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Rebound crown
Tennessee dominates offensive boards to end nine-year championship drought
The NCAA News
Tennessee dominates offensive boards to end nine-year championship drought
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The NCAA News
What do you give a basketball coach who seemingly has everything? Another title, of course.
The Tennessee Lady Vols knew one sure-fire way to put a smile on the face of their legendary coach by gift-wrapping Pat Summitt’s seventh Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and the program’s first since 1998.
Summitt, who now has 947 victories in her 33 seasons leading Tennessee, was particularly pleased to see this edition of the Lady Vols record a 59-46 win over Rutgers in the April 3 championship game by dominating in the rebound department.
Tennessee, 34-3, owned the real estate beneath the baskets in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, and it was the difference in the game.
The Lady Vols outrebounded Rutgers, 42-34. Twenty-four of Tennessee’s total came on the offensive glass, which led to numerous second-chance opportunities.
Summitt anticipated a low-scoring game because Rutgers made its run to the finals with a suffocating defense. The Scarlet Knights limited their first five opponents in the tournament to an average of 44.6 points and 29.7 percent field-goal percentage.
“I’ve always believed that rebounding wins championships,” said Summitt, who improved to 7-5 in NCAA title games. “We saw the effort on the boards was significant in this win. And our defensive play was obviously a difference-maker. We have struggled to knock down shots. We struggled because Rutgers has a fine defensive system. And it was probably two of the best defensive teams in the country going at it.”
Nicky Anosike led Tennessee’s rebounding effort by pulling down 16 boards in the final. Ten of those caroms came on the offensive end.
“Coach Summitt said before the game that offense sells tickets, defense wins games and rebounding wins championships” Anosike said. “And that really just stuck with me throughout the whole game. I just tried to go out there and rebound to the best of my ability.”
Candace Parker, who was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, grabbed seven rebounds to go with her team-high 17 points.
“This is why you come to Tennessee,” Parker said of the victory.
“Candace Parker is the best player in the country,” Summitt said of her star player who can excel at all three positions on the court. “If you have Candace Parker, you have a chance to win a national championship. But it’s not because she’s the only player on our team. It’s because she makes everyone else better.”
Tennessee point guard Shannon Bobbitt had 13 points in the final, including 4-of-8 three-point shooting. She joined Parker and Anosike on the all-tournament team. Bobbitt hit back-to-back threes early in the second half after Rutgers had cut the
11-point halftime deficit to seven. Alexis Hornbuckle converted a Bobbitt steal into a layup to give the Lady Vols a 15-point margin, and a third Bobbitt trey a minute later gave the Lady Vols their biggest advantage at 46-30.
Rutgers halved the lead late in the game but Tennessee converted 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch.
Rutgers’ Kia Vaughn, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Tennessee, and Matee Ajavon were selected to the all-tournament team as well.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was disappointed in the loss but proud of the way her team played its best basketball in the postseason. She felt her team’s youth played a role in the final.
“Maybe we read the headlines or realized it was a national championship game,” said Stringer, whose team was 27-9. “We looked like a deer stuck in headlights.”
For Summitt, the moment was about more than adding to her coaching legacy.
“This is not about winning No. 7,” Summitt said. “This is about this team winning its first. I think it’s different for me now. And that’s why in our game against North Carolina (a 56-50 win in the semifinals) I said, ‘We’re not leaving here without a national championship.’ I really believe this team deserved to be national champions.”
Regionals
Dallas: North Carolina 70, George Washington 56; Purdue 78, Georgia 65; North Carolina 84, Purdue 72.
Dayton: Tennessee 65, Marist 46; Mississippi 90, Oklahoma 82; Tennessee 98, Mississippi 62.
Fresno: Connecticut 78, North Carolina St. 71; LSU 55, Florida St. 43; LSU 73, Connecticut 50.
Greensboro: Rutgers 53, Duke 52; Arizona St. 67, Bowling Green 49; Rutgers 64, Arizona St. 45.
Semifinals
Rutgers 59, LSU 35
Rutgers: Essence Carson 5-15, 2-2, 6, 15; Heather Zurich 2-5, 2-2, 6, 7; Kia Vaughn 3-5, 2-5, 4, 8; Epiphanny Prince 2-5, 3-4, 9, 7; Matee Ajavon 6-12, 0-1, 4, 16; Dee Dee Jernigan 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Katie Adams 0-0, 0-2, 0, 0; Myia McCurdy 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Brittany Ray 2-6, 0-0, 2, 6; Rashidat Junaid 0-3, 0-0, 4, 0. Totals: 20-51, 9-16, 44, 59.
