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Lady Vols had no games scheduled over the last week due to final exams. This weekend, UT travels to #23/24 Texas (Dec. 17), entertains West Virginia at home (Dec. 20) and travels to Old Dominion (Dec. 22).
LADY VOLS ON TV
A record 21 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for national/regional television this season. Five non-televised games will be available as streaming video with voice-over from Mickey Dearstone on utladyvols.com. UT is 4-1 on TV this season.
ON THIS DAY
UT is 10-2 in games played on Dec. 17. The Lady Vols are 1-0 at home, 6-0 on the road and 3-2 on neutral courts. The last time out on Dec. 17, the Lady Vols registered a 96-89 OT victory over DePaul on the road in 2003.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 9-0 and had just defeated Louisiana Tech 83-59 at home.
PLAYING 12 RANKED TEAMS
Tennessee will play 12 teams in 14 games and five of the nation's top 10 teams ranked this season in the AP and USA TODAY ESPN poll North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Arizona St., Vanderbilt, Arkansas, UCLA, George Washington and Texas.
UT'S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Chattanooga (.579), MTSU (.565), Arizona St. (.548), UCLA (.531), UT-Martin (.509), Stanford (.500); 40%FG: Louisiana Tech (.483), GWU (.482); 30%FG: North Carolina (.362)
DEEE ----- FENSE
In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: none, 40%FG: GWU (.472), Arizona St. (.469), Stanford (.456), MTSU (.453), UCLA (.451), North Carolina (.444), Chattanooga (.431), 30%FG: none; 20%FG: Louisiana Tech (.295), UT-Martin (.204)
2006-07 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL
Wins: +56 (1), +30 (1), +24 (1), +23 (2), +21 (1), +17 (1), +9 (1), Losses: -13 (1)
WEEKLY WRAP-UP ... FINAL EXAMS AND PUPPIES
Following the 85-62 win over #21/19 George Washington University on Dec. 7, the Lady Vol went on a 10-day hiatus for final exams...The team took-off Dec. 9th and 10th and then fit practice around final exams and study sessions. The last day of exams was Dec. 14 and the team also took off Fri., Dec. 15. The abbreviated schedule was a blessing in disguise for Coach Pat Summitt. On Sunday, Dec. 10, Sally Sue Summitt, the family's yellow Labrador Retriever, gave birth to seven healthy puppies. The litter was comprised of four yellow females and three black males (the daddy was a black Lab). Never know when that 4-H training will come in handy!
UPCOMING OPPONENT - WEST VIRGINIA
In their last outing before final exams, Mountaineer's guard Sparkle Davis scored 19 of her career-high 21 points in the first half to lead West Virginia to an easy 77-42 victory over Duquesne on Dec. 8, 2006, in Morgantown. West Virginia (6-4, 0-1) came out blazing and shot a blistering 74 percent on 17-23 shooting in the first half to build a 42-23 advantage at the break. Davis dominated play in the first period, going 8 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 4 from three-point land. Junior forward Chakhia Cole added a solid floor game for the Mountaineers, scoring 15 points to go with six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Davis and Cole were joined in double-figures by 6-2 junior center Olayinka Sanni who scored 11 points on perfect 4-4 shooting from the field, despite being plagued by foul trouble. All 13 WVU players saw action and 11 scored as the bench chipped in 23 points. West Virginia swings back into action following final exams and will host Oakland at the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 16.
TEXAS NOTEBOOK
ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGS
DATE RANK SITE W/L SCORE
12/29/92 1/nr N64 W 73-53
11/27/01 2/22 A W 88-57
11/26/02 4/21 H W 83-61
12/30/03 5/nr A W 65-51
11/23/04 1/nr H W 71-41
12/7/05 1/nr A W 59-43
3/21/06 8/nr N118 W 66-53
THE SERIES WITH TEXAS
This marks the 28th meeting between the two schools (Tennessee leads 16-11) dating back to the 1978-79 season. Since 1986-87, Tennessee has held a 15-7 advantage in the series and has won 14 of the last 18 meetings. In the 2005-06 meeting with Texas, UT produced the biggest victory margin ever in the series, 41 points, 102-61. Still, Texas has dealt the Lady Vols three of the worst defeats in school history. On Dec. 11, 1984, Texas won by 31 points (91-60 in Austin), on Dec. 1, 1985, Texas won by 22 points (74-52 in Knoxville), and on Dec. 9, 1987 by 19 points (97-78 in Knoxville).
