March 26, 2004
By Associated Press
GAME: No. 4 Baylor (26-8) vs. No. 1 Tennessee (28-3).
REGIONAL: Midwest, Semifinal.
TIME: Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: Lloyd Noble Center; Norman, Okla.
Though Tennessee's run of 23 straight appearances in the regional semifinals might impress Baylor, it doesn't mean much to Lady Vols' fans.
Winner of six national titles, top-seeded Tennessee looks to move closer to its first in six years as it faces a Lady Bears team appearing in the round of 16 for the first time.
Tennessee's six national championships are the most of any women's team, but the program has none since reeling off three straight from 1996-98. The Lady Vols have since made three Final Four appearances, including losing to Connecticut in last year's title game.
"I think our fans expect us to be in the Final Four," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "They have been disappointed that we haven't won a championship since 1998, but that is because they are fans. We haven't had the best or deepest team in the last few years, but the success we have demonstrated has been very, very strong."
Unlike recent years when they had marquee players like Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Kara Lawson, the Lady Vols don't have a go-to performer this season.
Tennessee had only one player on The Associated Press All-America list for the first time in six years. Junior Shyra Ely, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, made the third team.
"We felt like (last year) we were playing offensively two against five or three against five. It's tough to win that way," said Summitt, the winningest coach in women's college basketball with 849 career victories. "Certainly that makes us a better basketball team when we have a five-on-five attack."
Shanna Zolman was one of six Tennessee players to score in double figures in Monday's 79-59 second-round win over DePaul.
The sophomore had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
"When people scout us, they can't focus on guarding one person," said Tennessee senior center Ashley Robinson, who had a career-high 14 rebounds. "They have to guard all five of us."
Tennessee allowed just 29 percent shooting against the Blue Demons, who entered the tournament as the nation's highest-scoring team at 85.3 points a game.
The Lady Vols are 18-4 all-time in the round of 16.
The Lady Bears missed the tournament last season, but have advanced a step further in each of their three appearances. They lost in the first round in 2001, then made the second round the following year before moving into the regional semifinals with Tuesday's 91-76 win over Florida.
"The university needed this more than the program needed this," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, who played on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team coached by Summitt. "You all know what's happened over the past year, I don't need to rehash it."
Baylor improved to 8-1 on neutral sites, and 3-0 against Southeastern Conference opponents this season. The Lady Bears, however, are only 12-29 all-time against SEC teams and have never faced the Lady Vols.
Sophomore Sophia Young led five Baylor scorers in double figures with 23 points and 11 rebounds on Tuesday. She is averaging 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in the tournament.
Senior Dionne Brown had 14 points and seven rebounds starting in place of Steffanie Blackmon, the team's second-leading scorer who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Big 12 tournament.
"Baylor is a team that has balance. They have a very strong inside game," Summitt said.
The winner plays Stanford or Vanderbilt in Tuesday's regional final.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Baylor - F Young (16.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg), F Abiola Wabara (2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg), C Brown (8.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), G Chelsea Whitaker (5.1 ppg, 3.4 apg), G Jessika Stratton (9.5 ppg, 3.9 apg). Tennessee - F LaToya Davis, (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg), F Ely (14,9 ppg, 8.1 rpg), C Robinson (8.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg), G Tasha Butts (10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Zolman (12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.9 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Baylor - At-large berth; beat No. 13 Loyola Marymount 71-60, first round, beat Florida 91-76, second round. Tennessee - At-large berth; beat Colgate 77-54, first round; beat DePaul 79-59, second round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Baylor - 3-2, 3 years. Tennessee - 82-16, 23 years.
