March 24, 2005
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| #1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. #4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
RADIO TV LIVE STATS RANKINGS THE COACHES: Texas Tech Red Raiders
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THE GAME
The top-seeded and #3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (28-4) advance to the Sweet 16 for an incredible 24th consecutive time in the NCAA Tournament taking on #14-ranked and 4th-seeded Texas Tech (24-7) in an NCAA Philadelphia (East) Regional semifinal contest on March 27th. The winner from the UT-TTU game will face the winner of the Ohio State-Rutgers game on Tues., Mar. 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET for the right to advance to the Final Four.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 31st season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 880-171 overall record...Passed Dean Smith for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 win over Purdue in the second round NCAA play... With the victory over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, she passed the legendary Adolph Rupp (876) of Kentucky into sole possession of second place...Her 2003-04 squad finished as the NCAA runner-up with a 31-4 record and were the regular season SEC Champs with a 14-0 record...
This season, UT returned seven letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers ...Rookies Candace Parker and Alex Fuller will redshirt this season continuing to rehab their left knees...The week of Feb. 21st, the Lady Vols were dealt a double blow losing sophomore Sidney Spencer to a right knee ACL (had surgery on Mar. 14) and rookie guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood to patella tendonitis (had surgery on Mar. 21)...The Lady Vols are down to nine healthy scholarship players for NCAA March Madness...
FIERCE FOURSOME TO FROLIC IN PHILLY
The Tennessee Lady Vols will play a Big XII opponent in the Sweet Sixteen for the second year in a row facing Texas Tech on Easter Sunday. Last year, the Lady Vols knocked off #15/17 Baylor, 71-69, in the Midwest Regional Sweet 16 in Norman, Oklahoma. Meanwhile, last year, seventh-seeded Rutgers lost in the First Round to 10th seeded Chattanooga, 74-69, at the Roundhouse in Chattanooga. Ninth-seeded Ohio State made it past West Virginia in the First Round but fell to Boston College in the Second Round. Finally, fourth-seeded Texas Tech missed the Sweet 16 as well, losing to Louisiana Tech. This time around, the fierce foursome in Philly dominated the opposition to advance. UT defeated Purdue, 75-54; Texas Tech advanced with an 80-69 win over surprising Middle Tennessee; Rutgers upended Philadelphia Regional host Temple, 61-54, and Ohio State knocked off Maryland, 75-65.
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The #3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols continues March Madness in the Philadelphia Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Mar. 27, 2005, in Philadelphia, Pa.
LADY VOLS ON TV
Twenty Lady Vol games have been on national television this season. Upcoming games on TV: NCAA TOURNAMENT. UT is 16-4 on TV.
HEY!!! ON THIS DAY
Tennessee is 4-2 in their history when playing on Mar. 27. The Lady Vols are 0-0 at home, 0-1 on the road, and 4-1 on neutral courts. The last time out on the 27th, the Lady Vols defeated Texas Tech, 57-44, in the 2000 NCAA Tourney in Memphis, Tenn., to advance to the Final Four in Philadelphia.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols (27-3) had just defeated #25 DePaul, 79-59, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
AGAINST THE 2005 TOURNAMENT FIELD
Tennessee has faced in 18 teams in 21 games from the 63-team (plus UT) NCAA bracket. Overall, the Lady Vols have turned in a 17-4 record. UT has defeated: Purdue, 75-54, Western Carolina 94-43, LSU 67-65, DePaul 78-63, Georgia 77-70, Mississippi 99-67, George Washington 71-41, Old Dominion 68-58, TCU 82-55, N.C. State 64-54, Temple 52-48, Louisiana Tech 70-59, UConn 68-67, Stanford 70-67 and Vanderbilt 79-65, 72-63, 76-73. The Lady Vols' four losses have come against LSU 58-68, Texas 59-74, Duke 57-59 and Rutgers 51-65.