LSU: Ashley Thomas 1-7, 1-4, 7, 3; Sylvia Fowles 2-10, 1-2, 7, 5; Erica White 4-10, 1-2, 2, 9; RaShonta LeBlanc 1-4, 0-0, 2, 3; Quianna Chaney 2-10, 0-0, 7, 6; Katie Antony 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Khalilah Mitchell 0-1, 0-2, 0, 0; Porsha Phillips 1-3, 0-0, 1, 2; Allison Hightower 3-5, 0-0, 1, 7; Marian Whitfield 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Mesha Williams 0-3, 0-0, 0, 0; Kristen Morris 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 14-53, 3-10, 33, 35.
Halftime: Rutgers 37, LSU 19. Three-point field goals: Rutgers 10-20 (Ajavon 4-5, Carson 3-6, Ray 2-6, Zurich 1-1, Prince 0-2); LSU 4-12 (Chaney 2-6, Hightower 1-1, LeBlanc 1-3, Thomas 0-1, White 0-1. Officials: Bob Trammell, Denise Brooks-Clauser, Clarke Stevens.
Tennessee 56, North Carolina 50
North Carolina: Erlana Larkins 2-4, 0-0, 11, 4; Rashanda McCants 6-12, 0-0, 9, 13; LaToya Pringle 1-7, 2-2, 7, 4; Ivory Latta 4-13, 3-3, 2, 13; Camille Little 4-9, 1-2, 1, 9; Alex Miller 1-6, 0-0, 1, 3; Heather Clayton 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Iman McFarland 1-3, 0-1, 0, 2; Jessica Breland 1-3, 0-0, 4, 2. Totals: 20-57, 6-8, 42, 50.
Tennessee: Sidney Spencer 2-7, 3-3, 3, 7; Candace Parker 3-12, 8-9, 13, 14; Nicky Anosike 3-7, 8-12, 7, 14, Shannon Bobbitt 2-11, 0-0, 1, 6; Alexis Hornbuckle 4-16, 1-2, 8, 9; Dominique Redding 1-4, 0-0, 1, 2; Alberta Auguste 2-4, 0-0, 2, 4; Alex Fuller 0-2, 0-0, 1, 0. Totals: 17-63, 20-26, 43, 56.
Halftime: Tennessee 22, North Carolina 21. Three-point field goals: North Carolina 4-13 (Latta 2-7, Miller 1-1, McCants 1-3, Little 0-2); Tennessee 2-15 (Bobbitt 2-5, Fuller 0-1, Hornbuckle 0-1, Parker 0-1, Redding 0-2, Spencer 0-5). Officials: Dee Kantner, Eric Brewton, Mary Day.
Championship game
Tennessee 59, Rutgers 46
Rutgers: Essence Carson 4-11, 0-3, 6, 8; Heather Zurich 2-6, 0-0, 3, 4; Kia Vaughn 9-15, 2-3, 10, 20; Epiphanny Prince 0-0, 2-4, 3, 2; Matee Ajavon 3-9, 0-0, 4, 8; Dee Dee Jernigan 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Katie Adams 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Myia McCurdy 1-3, 0-0., 1, 2; Brittany Ray 0-3, 0-0, 2, 0; Rashidat Junaid 1-2, 0-0, 3, 2. Totals: 20-49, 4-10, 34, 46.
Tennessee: Sidney Spencer 4-12, 2-2, 2, 11; Candace Parker 5-15, 7-10, 7, 17; Nicky Anosike 2-9, 0-5, 16, 4; Shannon Bobbitt 4-9, 1-2, 3, 13; Alexis Hornbuckle 2-8, 0-0, 7, 4; Dominique Redding 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Alberta Auguste 3-5, 4-4, 5, 10; Alex Fuller 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 20-58, 14-23, 42, 59.
Halftime: Tennessee 29, Rutgers 18. Three-point field goals: Rutgers 2-10 (Ajavon 2-5, Ray 0-2, Carson 0-3); Tennessee 5-15 (Bobbitt 4-8, Spencer 1-4, Hornbuckle 0-3). Officials: Lisa Mattingly, Tina Napier, Michael Price.
