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Parker to rescue with 34-point game against Notre Dame
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UT vs Notre Dame
Tennessee vs Notre Dame game on March 31, 2008, in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
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OKLAHOMA CITY - Candace Parker steered Tennessee clear of NCAA women's basketball tournament trouble Sunday night.
Her 34 points and 13 rebounds kept the struggling Lady Vols on course to a 74-64 Midwest Regional semifinal victory over Notre Dame at the Ford Center.
The victory advanced the regional's top seed to its seventh consecutive Elite Eight appearance Tuesday when the Lady Vols will face No. 2 seed Texas A&M at 7 p.m.
The Aggies beat Duke 77-63 in Sunday's other semifinal.
Parker was a lonely figure on the stat sheet for Tennessee (33-2). The Lady Vols didn't have another double-figure scorer until guard Shannon Bobbitt got zeroed in from 3-point range. She finished with 11 points. Center Nicky Anosike added 10.
Tennessee led by as many as 16 points twice in the second half. That lead was cut in half inside the final minute before the Lady Vols wobbled to the finish.
Becca Bruszewski and Charel Allen each scored 16 points for No. 5 seed Notre Dame (25-9), which led by two points at halftime and by four early in the second half before succumbing to the Parker-led charge.
Parker shot 11-for-18 from the floor. She also had four blocks, three assists and three steals in 36 playing minutes.
"She was balling, I didn't know that," said teammate Alexis Hornbuckle, when informed of the scope of Parker's performance. "She had a great game. You can count on her every game.
"When you have player like that, you hate to get on her back and ride but that's what we had to do."
All things considered, Tennessee's start couldn't have been much worse. The Lady Vols were fortunate to fall behind by no more than eight points in the first half, let alone trail 33-31 at the break.
The trouble began with 2-for-15 field-goal shooting against the Fighting Irish's zone defense. Parker started 2-for-7 but salvaged some scoring with four free throws.
Then came the foul problems. Freshman Vicki Baugh, who had been a spark off the bench in the first two tournament games, picked up two fouls in a span of one minute, 17 seconds. Anosike, Hornbuckle and Angie Bjorklund all had two fouls by halftime as well.
Hornbuckle, who had been one of UT's best tournament players, had zero points, one shot attempt and three turnovers at halftime. She finished with eight points, four steals and four assists.
Notre Dame built its biggest lead at 22-14 by simply outworking the Lady Vols. One Fighting Irish trip down the floor was prolonged by three offensive rebounds. They kept plugging away until Bruszewski was fouled and converted two free throws for the eight-point advantage.
Tennessee eventually raised its shooting accuracy above 40 percent and rallied for a brief 30-27 lead on a Bobbitt 3-pointer. But the Lady Vols didn't have enough scoring help for Parker, who had 19 first-half points, to build much offensive momentum.
Notre Dame, which had four players with six or more first-half points, scored six of the half's final seven points.
Tennessee regained the lead at 38-37 on a 3-point play by Parker with 17:39 left. Her basket and foul shot ignited 12-point scoring run that gave UT the lead for good. The run concluded with two baskets Alberta Auguste and a pair of free throws by Bobbitt.
Later, Parker's hustle prevented a possible turnover on a long lead pass. Her lunging save led to Bjorklund's 3-pointer and a 55-42 edge.
"We need that from her, she's our go-to player," Anosike said of Parker. "That's what's expected and hopefully that's what we'll continue to get."
----
TENNESSEE 74, NOTRE DAME 64
NOTRE DAME (25-9)
Gaines 1-5 0-0 2, Williamson 1-2 0-0 2, Allen 6-16 4-5 16, Schrader 5-8 3-3 13, Barlow 5-13 1-3 11, Mallory 0-2 3-4 3, Bruszewski 7-15 2-2 16, D'Amico 0-0 0-0 0, Lechlitner 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 25-63 14-19 64.
TENNESSEE (33-2)
Parker 11-18 12-17 34, Auguste 3-12 0-0 6, Anosike 4-8 2-5 10, Hornbuckle 3-8 2-3 8, Bobbitt 3-9 2-2 11, Bjorklund 2-6 0-0 5, Fuller 0-2 0-0 0, Baugh 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 18-27 74.
Halftime—Notre Dame 33-31. 3-Point Goals—Notre Dame 0-5 (Allen 0-1, Mallory 0-2, Barlow 0-2), Tennessee 4-13 (Bobbitt 3-7, Bjorklund 1-4, Hornbuckle 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Notre Dame 42 (Schrader 9), Tennessee 45 (Parker 13). Assists—Notre Dame 7 (Allen, Gaines 3), Tennessee 12 (Hornbuckle 4). Total Fouls—Notre Dame 20, Tennessee 18. A—10,032.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by Musicman74 on March 31, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great win Lady's. Three more to go.
GO BIG ORANGE!!!