TEXAS HAD TENNESSEE'S NUMBER
Texas had Tennessee's number in four consecutive games from 2002-04. With the mini-run, the Longhorns broke a 10-year, 13 loss skein to the Lady Vols. During the four game losing span, which (ironically) found the Lady Vols at the Final Four each season, Tennessee averaged an anemic 61.7 ppg while the Longhorns averaged 69.0 ppg in these contests. UT broke the streak with a 41-point drubbing over Texas last season, 102-61, and ironically missed the Final Four.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
With all of the national prominence generated by Tennessee and Texas throughout the years, it is ironic that the two teams have never met in an AIAW or NCAA title, or even a playoff game. In 2003, it looked as if the traditional powerhouses would meet in the NCAA title game. However, UConn slipped past Texas and met the Lady Vols in the title game, instead. Typically, the games have either been blowouts or close affairs (under six points).
JUST ONE OT
The only overtime game in the series was the 1996 meeting in Austin when the Lady Vols won by a 68-65 margin.
TENNESSEE TEXAS
OVERALL RECORD 7-1 7-1
SCORING 80.8 67.9
SCORING DEFENSE 59.9 60.5
POINT MARGIN +20.9 + 7.4
REBOUNDS 36.1 38.5
OPP. REBOUNDS 32.0 38.2
REBOUND MARGIN + 4.1 + 0.3
FG% .511 .432
OPPONENT FG% .401 .372
THREE POINT FG% .436 .394
OPPONENT 3FG% .376 .357
FT% .707 .663
OPPONENT FT% .647 .636
ASSISTS 17.9 14.3
BLOCKS AVERAGE 6.3 4.9
STEALS AVERAGE 14.5 9.4
TURNOVER AVERAGE 16.9 15.5
OUR LAST MEETING
The #2/1-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols handed #16/18-ranked Texas a 102-61 drumming in Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 1, 2005 to improve to 6-0 on the season. UT's victory snapped a four-game losing skein to Texas which started with a 69-66 upset of the Lady Vols in Knoxville on Feb. 12, 2002. Tennessee senior Shanna Zolman sank five treys and rookie Candace Parker scored her second career double-double as the Lady Vols claimed the largest margin of victory in the series history. The 41 points marked the sixth largest margin of defeat for the Longhorns in program history. It was only the fifth time that an opponent scored at least 100 points in a game against Texas. Tennessee was also the last Texas opponent to accomplish that feat with a 106-76 win over the Longhorns in 1999. For the game, Zolman scored a team high 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting and was named the player of the game. She added a career-tying best six assists in 32 minutes of action. Parker scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, tying for the tenth most boards by a freshman in Lady Vol history. She blocked three Longhorn attempts and snagged three Texas passes. Alexis Hornbuckle scored 11 points, had five assists and three steals. Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood went 3 of 4 from three-point land en route to 11 points. Sidney Spencer also scored in double figures for the Lady Vols with 12 points and four rebounds. Tennessee ran out to a 17-0 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes and were ahead by as many as 22 points twice in the first half. The closest the Longhorns got before halftime was 37-24 after Earnesia Williams hit a jumper and Nina Norman had a 3, but Tennessee answered with Zolman's 3. Tennessee owned a heavy rebound advantage (45-25), shot almost 55 percent from the field and connected on 11 of 19 three point attempts. The 11 three's tied for the fourth most in a game by the Lady Vols in program history. Norman and Tiffany Jackson each scored 13 points to lead Texas, while Carla Cortijo added 12.
FACING THE RANKED
Tennessee will be facing their sixth ranked opponent in 10 contests in the game with #23/24-ranked Texas. Meanwhile the Longhorns will be taking on just their third ranked opponent in 10 games when they face #5 Tennessee.
VERSUS THE BIG XII CONFERENCE
Tennessee has taken on 11 teams from the Big XII Conference all-time and sports a 39-12 record. Only two teams have claimed victories over UT - Texas (11 times) and Colorado (once). The Lady Vols were honorary members of the Big XII in 2004 taking on Oklahoma (a 71-55 win), Texas, a 70-60 loss and an NCAA Sweet 16 win over Baylor, 71-69. After losing 13 straight to the Lady Vols in the 1990s, the Longhorns won four straight before the Lady Vols grabbed a 102-61 win last year.
LAST TIME IN AUSTIN, TURKEY DAY TRANSPORTATION TRIBULATIONS AT TEXAS
Give Texas all the credit for handing the Lady Vols a 74-59 loss on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2004 in Austin. Now that a little time has passed, we can laugh at the transportation drama of Turkey Day 2004. Tennessee's team bus died in the middle of the I-35 access road en route to the Erwin Center for tip-off. Just plain stopped in the middle of the road. Quick-thinking BB Ops director Danielle Donehew called the UT hotel to summon help in the form of cabs, personal vehicles, anything to get the team to the Arena. By the time the convoy of vehicles reached campus, it was about 40-minutes to tip. After the whipping exacted by the Longhorns, the Lady Vols were anxious to get home. Well... The charter flight coming to pick the team up lost an engine and had to make an emergency landing in Atlanta. By the time a new plane was dispatched to Austin and the return flight home to Knoxville, it was somewhere around 4 a.m., Friday morning when the team arrived back on campus. Too much drama for a holiday!