The Tennessee Lady Vols knew one sure-fire way to put a smile on the face of their legendary coach by gift-wrapping Pat Summitt’s seventh Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and the program’s first since 1998.
Summitt, who now has 947 victories in her 33 seasons leading Tennessee, was particularly pleased to see this edition of the Lady Vols record a 59-46 win over Rutgers in the April 3 championship game by dominating in the rebound department.
Tennessee, 34-3, owned the real estate beneath the baskets in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, and it was the difference in the game.
The Lady Vols outrebounded Rutgers, 42-34. Twenty-four of Tennessee’s total came on the offensive glass, which led to numerous second-chance opportunities.
Summitt anticipated a low-scoring game because Rutgers made its run to the finals with a suffocating defense. The Scarlet Knights limited their first five opponents in the tournament to an average of 44.6 points and 29.7 percent field-goal percentage.
“I’ve always believed that rebounding wins championships,” said Summitt, who improved to 7-5 in NCAA title games. “We saw the effort on the boards was significant in this win. And our defensive play was obviously a difference-maker. We have struggled to knock down shots. We struggled because Rutgers has a fine defensive system. And it was probably two of the best defensive teams in the country going at it.”
Nicky Anosike led Tennessee’s rebounding effort by pulling down 16 boards in the final. Ten of those caroms came on the offensive end.
“Coach Summitt said before the game that offense sells tickets, defense wins games and rebounding wins championships” Anosike said. “And that really just stuck with me throughout the whole game. I just tried to go out there and rebound to the best of my ability.”
Candace Parker, who was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, grabbed seven rebounds to go with her team-high 17 points.
“This is why you come to Tennessee,” Parker said of the victory.
“Candace Parker is the best player in the country,” Summitt said of her star player who can excel at all three positions on the court. “If you have Candace Parker, you have a chance to win a national championship. But it’s not because she’s the only player on our team. It’s because she makes everyone else better.”
Tennessee point guard Shannon Bobbitt had 13 points in the final, including 4-of-8 three-point shooting. She joined Parker and Anosike on the all-tournament team. Bobbitt hit back-to-back threes early in the second half after Rutgers had cut the
11-point halftime deficit to seven. Alexis Hornbuckle converted a Bobbitt steal into a layup to give the Lady Vols a 15-point margin, and a third Bobbitt trey a minute later gave the Lady Vols their biggest advantage at 46-30.
Rutgers halved the lead late in the game but Tennessee converted 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch.
Rutgers’ Kia Vaughn, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Tennessee, and Matee Ajavon were selected to the all-tournament team as well.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was disappointed in the loss but proud of the way her team played its best basketball in the postseason. She felt her team’s youth played a role in the final.
“Maybe we read the headlines or realized it was a national championship game,” said Stringer, whose team was 27-9. “We looked like a deer stuck in headlights.”
For Summitt, the moment was about more than adding to her coaching legacy.
“This is not about winning No. 7,” Summitt said. “This is about this team winning its first. I think it’s different for me now. And that’s why in our game against North Carolina (a 56-50 win in the semifinals) I said, ‘We’re not leaving here without a national championship.’ I really believe this team deserved to be national champions.”
Regionals
Dallas: North Carolina 70, George Washington 56; Purdue 78, Georgia 65; North Carolina 84, Purdue 72.
Dayton: Tennessee 65, Marist 46; Mississippi 90, Oklahoma 82; Tennessee 98, Mississippi 62.
Fresno: Connecticut 78, North Carolina St. 71; LSU 55, Florida St. 43; LSU 73, Connecticut 50.
Greensboro: Rutgers 53, Duke 52; Arizona St. 67, Bowling Green 49; Rutgers 64, Arizona St. 45.
Semifinals
Rutgers 59, LSU 35
Rutgers: Essence Carson 5-15, 2-2, 6, 15; Heather Zurich 2-5, 2-2, 6, 7; Kia Vaughn 3-5, 2-5, 4, 8; Epiphanny Prince 2-5, 3-4, 9, 7; Matee Ajavon 6-12, 0-1, 4, 16; Dee Dee Jernigan 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Katie Adams 0-0, 0-2, 0, 0; Myia McCurdy 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Brittany Ray 2-6, 0-0, 2, 6; Rashidat Junaid 0-3, 0-0, 4, 0. Totals: 20-51, 9-16, 44, 59.