THE SEED HAS BEEN PLANTED
You can call it longevity. You can call it coaching and performance. You can call it strength of schedule. Whatever you call it, the University of Tennessee has earned 17 number-one seeds all-time in the NCAA Tournament since 1982. Additionally, UT has been seeded number two on three occasions, number three, three times and number four just once. From 1988-96, the Lady Vols had nine consecutive number one seeds. Only 27 schools have ever received number one seeds over the years.
2005 #1 SEEDS
The four number one seeds in the 2005 NCAA Tournament has three teams who have been there before as Tennessee leads with 17 number one seeds in 24 NCAA Tournaments, LSU (2003 and 2005) and North Carolina (1997 and 2005) have had number one seeds twice and Michigan State has earned their first top seeding.
GARDEN PARTY
Teams with the most number one seeds through the years:
1. Tennessee 17
2. Louisiana Tech 10
3. Connecticut 9
4. Stanford 6
5. (tie) Texas, Old Dominion 5
7. (tie) Duke, Georgia, USC 4
10. (tie) Penn St., Vandy, Auburn,
Virginia, Long Beach 3
YOU'D THINK AFTER 31 YEARS
After last season, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt declared, "we need to lighten our schedule." Except, she has said that each and every year she has coached the Big Orange. So this season's "lightened" schedule of non-conference teams featuring 13 opponents who had all played in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Perhaps we need Summitt's definition of "light."
2005 NCAA TOURNEY TIME FOR TENNESSEE
The Lady Vols are playing in the postseason for the 30th time in coach Pat Summitt's 31-year career at Tennessee. Tennessee started the tournament back home in Knoxville this season for the NCAA First/Second Rounds after traveling last year for the first time ever attending the NCAA Midwest First and Second Round in Tallahassee, Fla. In the new NCAA format this year, eight teams descended on Knoxville and Thompson-Boling Arena, March 20 & 22, representing the Chattanooga (Mideast) and Philadelphia (East) Regionals. On March 20, #9-seeded Arizona upset #8 seeded Oklahoma, while #1-seeded LSU defeated #16-seeded Stetson. LSU then defeated Arizona, 76-43, to advance to the Mideast Regional Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. In the Philadelphia (East) bracket, #9 seeded Purdue upset #8 seeded New Mexico, while top-seeded Tennessee destroyed #16-seeded Western Carolina. Tennessee then defeated Purdue, 75-54, to advance to the Philadelphia Regional.
THEY CALL IT PHILADELPHIA BUT WE'RE GOING EAST
The Lady Vols have been placed in the Philadelphia (East) bracket of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in 24 trips to the Big Dance. Tennessee advanced to the Final Four from the East in 1988 (finishing in 3rd in Tacoma, Washington), again in 1989 (winning UT's second NCAA title while playing in Tacoma, Wash.), and in 1996 (winning UT's fourth NCAA title at the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.). While advancing from the East produced two NCAA titles and a third place finish, the East Regional is more remembered for what failed to occur for the Lady Vols. In 1990, the Lady Vols were sent to the East Regional at Old Dominion where two wins separated the Lady Vols from playing for a national championship on their home floor in Knoxville, site of the 1990 NCAA Final Four. UT got by Clemson, 80-62 in the Sweet 16 and then lost in overtime to Virginia, 79-75, failing to play in the NCAA Final Four in Knoxville. Instead of "Tennessee and the Final Three," the Lady Vols served as hostesses for the event. Almost a decade later, the East Regional would serve up another dark day in Lady Vol hoops history. In 1999, UT was going for its fourth consecutive NCAA title after winning in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Current Western Carolina head coach Kellie Jolly Harper was the Lady Vol point guard and her sidekick was four-time All-America Chamique Holdsclaw. The duo helped UT get by Virginia Tech, 68-52, in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, N.C. However, Duke dashed Tennessee's dream of a fourth consecutive title with a 69-63 win. It marked UT's last trip to the East until 2005. Fifteen times previously, the Lady Vols were placed in the Mideast Regional and advanced to the Final Four nine times -- in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2003. UT has been in the Midwest bracket of the NCAA Tournament three times. Tennessee has advanced to the Final Four from the Midwest every time: in 1997 (claiming the NCAA title in Cincinnati, Ohio), in 2002, where the team lost to UConn in the Final Four semis in San Antonio and in 2004, where the team lost to UConn in the NCAA title game in New Orleans.
