dudeman0501
01-24-2004, 09:12 PM
No. 2 Lady Vols Topple No. 1 Duke, 72-69
http://files.aximsite.com/sec/ely.jpg
SOURCE: SECSports.com
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Tennessee finally found a way to beat a top-ranked team - and return to the top of women's college basketball.
Coach Pat Summitt won in her first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium, leading the second-ranked Lady Vols past No. 1 Duke 72-69 Saturday.
Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman each scored 15 points for Tennessee (16-1) in its ninth straight win.
Alana Beard and Monique Currie both had 18 for the Blue Devils (15-2), who had won 15 in a row.
The Lady Vols had not fared well in these No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. They had lost five straight as the second-ranked team.
The victory is sure to put Tennessee atop the upcoming Associated Press poll for the first time since the week of Feb. 25, 2001.
The Lady Vols, who defeated Duke in last season's Final Four, have won six national championships under Summitt, with the last coming in 1998. Since then, Connecticut has won three titles and been the talk of the women's game.
Loree Moore added 11 points for the Lady Vols, who shot 58 percent in the second half. She made a 3-pointer with 4:06 left for a 60-51 lead before Duke rallied.
The Blue Devils clawed within 68-66 on a spinning layup from Beard with 23.9 seconds left. Zolman and Brittany Jackson then combined to go 4-for-4 at the line in the final 13.5 seconds to seal it.
Before the game, Duke retired Beard's jersey, making the All-American the first woman in school history to receive the honor. But Beard had to battle all day against a Lady Vols defense that held Duke to 36 percent shooting.
This was the 38th time that the top two ranked teams in the women's poll have met, and Tennessee has been involved in 21 of those games, going 10-11.
Duke fell to 1-2 in matchups between the top-ranked teams. Its only win came in a 76-55 victory against Tennessee in Raleigh last season.
Last season, Duke was No. 1 in the nation when it lost at home to second-ranked Connecticut 77-65 in front of the first sellout crowd in program history.
One year later, the Blue Devils again failed to protect the No. 1 ranking. The Lady Vols continually came up with big shots in the second half to stay in front and turn away a program emerging as one of the superpowers of women's college basketball.
The teams combined to shoot 29 percent in the first half, with Duke taking a 26-22 lead, but Tennessee found room to operate after the break.
Trailing 45-44, the Lady Vols went ahead to stay with a 7-2 run. Ely had four points in the spurt, ending with her inside basket off a feed from Zolman for a 51-47 lead with 7:02 to play.
http://files.aximsite.com/sec/ely.jpg
SOURCE: SECSports.com
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Tennessee finally found a way to beat a top-ranked team - and return to the top of women's college basketball.
Coach Pat Summitt won in her first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium, leading the second-ranked Lady Vols past No. 1 Duke 72-69 Saturday.
Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman each scored 15 points for Tennessee (16-1) in its ninth straight win.
Alana Beard and Monique Currie both had 18 for the Blue Devils (15-2), who had won 15 in a row.
The Lady Vols had not fared well in these No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. They had lost five straight as the second-ranked team.
The victory is sure to put Tennessee atop the upcoming Associated Press poll for the first time since the week of Feb. 25, 2001.
The Lady Vols, who defeated Duke in last season's Final Four, have won six national championships under Summitt, with the last coming in 1998. Since then, Connecticut has won three titles and been the talk of the women's game.
Loree Moore added 11 points for the Lady Vols, who shot 58 percent in the second half. She made a 3-pointer with 4:06 left for a 60-51 lead before Duke rallied.
The Blue Devils clawed within 68-66 on a spinning layup from Beard with 23.9 seconds left. Zolman and Brittany Jackson then combined to go 4-for-4 at the line in the final 13.5 seconds to seal it.
Before the game, Duke retired Beard's jersey, making the All-American the first woman in school history to receive the honor. But Beard had to battle all day against a Lady Vols defense that held Duke to 36 percent shooting.
This was the 38th time that the top two ranked teams in the women's poll have met, and Tennessee has been involved in 21 of those games, going 10-11.
Duke fell to 1-2 in matchups between the top-ranked teams. Its only win came in a 76-55 victory against Tennessee in Raleigh last season.
Last season, Duke was No. 1 in the nation when it lost at home to second-ranked Connecticut 77-65 in front of the first sellout crowd in program history.
One year later, the Blue Devils again failed to protect the No. 1 ranking. The Lady Vols continually came up with big shots in the second half to stay in front and turn away a program emerging as one of the superpowers of women's college basketball.
The teams combined to shoot 29 percent in the first half, with Duke taking a 26-22 lead, but Tennessee found room to operate after the break.
Trailing 45-44, the Lady Vols went ahead to stay with a 7-2 run. Ely had four points in the spurt, ending with her inside basket off a feed from Zolman for a 51-47 lead with 7:02 to play.