OUR LAST MEETING WITH TEXAS
In action for the fourth time in seven days, the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols dropped its first game of the season, 74-59, to No. 4 Texas on Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 25, 2004, at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Playing before a home crowd of 11,254, Texas came out strong and quickly built a 14-2 advantage. Despite connecting on just three of its first 16 shots from the field, Tennessee finally answered with a 10-4 run to cut the lead to just six, 22-16, following a three-pointer by Dominique Redding. The margin would remain the same as the teams went to the locker room with the score 29-23 in favor of the Longhorns. As they did in the first half, the Lady Vols struggled to find their shot after the intermission, hitting just 1-of-6 attempts to start the second frame. Texas capitalized and gradually extended the lead to as many as 16 points, 52-36, with about 10 minutes remaining. Tennessee made one last charge, as it mounted a 7-0 burst and cut the advantage to nine, 61-52, with five minutes to play, but it was not enough as the Longhorns responded and extended their home-game winning streak to 38 games. Individually, the Orange and White were paced by senior Brittany Jackson and sophomore Sidney Spencer, who scored 14 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Nicky Anosike also put together a fine performance, totaling seven rebounds, six points and three steals in just 17 minutes of playing time. While the Lady Vols out-rebounded Texas, 40-38 (including 24-9 on the offensive glass), and forced 23 turnovers, they were out-shot 60.4 percent (29-48) to 32.9 percent (23-70). It marked the first time an opponent shot better than 60 percent since Jan. 17, 1994, when Rutgers hit on 62.2 percent of its tries.
IT WAS 13 IN A ROW
Until Texas broke the streak on Feb. 12, 2002, in Knoxville, the Tennessee Lady Vols had registered 13 wins in a row over the Longhorns and dominated the 1990s with a 12-0 slate. It was a far cry from the late 1970s and 1980s when Texas fashioned a 7-2 record over Tennessee.
LOTS O' WINS
Seems like winning is all Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Jody Conradt of Texas know how to do as women's collegiate hoops coaches. Going into today's game, the two Hall of Famers have combined for 1,810 victories against just 473 losses in a total of 71 seasons for a ridiculous 79.3 winning percentage. Additionally, both coaches have won NCAA titles with undefeated teams.
ATTRACTING A CROWD
Of the Lady Vols' top 100 all-time attended games, 10 contests against Texas have made the list. The largest crowd ever to see Tennessee and Texas play was in Knoxville, Tenn., on Dec. 9, 1987, when a then-world record crowd of 24,563 packed Thompson-Boling Arena. The Longhorns spoiled the Lady Vols party tagging a 97-78 defeat on the home standing team. The biggest crowd to show up in Austin was Thanksgiving night 2004 when 11,254, saw Texas knock off #1-ranked Tennessee, 74-59.
UT'S CAN'T GET BY THE ACC
Both UT's, Tennessee and Texas, have been handed a defeat by an ACC team this season. The Lady Vols dropped a 70-57 contest at #2 North Carolina, while Texas fell at #4 Duke, 80-52.
UT DUO TABBED AS NAISMITH TROPHY CANDIDATES
University of Tennessee Lady Vols Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle were named as pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Dec. 11. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's players of the year. Parker, a 6-foot-4 sophomore leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.5 bpg). The Naperville, Ill., native was a pre- and mid-season Naismith candidate during her rookie campaign. Charleston, W.Va.'s Hornbuckle paces the Lady Vols in steals (3.5 spg) and adds 3.3 assists, 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. The junior guard is currently riding a streak of 45 consecutive games with at least one theft. Parker and Hornbuckle were both named pre-season candidates for the Wooden Award, as well.
LADY VOLS: THE BEST AND THE WORST OF 2006-07
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME:102 points ....vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME: 57 points .........at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 74 points ....at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 29 points ...... vs. UT-Martin (12/5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD:
57 points............85-28 vs. UT-Marin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT:
15 points .............55-70 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD IN A LOSS: 5 points.....9-4 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT IN A WIN: 6 points ......13-7 vs. MTSU (11/26)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME LEAD: 30 points.....43-13 vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME DEFICIT: 5 points...25-30 at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.636 (21-33) ....... vs. MTSU (11/26)
WORST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%:
.346(9-26) ............. at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.609 (14-23) .............. vs. Stanford (11/24)
WORST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%:
.375 (12-32) ........... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 59 points ......vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 25 points ......... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 38 points.......at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 13 points ..... vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 46 points .............. vs. GWU (12/7)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 29 points ......... at La Tech (11/28)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 41 points .........vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 16 points ........vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
TENNESSEE has led in the first half of every game ...
