BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — March madness claimed an unlikely NCAA tournament victim Sunday night.
Tennessee, winners of the past two women’s basketball national championships, went down in stunning fashion, losing to first-time participant Ball State 71-55 before a crowd of 3,907 at E.A Diddle Arena.
Led by guard Porchia Green’s game-high 23 points, the 12th-seeded Cardinals (26-8) pulled away in the second half of the Berkeley (Calif.) regional first-round game, leaving the Lady Vols battered, beaten and looking more like tournament neophytes.
“I thought we were tentative, maybe uptight,’’ said UT coach Pat Summitt, who described the loss as the toughest of her 35-year career. “You have to give credit where credit is due. (Ball State) had a lot more toughness than we did.”
Shekinna Stricklen led No. 5 seed Tennessee (22-11) with 17 points. The Lady Vols were hurt by losing center Kelley Cain, who left in the first half with a sore knee.
The loss was a first-round first for UT, which had reached at least the round of 16 in the 27 previous NCAA tournaments.
Ball State will play Iowa State, an 85-53 first-round winner over East Tennessee State, on Tuesday.
Along with Green, Audrey McDonald scored 18 points for Ball State. Sixteen of her points came in the second half as the Cardinals shot 57.1 percent from the floor (12-for-21) after halftime.
Tennessee bolted to an early 8-3 lead but the signs of trouble began to gather shortly thereafter.
First, jittery freshman Glory Johnson got an early hook, which helped to illuminate the defensive problems Green was about to cause. Without Johnson to guard Green, UT turned to forward Alex Fuller. Green immediately blew by Fuller for a layup.
On a subsequent possession, Green ran Fuller off a screen and ended up being guarded by Cain. Green promptly swished a 3-pointer, part of her 11 first-half points.
The Cardinals overcame UT’s 44-34 rebounding advantage and 16-4 edge in second-chance points by scoring from all points on the floor, leading by as many as three points before halftime.
Tennessee, on the other hand, was relying primarily on the scoring of Cain, who had 10 points. But then she limped to the bench 4:27 before halftime, after her surgically repaired right knee took the brunt of collision with another player.
“Usually I can bounce back from these things,” she said, “but I couldn’t.”
Cain tried to warm up before the second half but was unable to return. She never left the bench after the break, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes.
She had to watch while her teammates unraveled in the face of Ball State’s determined play.
“It’s one of the hardest thing I’ve had to do,’’ Cain said. “My heart said one thing but my body told me (something else).”
The offseason figures to be even harder for a team whose tradition took a huge blow with the loss.
“If no one is motivated right now then they need to leave,’’ said UT guard Angie Bjorklund, who scored 14 points. “Everyone needs to go to work.”
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 233
BIGEJ writes:
• Tennessee's loss was the first time a defending champion has lost in the first round.
• Ball State had just one win this season vs. the tournament field, and that came against an Evansville team that made the tournament with a losing record.
• The Lady Vols lost to a team seeded lower than four for the first time in school history (51-1).
• Tennessee ended the season 22-11, trying the school record for losses in a season (16-11 in 1975-76, Pat Summitt's second season).
• The Lady Vols had never missed the Sweet 16 prior to this season, going 27-for-27.
bobbarbilly writes:
The pale rider or the man with no name would not like to be riding home with Pat tonight.
dirtywhiteboy writes:
i forgot all about this game. sounds like it was a good thing. hard to believe that pat couldn't find a way to get this team in gear all season long. if she can't do it nobody can.
dvols writes:
dang
jr2miles writes:
Was a bad loss this team they don't play with any heart or emotions and its sad. I can't believe they played so horrible in the first round game. it was a lot of talk prior to this game, but no action.
bmaples writes:
Disorganized, unfocused, and not committed to rebounding and defense. Young AND immature. One of the most frustrating losses I have ever watched.
Pat was gracious in losing, as always. A classy lady and a great coach, but even she couldn't overcome the injuries AND the attitude.
When Cain went down, it was over, as Pat said after the game.
Interesting to see what looked like anger on Kara Lawson's face in the postgame discussion. Must have been hard to watch this team play this game.