LSU: Ashley Thomas 1-7, 1-4, 7, 3; Sylvia Fowles 2-10, 1-2, 7, 5; Erica White 4-10, 1-2, 2, 9; RaShonta LeBlanc 1-4, 0-0, 2, 3; Quianna Chaney 2-10, 0-0, 7, 6; Katie Antony 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Khalilah Mitchell 0-1, 0-2, 0, 0; Porsha Phillips 1-3, 0-0, 1, 2; Allison Hightower 3-5, 0-0, 1, 7; Marian Whitfield 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Mesha Williams 0-3, 0-0, 0, 0; Kristen Morris 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 14-53, 3-10, 33, 35.
Halftime: Rutgers 37, LSU 19. Three-point field goals: Rutgers 10-20 (Ajavon 4-5, Carson 3-6, Ray 2-6, Zurich 1-1, Prince 0-2); LSU 4-12 (Chaney 2-6, Hightower 1-1, LeBlanc 1-3, Thomas 0-1, White 0-1. Officials: Bob Trammell, Denise Brooks-Clauser, Clarke Stevens.
Tennessee 56, North Carolina 50
North Carolina: Erlana Larkins 2-4, 0-0, 11, 4; Rashanda McCants 6-12, 0-0, 9, 13; LaToya Pringle 1-7, 2-2, 7, 4; Ivory Latta 4-13, 3-3, 2, 13; Camille Little 4-9, 1-2, 1, 9; Alex Miller 1-6, 0-0, 1, 3; Heather Clayton 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Iman McFarland 1-3, 0-1, 0, 2; Jessica Breland 1-3, 0-0, 4, 2. Totals: 20-57, 6-8, 42, 50.
Tennessee: Sidney Spencer 2-7, 3-3, 3, 7; Candace Parker 3-12, 8-9, 13, 14; Nicky Anosike 3-7, 8-12, 7, 14, Shannon Bobbitt 2-11, 0-0, 1, 6; Alexis Hornbuckle 4-16, 1-2, 8, 9; Dominique Redding 1-4, 0-0, 1, 2; Alberta Auguste 2-4, 0-0, 2, 4; Alex Fuller 0-2, 0-0, 1, 0. Totals: 17-63, 20-26, 43, 56.
Halftime: Tennessee 22, North Carolina 21. Three-point field goals: North Carolina 4-13 (Latta 2-7, Miller 1-1, McCants 1-3, Little 0-2); Tennessee 2-15 (Bobbitt 2-5, Fuller 0-1, Hornbuckle 0-1, Parker 0-1, Redding 0-2, Spencer 0-5). Officials: Dee Kantner, Eric Brewton, Mary Day.
Championship game
Tennessee 59, Rutgers 46
Rutgers: Essence Carson 4-11, 0-3, 6, 8; Heather Zurich 2-6, 0-0, 3, 4; Kia Vaughn 9-15, 2-3, 10, 20; Epiphanny Prince 0-0, 2-4, 3, 2; Matee Ajavon 3-9, 0-0, 4, 8; Dee Dee Jernigan 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Katie Adams 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Myia McCurdy 1-3, 0-0., 1, 2; Brittany Ray 0-3, 0-0, 2, 0; Rashidat Junaid 1-2, 0-0, 3, 2. Totals: 20-49, 4-10, 34, 46.
Tennessee: Sidney Spencer 4-12, 2-2, 2, 11; Candace Parker 5-15, 7-10, 7, 17; Nicky Anosike 2-9, 0-5, 16, 4; Shannon Bobbitt 4-9, 1-2, 3, 13; Alexis Hornbuckle 2-8, 0-0, 7, 4; Dominique Redding 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Alberta Auguste 3-5, 4-4, 5, 10; Alex Fuller 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 20-58, 14-23, 42, 59.
Halftime: Tennessee 29, Rutgers 18. Three-point field goals: Rutgers 2-10 (Ajavon 2-5, Ray 0-2, Carson 0-3); Tennessee 5-15 (Bobbitt 4-8, Spencer 1-4, Hornbuckle 0-3). Officials: Lisa Mattingly, Tina Napier, Michael Price.
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