TENNESSEE has never trailed in the first half of eight games...
TENNESSEE has led at halftime of 8 games...
TENNESSEE has trailed at halftime of 1 game
TENNESSEE has led in the second half of 8 games...
TENNESSEE has never led in the second half of 1 game...
TENNESSEE has led in rebounding in 6 games...
TENNESSEE has been outrebounded in 3 games (43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...
LADY VOLS IN NCAA STATS
The Tennessee Lady Vols appear in a number of categories in the latest NCAA stats. UT ranks second in the nation in field goal accuracy at 50.8, second in the nation in three-point field goal accuracy at 43.8, sixth in blocked shots with 6.2 bpg, ninth in scoring with 81.2 ppg, 10th in steals with 13.9, 14th in scoring margin at +21.1 ppg and 18th in assists with 17.9 per game. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle is 16th in steals with 3.6 thefts and Candace Parker is 17th nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.
UT LEADS IN HOME ATTENDANCE
The Tennessee, once again, leads the NCAA women's basketball attendance race. UT will easily pass the 100,000 mark in home attendance before the new year with upcoming home games versus West Virginia (Dec. 20) and Notre Dame (Dec. 30). The current attendance standings: 1. Tennessee 12,312 (73,869/6), 2. Connecticut 10,294 (41,174/4), 3. Texas Tech 10,136 (40,543/4), 4. Iowa State 9,942 (39,769/4) and 5. Oklahoma 9,632 (19,263/2). The University of Wisconsin compiles the unofficial attendance rankings during the regular season.
TENNESSEE TOPS AP ALL-TIME
The Tennessee Lady Vols are the top-ranked team in the history of the Top 25 rankings in the Associated Press poll. The poll, now in its 31st season, has found Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols ranked in 509 of a possible 523 polls. Through the poll released on Dec. 4, the top five team poll rankings are:
1. Pat Summitt, TENNESSEE - 509 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history) 2. Andy Landers, Georgia - 401 3. Jody Conradt, Texas - 392 4. C.Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) - 349 5. Rene Portland (St. Joseph, Penn St.) - 336
SOLID WIN OVER GW
After an "attention-getting" week following the loss at #2-ranked North Carolina, the Lady Vols had a solid all-around showing versus a tenacious #21/19-ranked George Washington squad. Four starters reached double-figures with good balance across the front line. Improved rebounding accounted for 23 second chance points as the posts were key in the paint. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle... extended her streak of games with a steal to 45 -- she now has at least one steal in 66 of 73 career games. Handed out a season-high seven assists. Sidney Spencer... The senior had a career-high-tying 21 points including five three-pointers. Nicky Anosike... recorded her first double-double of the season with a season-high 15 points and 11 rebounds and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Candace Parker... Double-doubles elude her as she once again fell one rebound shy of her third consecutive double-double.
PARKER'S A FOUL MAGNET
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker has been a foul magnet in 2006-07. With all of the double and triple-teaming she has seen this season, 25 percent of the opponent's 180 total fouls have been inflicted on her. In nine games this season, Parker has drawn 49 fouls. In games against Arizona State, Stanford and North Carolina, players guarding Parker were whistled for nine fouls. To date, Parker has visited the charity strip 55 times this season - or six times a game.
VERSUS THE RANKED
In #23/24-ranked Texas, the Lady Vols will face their sixth ranked opponent in 10 games. UT recorded wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60), at #11 Arizona State (83-74), against #11 Stanford (77-60) and #21/19 George Washington (85-62) but lost to UNC 70-57.
ELITE COMPANY FOR BIG NICK
Junior post Nicky Anosike has moved into an elite Lady Vol club. "Big Nick" has joined Tennessee greats Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings as the only Lady Vols all-time to accumulate at least 500+ points, 400+ rebounds, 80+ blocked shots, 100+ assists and 100+ steals. The mobile 6-4 Anosike has generated 571 points, 458 rebounds, 94 blocked shots, 132 assists, and 111 steals in 80 career games.