I'll be interested to read everyone else's posts on here. I'll be even more interested to see what this team does next year.
Bruce in Louisville
(where he can still cheer for the Cards and Lady Cards)
MillisaAnn writes:
I can't believe they lost they should have won this game I agree with what Coach Lockwood said on the post game show they took ball state for granted and they didn't compete And yes riding home with Pat won't be fun at all.
And I want to say that I am still behind Pat and our Lady Vols and I know we will bounce back and learn from this and be better next season.
Get Well Kelly and Vikki!!!
CarmenSandiego writes:
Well it's official. I'm getting drunk tonight. Maybe then I'll forget this ever happened, but I doubt that's possible.
coach75 writes:
before the husky huskies can get on here, there has to be a point in time when the greatest dynasty in women's basketball stumbles. we have our worst year ever and i would still take it over any of those she-males from stoors. geno is probably jumping for joy, because with us out is the only way he can win the tournament.
Volborn writes:
football season begins.....now! Probably one of the worst weekends in UT sports history...Both basketball teams 1 and done..Softball and baseball teams pounded by the Gators..Tomorrow is officially "BLACK MONDAY"
bmaples writes:
Still behind the Lady Vols. Just glad I'm not on the team -- practices next year are going to be hellacious.
Bruce in Louisville
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
btw, I got DAMN SICK of hearing '2-time defending champion'. so damn what??? this team is NOTHING like that team.
I kept cutting them slack this season. I posted a couple of times about how the 'effott' was there, and the experience would match with it.
Hell, mparker, face it: just about the dumbest group of baskettball players I have ever seen. period. you can be young and
-make good passes
-shoot the open j
-guard the the 3-point arc on a team that shoots 3's
-finish layups
-'no stance, no chance' on your D.
Pat, you better tone up your recruiting. This is just as much your fault as it is these players.
Keep Kelley Cain, dump the rest.
TD_4_UT writes:
UT should replace all the water fountains before football time, men & ladies look to have same problems. It must be in the water.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
bruce, it WON'T matter; you can NOT 'practice in' intelligenc. You just can't.
when you watch what ball state with MUCH LESS 'physical talent', you get an apprecitaion for caocheing AND player's smarts. UT had neither. Pat failed as much as the players.
ZCat writes:
A wise coach once said that the only good thing about freshmen is that they eventually become sophomores. It seems a little early to grade this year's freshmen class...
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
BTW, Taber Spani may be a start. I've read she is a hard-nosed mixer. I don't know the other recrutis. If the dupree kid is anything like glory johnson, she is a waste.
maybe, just maybe, smallbone and manning should have been developed more this season.
We had Candace and Mikki, two of the smartest, toughest women's players in history. Now?? sigh. we have girls who run their mouths but can't back it up with play.
xvolx writes:
too many players on this team have no basketball skills, slow feet and desire to win. With the wasted scholarships on bass, brewer, gray, manning, smallbone and especially johnson. this program may be in trouble for a long time.
pabashia#208095 writes:
Agree the coaching staff seemed at a loss at times trying to figure out how to handle this team. In the end, they never did figure it out.
huntined#565710 writes:
Well, What can we say..not a good year. But I will be pulling for all of the SEC teams. I guess the only thing that would take A LITTLE BIT of the hurt of this loss out is for FLA to beat UCONN TUE.
hoosier_vol_fan writes:
This really does suck. This officially ends the season of Coach Summit's worst team ever. But, we need to see this a different way. Summit's worst team were a bunch of freshmen and sophmores who still made it to the tournament. As far as I'm concerned, their is no where else to go but up. Hopefully way up.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Do not forget, they are the ones doing the recruiting.
ah, hell, I jsut keep saying the same things over and over. my opinion really doesn't matter.
I'll sum with this; pat and the staff have SUCKED at recruiting since they got Candace. Maybe time for them to rethink how they are pegging players.
volaholic45 writes:
At something like 54-44 with about 5 minutes to go, I doubted seriously whether the LVs could score 10 more in the game, and they sure weren't going to hold Ball St scoreless. Well, they exceeded my expectations by getting to 55, while BS reeled off 16. Perhaps the most uninspired LV performance ever.