Posted by huntined on March 31, 2008 at 12:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't know how much Parker can benchpress but she carried 4 other VOLS the first half this game..
Great second half GOOD WIN. KEEP GOING
Posted by Grim1 on March 31, 2008 at 12:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope like hell Bruce (and Phil) has his guys watching the lady's play..you guys did a hell of a job this year..BUT the season isn't over when you beat Memphis.....you guys gave up after that...you GUYS had the talent and the leadership to win it all..but after Memphis..it was like you didn't care anymore...so c'mom Pat...keep these ladies going!!!
Posted by KHVOLFAN on March 31, 2008 at 12:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great 2nd half girls! Keep up the good work and bring us another NCAA Championship. GO VOLS!
Posted by MillisaAnn on March 31, 2008 at 12:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats on making it to the Elite 8, Go Lady Vols!!!
Posted by bamacheats on March 31, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Who is Candace Parker?
Posted by huntined on March 31, 2008 at 12:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That would be Mr Parkers Daughter
Posted by bamacheats on March 31, 2008 at 12:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Grim1: Does your real name start with P and end with at Summit?
Posted by mparker on March 31, 2008 at 12:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
my guess is A&M will beat the heck out of Candace.
She is fun to watch. Can you imagine what she'll be like is she adds a more reliable 3-point shot?? If memory serves, Michael Jordan didn't really get his 'stroke' until several years in the pros.
Posted by Hunter on March 31, 2008 at 1:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Vicki Baugh is the Brian Williams of the Lady Vols: good for 5 fouls in 10 minutes. She has all the tools but MUST play smarter in order not to be a liability.
I watched A&M tonight and if we play this way again the Lady Vols can get an early start on studying for finals....
Posted by LadyVolFanForever on March 31, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats on making the Elite 8 Lady Vols !
You found a way to win and thats makes us proud.
Don't overlook Texas A & M, they will knock us around and you will be bruised & battered but you will overcome !
How can Candace Parker not be everyones' player of the year ?????????
Posted by adimatteo on March 31, 2008 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
another great milestone, one more to go to get to Tampa, and like Notre Dame, A&m is wanting this badly. You all can do it, have to remember these teams are trying to do for first time, or first time in years what you all do most years!!
Go get them girls, one more win, and have some fun in Tampa...
Posted by pdhuff on March 31, 2008 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrat, Pat & Co. Took their best shot and kept on ticking. ND could not have played much better that 1st half. Figured they couldn't keep it up and they couldn't.
No panic in these ladies. Remember the water gets deeper as you go further in. Beat A&M.
Posted by arkyvol on March 31, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i'm grateful for the win, but i also felt a sense of deja vu, as in chamika's last year, when a lot of great players in orange got spoiled and were content to let her carry the load. i hope that doesn't happen again.
Posted by johnlg00 on March 31, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Lady Vols played maybe 15 minutes of championship-caliber ball in this game. That won't get it done from this point on! As the national standard-bearer for the women's game, the Lady Vols have a big target on their backs every time out. They won't get this championship as a reward for Pat's lifetime body of work, they will get it only if they play every game as hard and smart as possible. Come on, ladies, I know you have it in you. Don't let this championship get away because you couldn't be bothered to care when it counted! GO LADY VOLS!!! BRING HOME THE EIGHTH!!!
Posted by usmcladyvolfan on March 31, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i was very disappointed with the way they came out if it wasnt for candace we would have lost. The second half we pulled away, but towards the end we slowed down and got complacent without Candace in the game. Texas A&M looks really determined to win and if we keep riding Candace's back as the saying goes the horses back is going to break. But good win no quit thats the good part they have great composure.they just need to remember 40 minutes of intense ball and we can be untouchable.
Posted by richvol on March 31, 2008 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's unfortunate that Pat does'nt have someone else to play "shooting" guard because Hornbuckle needs to be sat on the bench. A senior with her ability and athleticism ought to be embarressed to have a first half like last night.
It's not the first time this year she has done this. At times she plays as if she does'nt care about taking care of the ball as long as she can attempt a highlight reel pass.
Rarely do you see a player with her talent accomplish so little. She needs to get her mind right so that she will play like she's capable of for forty minutes in our remaining games. We need her.
Posted by 98reax on March 31, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Painful first 10 minutes of this one. It was difficult to watch them play the way they played. There's 7 teams that want this opportunity to be #1 and are willing to work for it. There's one team who wants it handed to them. That's the way I saw the game.
Neither remaining team in New Orleans will allow their opponent to play the way we played and survive. CP3 can score 50 on NC or LSU, a futile effort, if her teammates do not wake up and contribute. If this team has to be begged and scolded at half time to play ball, there's no way they will get #8 in '08.