UT REBOUNDED VS. MARTIN
After suffering its first defeat of the season, Tennessee rebounded with a big win over Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin. The Lady Vols opened the game on an 18-0 run. UTM did not score until 11:43 left in the first half. Martin's 13 first half points tie for the seventh fewest by a UT opponent in and their 16 second half points tie for the eighth fewest by a UT opponent in history. Overall, UTM's 29 total points tie for the fourth fewest by a UT opponent. For the first time this season, all 11 Lady Vols scored. Best of all, Tennessee had its lowest turnover total (9) of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 44. She has made a steal in 65 of 72 career games; Candace Parker...Reached double figures for the 22nd consecutive time, the 41st time in her career. She also recorded a double-double for the second straight game, the third time this season and the 13th time of her career. Remained perfect from the three-point line this season; Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 14 points; Sidney Spencer ...Reached double figures for the seventh time this season, the 34th time of her career; Nicci Moats...Scored her first career field goal and had a career-high three points, former manager Elizabeth Curry ...Scored her first career points.
THE WHEELS FELL OFF
Tennessee's trip to #2 North Carolina had few things to write home about as the wheels fell off for the first time this season. Against the Tar Heels, Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season dropping the Lady Vols' record to 6-1. UT was in unfamiliar territory as they trailed at the half for the first time this season. After connecting on better than 50 percent from the field in five games, UT's field goal percentage (.362) was the lowest of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...-Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 43. She has recorded at least one steal in 64 of 71 career games; Candace Parker... Reached double figures for 21st consecutive game, and for the 40th time in her career, Nicky Anosike... Moved into a tie for 11th place on the career blocks list (88) and rookie Cait McMahan...deserved the "Spunk Award" after getting tangled up with UNC's Ivory Latta - Caity Mac did not back down.
BOBBITT MISSED ONE GAME
UT junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt was back in the starting line-up against #2-ranked North Carolina. Bobbitt missed the contest at Louisiana Tech due to a test in one of her classes. Rookie Cait McMahan started in Bobbitt's place in the 71-50 win over the Lady Techsters. McMahan had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.
SUMMITT CAPTURED ROAD WIN NUMBER 300 AT LA TECH
Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt notched her 300th career victory on the road at Louisiana Tech. Summitt has now fashioned a 300-79 all-time record in hostile arenas - which equates to an amazing 80 percent winning mark on the road in 33 seasons at the helm of the Lady Vols.
CONFERENCE CALL
In addition to the 14-game Southeastern Conference schedule, Tennessee will take on teams from 10 other conferences this season. The Lady Vols will be doing their best impression as members of the Pac-10 and the BIG EAST facing three opponents from each of those conferences. UT will play two foes from the ACC and one each from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Colonial, Ohio Valley, Southern, Sun Belt and WAC.
CAN THIS TEAM DEFEND THE 3?
Coach Pat Summitt has not been pleased with the Lady Vols' commitment to defending the three-pointer. On the season, UT's opponents have connected on 6.0 treys per game and are shooting at a 38 percent clip of their attempts. Chattanooga recorded a school record 31 attempts from three-point land versus the Lady Vols. MTSU registered 13-26 (50%) from three-point land.
STEALS, STEALS EVERYWHERE
The Pat Summitt mantra of "let your defense start your offense" hasn't fallen on deaf ears with the Lady Vols so far this season. Tennessee already has 125 thefts on the year against quality opposition for an average of 13.9 spg. Alexis Hornbuckle is leading the team individually with just under four steals per game.
PARKER NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Candace Parker was tabbed the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 27, after leading her team to victories over #11-ranked Stanford, 77-60 and Middle Tennessee, 88-64. The Naperville, Ill., native averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games. Parker connected on both three-point attempts and made 65 percent of her shots from the field. Additionally, she dished four assists and nabbed six steals in the pair of contests. She also slammed home her second dunk of the 2006-07 season and fourth of her career in the win over the Cardinal. Parker earned the honor for the second time this season.