BREAKING DOWN THE PHILADELPHIA BRACKET-HOW WE'VE FARED ALL-TIME
Of the other 15 teams in the Philadelphia bracket, Tennessee has faced 10 schools all-time. Against all teams in this bracket, UT has a 93-38 (.705) record all-time. In the most recent games against these teams, the Lady Vols has posted an overall 11-1 record.
Team UT Record UT Last Game/Result
Western Carolina 9-7 3-20-05, H, W, 94-43
New Mexico never played
Purdue 6-1 3-22-05, H, W, 75-54
N.C. State 12-3 11-21-04, A, W, 64-54
Middle Tennessee 14-0 3-17-84, H, W, 70-52
Texas Tech 4-0 3-27-00, N, W, 57-44
Texas-Arlington never played
Temple 1-0 11-28-04, H, W, 52-48
Louisiana Tech 20-17 12-15-04, A, W, 70-59
Rutgers 10-3 12-29-04, A, L, 65-51
Hartford never played
Maryland 9-3 12-4-94, A, W, 95-29
Wisconsin-GB never played
Ohio State 8-1 3-18-96, H, W, 97-65
Holy Cross never played
(Bold indicates NCAA Tournament game)
PHILLY BRACKET - GOT SIX?
Tennessee has faced six of the 15 teams in the 2005 NCAA Philadelphia (East) bracket this season and posted a 5-1 record. The Lady Vols defeated Purdue 75-54, Western Carolina 94-43, then unranked N.C. State 64-54, then-unranked Temple 52-48, then-unranked Louisiana Tech 70-59 and lost to then-#24 Rutgers 65-51.
SUMMITT'S NCAA RECORDS
Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has coached in 1,051 basketball games to date producing an incredible 880-171 (.837) overall record. What's even more amazing (at least to me) is that she has coached in over 100 NCAA Tournament games --- her record in the NCAAs, 87-17 (.833) in 104 NCAA contests. Just as an FYI, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has just passed Dean Smith (North Carolina) on the men's side of things in the NCAAs recording 67 NCAA wins. Summitt has appeared in all 24 (consecutive) NCAA Tournaments, and has now passed Smith who appeared in 23 consecutive tournaments from 1975-97.
OUTTA KNOXVILLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MARCH
In last year's NCAA Tournament, for the first time in 25 years of postseason play, the Tennessee Lady Vols weren't playing a post-season play-off game in Knoxville. Tennessee has won 46 consecutive NCAA play-off games at home since 1982 (34-0 in NCAA First/Second Rounds and 12-0 in six NCAA Mideast Regionals hosted in Knoxville). When you add in the AIAW years, Tennessee has won 52 consecutive (since Mar. 15, 1980) post-season AIAW/NCAA games at home. Overall, UT has won 54 out of 55 games in Knoxville since Mar. 10, 1979. UT's only loss in post-season play at home was a 74-72 AIAW Region II defeat to Old Dominion on Mar. 10, 1979. That year, the winner of the Region II Tournament was given the higher seed in the AIAW Regional Championship Tournament (Sweet 16) while the loser was sent to a tougher regional bracket. As the Region II winner, Old Dominion traveled to Tennessee Tech for the AIAW South Regional while Tennessee earned a trip to the Bronx, N.Y. (Fordham Univ.) for the East Regional. Both ODU and Tennessee advanced to the AIAW "Final Four" in Greensboro, N.C. that year.