Our offense looked stagnant. If we didn't get anything on transition, we simply stood and waited for Parker to get open. If that failed we flung a desperate, ill-advised pass into someone who's feet were glued to the floor. Guess what? Larkins and company or Fowles and company are not going to leave Parker open. And swatting those rebounds will result in put-backs or fast break points for anyone not wearing orange. Why? Because they know how to secure the ball and put it back thru their basket.
This should be more than a wake-up call. This should be a disaster survival alert because this kind of play WILL NOT win another game. What are the chances of either of the remaining 7 teams NOT SHOWING UP? Would any of you bet the farm on either of our opponents not stomping the life out of us IF we show the slightest weakness?
Posted by Catch24fan on March 31, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This was an ugly game for us and I was so ticked off before half time I had to take a walk. I can only imagine what Pat felt.
It pains me to say this and I'll probably hear it from all of you when I say,we are the weakest link in this tournament. If anyone is going to be upset it will be us if we keep playing the way we did in the first half.
Our guards have to pick it up and come to play every game from here on out. Lex has to drive and either dish it off or shoot her short jumper but she has to be a factor on both ends.
Our bench has to show up this next game and give us something, anything other then fouls.
Texas A&M won with their star player on the bench the whole second half and they took it to Duke and out rebounded them. SO that better tell our team something.
GO LADY VOL's Bring your A game you're going to need it.
Posted by givehim6 on March 31, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bruce is building a program, Pat has had a program that's been there for years! I"v been falling them since the mid-90's. GO LADY VOLS
Posted by BigOrangeVol on March 31, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember all too well when Chamique said the 98-99 team would be the greatest team ever. They were SEC regular season Champs and Tourney Champs with Chamique; Tamika; Semeka; Michelle Snow; Kellie; Ace; Teresa Geter; Kyra; Niya; Shalon Pillow; Sarah Edwards and Amanda Canon. THAT was a team full of talent top to bottom and they went out in an embarrassing loss to Duke in the East Regional’s. No team other than that one has ever had three first-team All-Americans and Kellie was an honorable mention. They only lost by three but should have shelled Duke and gone on to hammer Purdue for a four-peat. THAT is what happens when you aren't focused, when think that you can just show up and win and when you depend totally on your star player. If you don't bring that insatiable voracious hunger then the other team will and they will eat your lunch!
UNC, LSU, Rutgers, Maryland, Stanford, A&M and UConn can all beat us. We won in TBA over UNC by 4; lost at Stanford by 4; won in TBA over Rutgers by 1 in the Clockgate game; got hammered by LSU in TBA by 16 and got them back in Nashville by 6 in the Tourney.
This team has scared me all season because they don't seem to have the fire and desire it takes nor the killer instinct to bury their opponents. Unless the ALL of the LV's get serious and bring their "A" Game every minute we will be waiting a long while before we even sniff another National Championship. In case nobody has noticed, we lose our starting five this year. To even get a NCAA Tourney bid next year will be a great accomplishment.
Posted by mparker on March 31, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A little respect, plaese.
ND was going full-sprint from the opening whistle. The LV's committed a lot of vols, a lot of ticky-tack stuff.
The better athletes eventually won out, but I'll tell you this: those ND girls played a heckuva game and really go after it.
Posted by mparker on March 31, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Felt bad for the Davidson guys yesterday. The ooach maybe didn't get communicated what he wanted, or completely blew the opportunity.
They had 16 seconds to socre, and wasted about 7 or them coming up court. Then, the main guy kept the ball while being doubled before finally giving it up to a guy for a 30-footer.
Meanwhile, you have a shooter who has come off the bench to drain 4 for 4....
Unlike the LV's, some schools only get that opp once in a lifetime, and I hated to see them blow it.
Posted by johnlg00 on March 31, 2008 at 11:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with nearly everything you said, BigOrangeVol, except that I think the Lady Vols will be good next year. True, we lose several of the best players we have ever had, but the returning players have talent, too, and we have a boatload of incoming freshman stars. All positions will be open for competition such as they have not been for the past couple of years. It is possible that Pat and this year's seniors are getting tired of each other. Next year's team should be both hungrier and more coachable. They won't want to be the ones to let the Lady Vols banner fall. I'm surely not giving up on this year's team just yet, but they HAVE to realize that this year's free ride is OVER! GO LADY VOLS!!! BRING HOME THE EIGHTH!!!
Posted by VolMama on March 31, 2008 at 8:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We all know how GREAT the Lady Vols can be , and they will have to show it the rest of the way if the want to bring home number 8. Good luck ladies the rest of the way. Did everyone hear who they said Pat Summitt voted for, for coach of the year? It would take someone with alot of class to vote for Geno for anything. So I guess we know who has class and who don't!!!
Posted by pendav on April 1, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Volmama
Pat voted for a coach of the year shows that she has class & the one she voted for has no class!!!!
Where is your logic??
WHY DOES GENO HAVE NO class.
Specifics PLEASE.
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