LEFTOVERS FROM RUSTON
With Tennessee's sloppy 71-50 win over Louisiana Tech, it marked the Lady Vols seventh consecutive victory over the Lady Techsters. The 71 points were the fewest scored by the Lady Vols this season and the 50 points scored by Tech were the fewest of an opponent this season. The UT starting lineup of Cait McMahan, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sidney Spencer, Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike was used for the first time this season. Starting point guard Shannon Bobbitt stayed in Knoxville to take a test. Tennessee's smothering defense forced 10 Lady Techster turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game. The 19 first half turnovers by LTU were the most by a UT opponent this season. UT's halftime lead (+27) was the largest halfway margin since the opening game against Chattanooga (+28). In the bad news department, the smaller Tech squad embarrassed the Lady Vols on the boards with a 46-37 rebounding margin. Individually, Cait McMahan... Got her first career start...Made her first career free throw attempt and earned career-highs in points (7) and rebounds (4)...Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 42. She has made at least one steal in 63 of 70 career games. Her six steals against Tech moved her past Kellie Jolly (177) into 20th place in the UT record books for career steals (180). She had four steals in the first eight minutes of the game in Ruston...Candace Parker... Became the eighth Lady Vol of all time to reach the 100-blocks plateau and she reached it in just 42 games. On the first two offensive plays of the game for LTU, Parker blocked both attempts. Her seven blocks tied her own personal-best, tie for the most by ever by a UT sophomore and vaulted her into seventh place in the UT record books for career blocks (103), past Daedra Charles (97), Vonda Ward (98) and Abby Conklin (102). Also, she scored in double figures for the 20th game in a row, the 39th time in her career...Alberta Auguste...The only Lady Vol in history to hail from the state of Louisiana, she played in Ruston, about five hours (340 miles) from her hometown of Marrero, La. Against the Techsters, and in front of a bunch of family from Marrero, she had a career-high eight steals, five of which came in the first half...Sidney Spencer...The first of four Lady Vols to reach double figures, her 10 points marked her seventh consecutive 10+ point game... Dominique Redding... Spencer's senior sidekick had a career-high 13 points on a career-high six field goals.
LADY VOL BITS & PIECES FROM THE MTSU GAME
Tennessee made 10 three-pointers, tying for the 10th most in program history...All 11 Lady Vols saw playing time... Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 19th game in a row dating back to last season and moved into fourth place in career field goal percentage (.462) with her 7-of-9 shooting... Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with a steal to 41 and now has at least one steal in 62 of 69 career games. She moved into a tie for 21st place in the Lady Vol record books with 174 career thefts...Sidney Spencer-Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season, the sixth time in a row dating back to the North Carolina game on March 28, 2006. The streak of six consecutive double-digit scoring outings is the longest of her career. She also made four three-pointers, the most by a Lady Vol this season...Alex Fuller-The first of four Lady Vols to reach double-digits in the game. Her 12 points are a career-high and her two three-pointers tied a career-high...Nicky Anosike-Had a season-high 13 points, marking her 15th career game with a double-digit output. She moved into a tie for 13th place for career blocks (88)...Nicci Moats-Scored her first points at UT.
NEW SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Candace Parker broke Michelle Snow's school record for most dunks in a career in the game with #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker's one-handed slam with 10:55 left in the first half was the fourth of Parker's career and the second of the season. Snow registered three dunks (1998-2002) during her career.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
After opening games shooting at .613 (UTC), .531 (UCLA), .516 (Arizona St.) - UT had its first stinker in the opening 20 minutes making just 13-31 field goals for a season-low .419 shooting percentage in the first half against Stanford ...UT responded with .609 accuracy in the second half (14-23) for the best second half field goal performance of the season...
UT-STANFORD WRAP-UP
All Lady Vols who played scored...UT missed only one free throw, shooting at a 94.7 percent clip... Individually, Candace Parker... Sank her first three-point attempt of the season, recorded her second dunk of the season, her first career dunk against a ranked opponent, Was the first of two Lady Vols to reach double-figures, Eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game and the 13th time in her career, Surpassed 700 points for her career, Recorded five blocks, tying for the 10th-most in a single game by a Lady Vol (She now has 93 for her career, moving past Tiffani Johnson (89) and Cindy Noble (91) into 10th place in the Lady Vol record books); Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 40. She has made at least one steal in 61 of 68 career game; Sidney Spencer... Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, the 31st time in her career.
UT LEADS PAC-10 AT 3-0
The Tennessee Lady Vols have finished their Pac-10 slate with a 3-0 record against three ranked teams in consecutive games. During the stretch of wins over #20/21 UCLA, at #11 Arizona State and #11 Stanford in the last week, UT averaged 81.0 ppg and gave up 64.7 ppg for a 16.3 scoring margin. The Lady Vols shot .528 from the field, .455 from three point land and .760 from the line. UT forced the opposition in an average of 23.0 turnovers per game while coming up with 14.0 steals per contest. Individually, Candace Parker tossed in 24.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg and registered two dunks.
FIFTY IS NIFTY
With the victory over Stanford, Tennessee has now claimed 52 victories all-time against teams from the Pac-10. Outside of the Southeastern Conference (365 wins), the Lady Vols have recorded 77 wins over teams from the ACC and 66 victories over BIG EAST Conference schools. The Pac-10 ranks as the fourth most defeated conference by UT.
FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST
In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols have eight foes scheduled. Three teams hail from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols will face Chattanooga (a 102-72 win), Middle Tennessee (an 88-64 win) and Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin (Dec. 5). UT will seem like a member of the Pac-10, eastern division, as the Lady Vols faced three ranked Pac-10 schools in consecutive games: #20/21 UCLA (an 83-60 win), at #11 Arizona State (an 83-74 win ) and #11 Stanford (a 77-60 win). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (a 71-50 victory) and #2-ranked North Carolina (a 57-70 loss) round out the first month of the season.