KNOXVILLE'S NOT FRIENDLY TO THE OPPOSITION
The average score of an NCAA First/Second round game against the Lady Vols in Knoxville typically does not bode well for the opposition. The Lady Vols defeat its NCAA Tournament opponents in Knoxville by a score of 91.2-51.6 - or an average victory margin of 39.6 ppg.
UT GETS THE POINT
The Lady Vols turned in their highest point total ever in the NCAA Tournament scoring 113 versus Appalachian State in First Round action on Mar. 13, 1999. Previously, Tennessee had scored 111 points against North Carolina A&T on Mar.16, 1994 in NCAA opening round play. UT's 113 points against ASU was the fifth most ever scored in NCAA First/Second Round action.
THESE SEEDS GREW
Tennessee has played in an incredible 103 games in the NCAA Tournament since 1982. Six times the Lady Vols have brought home NCAA titles to Knoxville. On the 17 occasions when UT lost in the tournament, the following seeds bounced the Lady Vols. #1 seed-1982, 1984, 1986, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003
#2 seed-1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 2004
#3 seed-1999
#4 seed-1992, 1994, 2001
UT'S NCAA OT GAMES
UT has played in five overtime games in the NCAA Tournament producing a 4-1 record including two overtime wins in the Final Four. UT defeated Southern Cal, 91-90, in the first overtime game in NCAA tourney history. UT advanced to the NCAA's first Final Four in 1982 from that overtime affair. The Lady Vols played in the first triple OT in NCAA history when UT defeated Ole Miss, 90-83, in 1983. In UT's most heartbreaking loss in the program's history, Virginia defeated UT, 79-75 in OT, for the 1990 NCAA East Regional title denying the Lady Vols from playing in the 1990 Final Four on its home court. In 1991, UT returned the overtime favor to Virginia and defeated the Cavaliers in the first overtime NCAA title game, 70-67. Tennessee's last extra stanza game in the NCAA Tournament came at the 1996 Final Four with a dramatic, 88-83, victory over Connecticut in the Final Four Semi game.
RANKED TEAMS - PHILLY REGION
In the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN polls, seven teams from the 2005 NCAA Philadelphia (East) Regional are ranked led by third-ranked Tennessee. The next highest ranked team is Ohio State (#7/8), and is followed by Rutgers (#9/10), Texas Tech (#14/14), Temple (#15/15), N.C. State (#21/22) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (#24/21).
GETTING TO THE ROUND OF 16 SURE IS SWEET
The Lady Vols have been fortunate to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for 24 consecutive years. Additionally, Tennessee has made it to the regional finals in 19 of the last 23 trips to the Sweet Sixteen. The Lady Vols did not advance to the regional finals in 1985 (losing to Ole Miss, 63-60), in 1992 (losing to Western Kentucky, 75-70), in 1994 (losing to Louisiana Tech, 71-68) and in 2001 after a devastating loss to Xavier, 80-65.
NAMED TO THE KODAK ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Lady Vol senior forward Shyra Ely has been named to the Kodak All-American, All-District team. The Indianapolis, Ind., native now appears on the national ballot for consideration as one of the 10 Kodak All-American for 2005. Ely was named to the Kodak team as a junior last season.
BACK TO THE FINAL FOUR
After attending four consecutive Final Fours (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998) and winning three consecutive titles (1996, 1997 and 1998), the Lady Vols missed the festivities in 1999 and 2001. UT did make an appearance at the 2000 NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia, Penn., and lost to the Connecticut Huskies for the title. UConn turned the same trick at the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, rocking the Lady Vols in the semis, 79-56. In Atlanta, Tennessee advanced to the 2003 NCAA title game before dropping a 73-68 decision - again to UConn. Last year, the Huskies turned the trick again in the 2004 Final Four in New Orleans with a 70-61 victory in the title game. All-time, the Lady Vols have advanced to 15 NCAA Final Fours and grabbed an unprecedented six titles.