PureOrange writes:
I really hate this embarrassment for Pat. This team has never thought about dedicating itself to playing Lady Vol basketball.
Of course, we could suspect there is something catching going around the UT campus because our football played last year like they did not want to be there; our men's basketball team played many games, and especially the ONLY game of the NCAA tournament the same way; our softball team went to Florida this weekend and played the same way; as well as our baseball team; and now our Lady Vols see what many of us felt would happen. They simply did not want to do what it takes to be a Lady Vol.
BigOrangeVol writes:
All I can say is THANK GOODNESS the agony, humiliation, embarrassment and pathetic debacle of the entire 2008 UT sports season is finally over!!!
huntined#565710 writes:
Think You are right ZCAT And will say we are VOL FANS we were today and will be tomorrow..Not a good year but tonight I was thinking how lucky I was last year to watch the NC game here in FLA and see them win.This is not the NC team we had for the past two years. We also are spoiled a little as we are use to winning it all and never think about the teams that have never won a nc. So tonight I will just say we didn't have a good team but will expect more from them next year.
ema4#282210 writes:
I know that this has to be the most frustrating class that Pat has had to deal with. I think that many of those your ladies thought that they would put on the UT Jersey and become and All American overnight.
I would say one thing... Pat needs to recruit a few shooters. She badly needs that... someone that can create and finish. I saw several point blank shots missed by "HS All Americans".
Well, there's always next year!
Seriouslyorange writes:
To quote the good Queen Elizabeth......This whole season for both Mens amd Womens basketball and Vol football has been "annus horribilis" or "anus horribilis" as it were.
Better luck next year. GO VOLS AND GOOD OLD ROCKY TOP!!
VolMoment writes:
xvolx said it best. Pat has recruited slow people who can not drive and create plays and shots. Therefore can not defend. Gloria Johnson is a joke, but Pat is playing her out of position. Pat needs to treat these young women like ladies rather than kick them out of locker room. That is old school and would deflate me if I was a player. Come on Pat put their name back on their jerseys.
minnehan writes:
And your point, BIGEJ? We are aware of the weaknesses of this team. Is your self esteem tied to it? I guess you would suggest we fire Pat. Everyone has a bad year and this is one of those for UT. Get over it. One in many years is not bad.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
I think naming any of these women 'key players' is a real stretch. huge, actually.
Keep cain, dump everyone else. get some damn guards.
givehim6 writes:
Ok, not a good showing in the NCAA by ether guys or Lady's. But this will be something that will set and bun in there bellys a year, and by open season in 2010 UT basketball will be hot!
huntined#565710 writes:
That's funny right there!!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
but the dude is right... for the next 3 years, at least, we will be watching the tropy go elsewhere: uconn, baylor, stanford.
I thought at one time all the LV's needed was a pg, jsut like the men. instead, what I saw tonight was disgusting. just pure stupidity. the men lost on a couple of bum plays by Tyler, but the effort was there. the LV's?? they quit in the second half. just plaing quit.
the final bit: stricklen scores to cut it to 8, then does a dumba## reach foul all the way across the girl's body. smart, put a gret FT shooter on the line.
look at the stats: they beat us with 3's and ft's.
sigh.
volingville writes:
What a terrible weekend for the UT athletic program. Starting with Friday and Vols lose to OSU. Next, I'm sitting here living in Gville, Florida so I head over to the softball complex at UF hoping the Lady Vol softball team can lift our spirits. Instead they drop four games over the weekend. Next we drop by the UF baseball stadium Sunday afternoon to watch and hope the Vols can at least avoid the sweep in baseball. No such luck, we lose all three. And now on this Sunday evening the Lady Vols are one and done. A total of 9 losses for our athletic program in three days with 7 of the 9 going to the Gators. I love the Vols but it is hell living in Gator country after a weekend like this!I still have concerns about us dumping Coach Fulmer and hope this does not carry over to football season.