Candace Parker EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Tennessee sophomore basketball standout Candace Parker was named the SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 13-19) for her performances in wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60) and at #11 Arizona State (83-74). Last season, Parker received the league's Freshman of the Week honor on four occasions, and the Player of the Week award once during her rookie campaign. In two games, Parker averaged 23.5 points and eight rebounds along with four steals and a pair of blocks. In the game against Arizona State, the Naperville, Ill., native picked up her 11th career double-double and first of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 10-of-15 from the field against UCLA and stayed perfect from the line (2-of-2) for 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to earn Philips Player of the Game accolades. The scoring occurrences marked the 35th and 36th double figure games in her 39-game career. The match-ups were also the 10th and 11th game with 20 or more points.
LADY VOL SPOILERS
The Lady Vols have enjoyed the role of spoiler snapping long-standing winning streaks on a number of opponent's home floors over the years. On Nov. 19, Tennessee halted Arizona State's 26-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena with an 83-74 win. Last season, Stanford had amassed a 23-game winning streak at Maples Pavilion before the Lady Vols grabbed a 74-67 win on Dec. 4, 2005.
FREE THROW WOES
Good thing that the Lady Vols exploded to as much as a 24-point lead against Arizona State. Had Tennessee been forced to rely on relief from the charity stripe down the stretch, it would have been a bad outcome. UT made only 12-21 free throws against the Sun Devils for just 57.1 percent. Candace Parker missed four (7-11), Shannon Bobbitt missed the front end of two 1+1 situations (0-2) and Alex Fuller, uncharacteristically, missed both of her bonus tosses (0-2).
UCLA WAS 370TH WIN VS. RANKED
Tennessee's victory over UCLA improved its record 2-0 on the season and gave the Lady Vols their 370th all-time win over a ranked foe. The Big Orange is now 372-145 in games against Top-25 ranked opposition. At halftime, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt challenged her team to get off to a quick start in the second half and hunker down on defense. Challenge answered. Tennessee opened the second half with a 10-0 run and UCLA did not score a field goal until 3:55 into the second stanza. Individually: Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 38 straight contests; Sidney Spencer...The first of three Lady Vols to reach double-figures -- it was the 29th double-digit game of her career; Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the 35th time in her 38-game career -- it was her 11th career contest of 20 or more points. No dunks against the Bruins. However, her repertoire of shots was simply amazing; Nicky Anosike...Surpassed the 500-point plateau for her career -- she now has 503 career points and Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 10.
NEW UNIFORM PATCH
This year, University of Tennessee student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in the classroom have a "VS" patch on their uniform. The "VS" stands for Vol Scholar. Every Lady Vol basketball player (except for the newcomers -- rookies Cait McMahan and Nicci Moats and junior college transfers Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt) are proudly displaying the patch on their uniform jerseys this season.
THREE 100 POINT GAMES
In the two preseason exhibition tilts and in the first game of the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols registered at least 100 points in all three contests. It marks the first time in program history that a Lady Vol team had tallied triple digits in back-to-back-to-back contests. UT dropped in 102 points against Chattanooga in the season opener and recorded games of 104 points versus Carson-Newman and 101 points against the Houston Jaguars in a pair of exhibition match-ups.
"SOMETHING SPECIAL"
In her first handful of games in a Lady Vol uniform, 5'2" junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt has quickly become a crowd favorite. The diminutive Bobbitt is so quick with the ball, she has left defenders shaking their heads more than once. Hailing from Manhattan, N.Y., Bobbitt earned her hoops rep on some of the toughest courts in the city. The guys at the famed hoops mecca, Rucker Park, nicknamed her "something special." After watching some of her moves in the first two games, a more accurate nickname might be "the ankle breaker."
CANDACE JAMS
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker gave Lady Vols fans the dunk they had been waiting to see at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 12, 2006, with UT leading Chattanooga, 75-43, Parker stole the ball from the Lady Mocs' Brooke Hand near the sideline. The 6-4 forward took off for the other end of the court and slammed the rock in with her right hand with 16:02 left in the game as cheers shook the Arena. The rangy soph brought the crowd to their collective feet in Thompson-Boling Arena again recording her first dunk against a ranked opponent throwing one down at the 10:55 mark in the first half against #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker elected to finger roll a couple of shots last year but never dunked at home. She finally dunked twice as a rookie in the NCAA First Round game versus Army last season. Prior to Parker's dunking exploits, Michelle Snow dunked three times as a Lady Vol. Unfortunately, the dunks occurred on the road at Maui, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. In Snow's final game at Thompson-Boling Arena, she went in to dunk against Notre Dame in the waning seconds of UT's NCAA Second Round victory over the Irish, but she was fouled instead and the dunk never went down. Parker's dunk against #11 Stanford passed Snow for the Lady Vol records for "dunks in a career" with four.