15 FOR SUMMITT
Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has passed legendary John Wooden of UCLA in a number of NCAA Tournament categories. Most significantly, Summitt has passed Wooden for most trips to the Final Four with 15 to Wooden's 12.
CHECK OUT THAT NCAA RECORD IN THE 90's
The Lady Vols put together a 38-6 (.863) winning record in the NCAA Tournament in the 1990s while winning four NCAA titles in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
UT IN NCAA TITLE GAMES
Tennessee has appeared in 11 NCAA title games (6-5 overall) since 1982 and won six championships. The Lady Vols have an overall 17-9 record in Final Four play. In the old AIAW days, UT made two title game appearances (1980 and 1981).
EVERY LADY VOL PLAYED
Every Lady Vol hoopster (since 1976) has played in at least one Final Four during her career at Tennessee.
MOST PARTICIPANTS EVER
All-time, a total of 79 Lady Vol team members have participated/played in 15 Final Fours. That ranks first among all schools. Louisiana Tech is second with 65 participants all time in 10 Final Fours.
FIVE SEC TEAMS DANCE - FOUR STILL GOING
The Southeastern Conference had five teams start to dance in March. In the Mideast (Chattanooga) Regional, the SEC's natural regional site, LSU and Georgia are represented. The West (Tempe) Regional featured Ole Miss; Tennessee travels to the East (Philadelphia) Regional, while Vanderbilt has been sent to the Midwest (Kansas City) Regional. Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and Vanderbilt have all advanced to the Sweet 16. Ole Miss suffered a first round loss.
SEC TITLES AND NATIONAL FINISHES
The Lady Vols have won 13 SEC titles and 11 SEC Tournament titles since 1980. This is how UT fared in the NCAA Tournament after winning the SEC Tournament:
2005-Beat LSU for the SEC title; in progress
2000-Beat Mississippi St. for the SEC title; lost to Connecticut for the NCAA title
1999-Beat Georgia for the SEC title; lost to Duke in the East Regional finals.
1998-Beat Alabama for the SEC title; defeated Louisiana Tech for the NCAA title
1996-Beat Alabama for the SEC title; defeated Georgia for the NCAA title
1994-Beat Vanderbilt for SEC title; lost to Louisiana Tech in Mideast Regional semi
1992-Beat Georgia for SEC title; lost to Western Kentucky in Mideast Regional semi
1989-Beat Auburn for SEC title; beat Auburn for NCAA title
1988-Beat Auburn for SEC title; lost to Louisiana Tech in Final Four semifinals
1985-Beat Auburn for SEC title; lost to Ole Miss in Mideast Regionals
1980-Beat Ole Miss for SEC title; lost to Old Dominion for AIAW title
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT RECAP
FIRST ROUND: COLGATE
Despite playing away from Knoxville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, the top-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols defeated 16th-seeded Colgate, 77-54, at the Leon County Civic Center in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 20, 2004. With the victory, UT advances to the second round of tournament play for the 23rd straight season. The contest was competitive early as the Raiders jumped out to a 7-6 lead in the first three minutes. Unable to shake the Patriot League champs, the Big Orange led by just one, 13-12, with 14:32 showing before rattling off a 16-2 run to push the advantage to 15 points. Utilizing its size and quickness at the defensive end, Tennessee extended the margin to 22 points to take a 46-24 lead into the locker room. In the first half, all nine Lady Vols scored at least one bucket, and the team shot 56 percent from the field. Also efficient at the defensive end, Coach Summitt's squad held Colgate to just 21 percent shooting, while controlling the boards, 24-19, and registering six blocks. Determined not to let its intensity slip, the Orange and White began the second stanza with an 8-2 run to lead 54-26 at the first media timeout. However, with Tennessee ahead by 28 points minutes later, the Raiders responded with a 9-0 spurt to cut the lead to less than 20. Colgate could get no closer, though, and the Lady Vols cruised to the 23-point victory. UT was paced by senior Ashley Robinson, who recorded her first double-double of the season with a 13-point, 11-rebound effort in just 22 minutes of action. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native also chipped in five blocks. Also recording double-digit point totals were sophomore Tye'sha Fluker (12), freshman Sidney Spencer (12) and sophomore Shanna Zolman (11). Spencer also hauled in nine rebounds to just miss out on her first career double-double. On the afternoon, the Lady Vols shot 49 percent (34-70) and held the opposition to 26 percent shooting (19-74). Tennessee also won the battle on the glass, 50-43, and totaled 12 blocks, setting a new standard for the team in NCAA Tournament play and coming up one rejection shy of a school record.