VAvolfanRON writes:
at least the UCONN fans are showing there true good sportsmanship......
VAvolfanRON writes:
their.....sorry
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Parker, you must have a soft spot in your brain to think you can tell Pat Summitt how to recruit. 1005 victories speaks for itself. No one is even close. The only sensible thing you said tonight was that your opinion really doesn't matter. Thank goodness for that. Now, get off these young lady's back, and support them, if you are going to be a fan. You sure don't talk like one.
chrisw2967 writes:
looks like you had a bad weekend.It wasnt meant for you to leave your house.joke
ps11824 writes:
Keep your chin up folks, it's only basketball. We shall be champs again. Mark it down. It's been fun chatting with you all. mparker, hang in there. There's worse things. Just think about your 401K. I hope Cain will be OK, poor kid.
Seriously skipping St. Louis. See you next season.
VAvolfanRON writes:
Butch are you for real???....
VAvolfanRON writes:
Butch....i hope your next life is alot more fun....because this one is horrible for ya...
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
piss off. I've been saying the same about Pat's recruiting for the last 3 seasons.
guess fricking what: tonight bore it out. you are a complete fool if you think she can stay complacent and compete.
I'll remind you of something: there where rumblings about 'pat has lost her touch' prior to her getting Candace. Candace didn't save Pat's job, but she took away the Vols slidign to a lower level program.
To sum up, kiss my >>tt on the rest of your comment.
CarmenSandiego writes:
I know! And I totally missed what it said!
mtvol writes:
Frankly, I'm thankful that the women's ncaa did not create a bracket that would have had UT playing Uconn.. It would've been SSSSOOO ugly. Geno would've waited until he was up by 40 before subbing.
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Parker, there you go again, trying to cuss, and think you are making a point. It just shows how ignorant you really are. Shame on you.
CTOWNICON writes:
I am curious to know, what channel did this game air on because I was on ESPN and they put Iowa and GA Tech on, and I checked all of the other ESPN channels and I did not see it anywhere. For this to be the last game of the season I would have liked to seen more than five minutes of Tennessee basketball which is all they aired and I would have liked to see it so I could get some understanding of this loss. What, and why did it happen? Can someone please tell me what channel it aired on?
donniedem writes:
I am as passionate about the Lady Vols as anyone. I follow them faithfully and I have to say that the only thing that is more annoying than the Lady Vols performance tonight is your type of post. Yes Pat Summitt can make mistakes in coaching. Some of you fans make her out to be Perfect in every way. She's not. These girls were not prepared this evening and the coaching staff including coach Summitt is to blame. Period! That's right I said it! Pat Summitt and her staff stunk up the joint tonight. I feel bad that it happened, but it did. So please don't post down to fans who are just as die hard Lady Vol fans as you just because you don't agree with them...Yes I have confidence that she will get the Lady Vols back on top, but it will take a while friends. So hang in there Lady Vol nation and
Go Pat, get on that recruiting trail. WE WILL BE BACK!!!!!
donniedem writes:
Oh yes! one more thing...Congratulations to Ball State. They played a really good game. I will cheer for them the rest of the way. David Letterman may have a field day with this one.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
ah, I see, you think it's okay for Pat to have done a mediocre job recruiting for the last 3 seasons?? You think it's okay to hold her players up to standards she isn't meeting??
That is the path that will take the program back to where it was after Chamique left: always getting outclassed by another program. We went EIGHT YEARS between NC's, and it took Candace to get us the latest ones we got.
Facts are facts. She screwed up, and the program is suffering becasue of it.
CTOWNICON writes:
I sure hope they recruit for next season. The problem with this team to me is they just want to shoot and no one wants to play defense. I think they said 14 of 41 from the floor, that is horrible. I did not see all of the game, but that is too many missed jump shots. They need to work on a better offensive scheme for next season and they need to get someone in to work on defense with these players. I don't know what the future holds for Cain, I hope she can rebound from the knee injuries. As a true fan, I take this loss with the team and the coaching staff, although never in my 22 years of watching lady vol basketball would I have ever imagined this would happen.
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