FIRST GAME IMPRESSIONS
The 102-72 win over Chattanooga improves Tennessee to 68-3 in 100-point games...Tennessee made its first six shots of the game from the field and its first 11 free throws...In the first half, the Lady Vols shot a sizzling 60 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 10 attempts...Every Lady Vols saw playing time in the first half... Chattanooga broke the opponent record for three-pointers in a game with 13...The previous opponent record was 12, by Stanford in Knoxville on Dec. 21, 1992...The Lady Vols reached the century scoring mark when rookie Cait McMahan drove the length of the floor for a lay up with just over five minutes remaining in the game...This was the first 100+ point season-opening game for the Lady Vols since a 112-39 victory over Stetson on Nov. 26, 1989...Shannon Bobbitt was the first of six Lady Vols to reach double-figure scoring...Alex Fuller tied a career high in blocks (2) in the first half and scored a career-high nine points...Cait McMahan's first bucket in a Lady Vol uniform came when she snuck around the defense for her first career lay-up...Alexis Hornbuckle extended her streak of games to 37 with at least one steal and she shattered her own career-best mark with seven steals against UTC...Candace Parker scored in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game dating back to last season and dunked for the first time at home in her 37-game career -- It was the first recorded dunk by a woman in a game in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
EXHIBIONISTS I TELL YOU
In two 2006-07 preseason exhibition tilts against Carson-Newman and the Houston Jaguars, the Lady Vols averaged 102.5 ppg while giving up 50.0 ppg. UT connected on 49.7 percent from the field and cashed in on 70.2 percent from the line. UT's defense forced 35.5 turnovers per game and came away with 22.0 steals per outing.
SIX IN DOUBLE-FIGS
Another interesting stat from the exhibition contests found six Lady Vols registering double-digits. Leader of the pack was sophomore forward Alex Fuller who tossed in 15.5 ppg while also grabbing a team leading 11.5 rpg. Fuller was followed in the scoring parade by senior Dominique Redding (15.0 ppg), sophomore Candace Parker (15.0 ppg), junior Alexis Hornbuckle (15.0 ppg), junior Nicky Anosike (12.5 ppg) and senior Sidney Spencer (11.5 ppg). Junior College transfers Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta "Bird" Auguste were impressive in their Lady Vol debut. Bobbitt started at point guard and averaged 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.5 spg. Auguste averaged 7.5 ppg, grabbed 5.5 rpg and handed out 4.0 apg.
62 INCHES OF DYNAMITE
Lady Vol junior college transfer Shannon Bobbitt is listed at 5'2" and is the shortest player on the roster since Diane Brady donned uniform number 20 for Tennessee during the 1973-75 seasons.
PARKER NAMED TO AP A-A
Lady Vols' Candace Parker was named to yet another preseason All-America team earning the nod from the Associated Press on Nov. 9, 2006. Joining Parker (45 votes) on the team was leading vote getter Courtney Paris of Oklahoma (47 votes out of 50). Also named to the team was North Carolina's Ivory Latta (43), Stanford's Candice Wiggins (35) and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne (28). Parker, the 2006 SEC rookie of the year, is returning for her second season at Tennessee after winning a bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the world championships in Brazil.
WOODEN AWARD NOMINEES
Tennessee Lady Vols Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle were named to the list of 30 preseason candidates for the 2006-07 John R. Wooden Women's Award. Defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Maryland and No. 2-ranked North Carolina placed three athletes each on the list, while Duke, Rutgers and Tennessee each added two players. The 30 candidates are comprised of the top returning players. The award, which is voted on by sports writers and broadcasters, is entering its fourth year.
PARKER UP FOR THE WADE
Lady Vol basketball star Candace Parker has been named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) preseason "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year for the 2006-2007 season. The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are members of an NCAA Division I institution and are selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. The national awards committee who selects these candidates is comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators.
In 2006, Parker guided the Lady Vols to a 31-5 record, the SEC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight during her rookie season. The Naperville, Ill., native led the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg) and was named a Kodak/WBCA All-American. Parker became the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the only woman to dunk twice in the same contest, when she slammed two home against Army in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2006. She was a first team All-SEC selection, the SEC Freshman of the Year and the conference tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning shot to lift Tennessee past LSU, 63-62.
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