SECOND ROUND: #25 DePAUL
The top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols utilized a balanced attack in which six players recorded double-digit point totals to earn their 23rd-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 79-59 triumph over ninth-seeded and #25-ranked DePaul at the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center on March 22, 2004. The victory was UT's second against the Blue Demons this season, as it came away with a 96-89 overtime win in Chicago on Dec. 17. Unlike the first meeting between the squads, the Big Orange took control of the contest early in the second match-up. After DePaul scored the opening basket, Coach Pat Summitt's club responded with a 10-0 run to lead 10-3 at the first media timeout. With DPU trailing by six, 19-13, minutes later, the Lady Vols charged further ahead with a 13-2 spurt, capped by two straight 3-pointers by junior Brittany Jackson, to take a 17-point advantage with 7:32 to go in the first half. Sophomore Shanna Zolman helped Tennessee close the opening frame on a strong note, as she connected on four 3-pointers and an 18-foot jumper in the final five minutes en route to UT's 50-24 halftime lead. In the first stanza, the Orange and White shot 53 percent from the field, including 64 percent from beyond the arc while holding the Blue Demons to just 25 percent shooting. The Lady Vols also dominated the boards, 33-12, grabbing as many offensive rebounds as DePaul had in total. Individually, Zolman contributed 18 points and senior Ashley Robinson hauled in 12 rebounds. Zolman's four first-half 3-pointers equaled a UT NCAA Tournament single-game record. Following the intermission, neither team made much of a push as UT gradually pulled ahead by 30 points to lead 65-35 with 12:31 to play. Tennessee would go ahead by as many as 32 before DPU closed the game on an 18-6 run. Totaling double figures for the Lady Vols were Zolman (18), senior LaToya Davis (12), junior Shyra Ely (12), Jackson (11), senior Tasha Butts (10) and freshman Sidney Spencer (10). Davis also recorded 10 rebounds and seven assists to collect the first double-double of her career, while Spencer came up one rebound shy of her first career double-double for the second-consecutive game. As a team, Tennessee shot 48 percent (32-67) from the floor and 53 percent (9-17) from long range, while DePaul hit on 29 percent (19-66) of its attempts. The Big Orange's nine 3-pointers were the most in the team's NCAA Tournament history. The Lady Vols also dominated the rebounding battle, 55-30.
NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL SEMIS: #15/17 BAYLOR
Senior Tasha Butts connected on a pair of free throws with 0.2 seconds remaining and the top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols defeated fourth-seeded Baylor, 71-69, in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional semis at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., on Mar. 28, 2004. With the victory, which was the 850th of legendary Coach Pat Summitt's career, UT advances to the "Elite Eight" for the ninth time in the last 10 years. The Lady Bears scored the contest's opening bucket, but UT responded with a 7-0 run to take an early 7-3 advantage. While the Lady Vols would extend the lead to as many as six points, 23-17, following a layup by Shyra Ely with 8:29 remaining in the first half, they could not shake BU. Over the next eight minutes, UT went cold and Baylor utilized a 14-2 run to reverse the margin and go ahead, 31-25, before eventually taking a four-point lead into the locker room. In the opening frame, the UT shot just 36 percent from the field but held the opposition to 38 percent. UT also came up short in the rebounding battle, snaring 15 compared to the BUs 22 boards. Following the break, the teams traded baskets and neither squad was able to take control of the game. After bringing the score to a tie on four occasions, Tennessee finally earned its first lead of the second half after two free throws by Shanna Zolman with just less than 10 minutes left in regulation. With the score even at 57 minutes later, Baylor rattled off eight consecutive points over the next four minutes to take the biggest lead of the game (by either team). Determined not to let the game slip away, Summitt's squad answered with a 7-0 spurt and trailed by only one with a little more than four minutes showing. With the score tied again, 69-69, and less than 30 seconds left, BU attempted to hold for the last shot, but LaToya Davis intercepted a pass with five seconds left and pushed the ball ahead to Ely, who missed a contested layup. Following a missed put-back by Davis, Butts was fouled by Jessika Stratton while attempting to snare the carom. Butts calmly sunk both free throws and UT improved to 19-4 all-time in "Sweet 16" play. The Lady Vols were paced by four players in double figures: Ely (19), Butts (16), Davis (12) and Zolman (10). Butts and Ely just missed out on double-doubles, totaling nine and eight rebounds, respectively. On the night, UT shot 40.4 percent (23-57) and held Baylor to a 42.4 percent (25-59) mark, while getting edged out on the boards, 38-37.
NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: #10/8 STANFORD
For the second consecutive game, senior Tasha Butts connected on the game-winning bucket in the waning seconds of regulation, and the top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols advanced to their record-setting 15th NCAA Final Four with a 62-60 victory over sixth-seeded Stanford at the Lloyd Noble Center on March 30, 2004. The triumph was UT's second against the Cardinal this season, as the squad prevailed in overtime, 70-66, at Stanford on Dec. 14. Early in the contest, both teams were in rhythm at the offensive end as the Big Orange hit four of its first seven shots and Stanford opened with 5-of-6 shooting. However, SU was able to capitalize more often and took an eight-point lead, 26-18, with 8:26 remaining in the half. Head Coach Pat Summitt's club responded, though, and held the Cardinal scoreless for nearly six minutes en route to an 11-0 run to take a 29-26 advantage. Stanford closed the opening stanza with a 5-0 spurt of its own and took a 31-29 lead into the locker room. In the first frame, the Lady Vols shot just 38 percent while SU connected on 48 percent of its tries. However, the Orange and White held a narrow edge on the boards, 19-18. While the Cardinal struck first in the second half with a 3-pointer by Nicole Powell, Tennessee answered by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to take its biggest lead of the game, 41-36, with 14:41 showing. Additionally, UT connected on seven of its first nine shots to open the second stanza. However, Stanford hung on and reclaimed the lead, 56-55, following another 3-pointer by Powell with 3:22 remaining. Still leading by one point minutes later, Butts drained a long ball to give the Lady Vols a two-point lead with just more than a minute remaining. After a game-tying bucket by Powell with 44 seconds left, Butts connected on a scoop layup from the left side with 1.7 seconds on the clock to send Tennessee to its third straight Final Four. UT was led by Butts, junior Shyra Ely and senior LaToya Davis, who recorded, 14, 12 and 10 points, respectively. All three were named to the Midwest All-Regional Team. Freshman Sidney Spencer just missed double figures with nine points. On the night, Tennessee shot 47 percent (25-53) while Stanford connected on 49 percent (28-57) of its attempts. Despite being out-shot, the Lady Vols held the edge on the boards, 30-29, and committed just 11 turnovers.
NCAA FINAL FOUR SEMIFINAL: #19 LSU
Senior LaToya Davis connected on a game-winning layup with less than two seconds remaining and the top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols advanced to the program's 11th NCAA Championship Game with a 52-50 victory over fourth-seeded and 19th-ranked LSU at the New Orleans Arena on April 4, 2004. The triumph was UT's third consecutive two-point win. Unlike the one-sided meeting between the Big Orange and the Lady Tigers earlier this season, which was an 85-62 Tennessee win on Senior Day in Knoxville, LSU was in control of the contest early. UT struggled shooting out of the gate, connecting on just three of its first 14 shots, and the Lady Tigers led 15-8 with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Coach Summitt's squad would battle back to even the score at 18 apiece, but the opposition closed the half on a 7-1 run to take a 25-19 advantage into the locker room. In the first half, the Lady Vols shot 29 percent from the field, while Louisiana State hit on 36 percent of its shots. However, Tennessee held a narrow edge on the boards, 21-20. Following the break, LSU struck first and opened up its biggest lead of the game, 27-19. The Lady Vols slowly chipped away, though, and evened the score at 34 following a 3-pointer by sophomore Shanna Zolman with 9:59 left in regulation. After trading leads over the next six minutes, the Orange and White earned its largest advantage of the night, 47-44, after another Zolman jumper. Like UT had done earlier, however, the Lady Tigers responded and tied the contest following a layup by Tillie Willis with 26 seconds showing. Electing not to hold for the game's final shot, Tennessee turned the ball over to LSU after a missed attempt by senior Tasha Butts with six seconds left. With the game appeared destined for either a Lady Tiger victory or overtime, junior Shyra Ely intercepted a Temeka Johnson pass and hit Davis for the clinching basket. The Lady Vols were paced by three double-figure scorers, Zolman (12), Butts (11) and Davis (10). Butts also snared 11 rebounds for her third double-double this season. On the night, UT shot 31.6 percent (18-57) from the field, while the Lady Tigers connected on 38 percent (19-50) of their attempts. Despite being out-shot, Tennessee won the rebounding battle, 44-35.
NCAA FINAL FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: #6 CONNECTICUT
Playing in the program's record-setting 11th NCAA Championship Game, the top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols fell to #6-ranked Connecticut, 70-61, at the New Orleans Arena on April 6, 2004. The contest marked the second consecutive year in which UT reached the NCAA championship but fell to the Huskies. Neither team was able to take control of the game early, as UConn maintained a narrow advantage, 7-6, at the first media timeout. However, Connecticut caught fire from long range and capitalized on the Lady Vols' poor shooting (began contest 4-of-14 from the field) to go on a 23-7 run over the next nine minutes to lead by 17 points, 30-13 with 6:29 before halftime. Despite the cold start, the Big Orange battled back and responded with an 11-0 spurt to close the half. In the opening frame, Tennessee shot just 33 percent compared to UConn's 48 percent mark. Additionally, the opposition hit on 5-of-9 shots beyond the arc, while UT connected on just one shot from long range. However, the Orange and White owned a substantial advantage on the boards, 22-13, a total that included 11 rebounds at the offensive end. Following the break, the Lady Vols continued to cut into the lead and trailed by just three points, 36-33, after a 3-pointer by sophomore Shanna Zolman at the 16:54 mark. While Connecticut would pull ahead by as many as 10 points, Coach Pat Summitt's squad would not go away quietly and eventually drew within two, 50-48, following a 3-pointer by junior Brittany Jackson with 9:51 remaining. But as was the case early in the first half, Tennessee struggled to put the ball in the basket and totaled only three points during the next six minutes as the Huskies pulled away for the nine-point win. The Lady Vols were led by Zolman, who recorded a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds en route to earning NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team honors. Also scoring in double digits were senior Ashley Robinson and junior Shyra Ely, who totaled 13 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Tasha Butts also closed out her career with a solid performance with eight points, six rebounds and three steals, while classmate LaToya Davis totaled seven assists, four steals and six points before fouling out in the closing minutes. On the night, UT shot a dismal 36 percent (22-61) from the floor while UConn hit 47 percent (24-51) of its attempts. Despite the poor shooting, Tennessee controlled the rebounding battle, 39-31.
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