I'm always so impressed with the determination and discipline of the Lady Vols and Pat Summitt. So, we were thrilled that we had tickets to see them in Chattanooga. Jim's brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Pat, got the tickets and all 4 of us headed down the mountain for the game.
We stopped first at Jimmy's
and got a big hug from Will. They were actually headed out to see the opera at the Tivoli that night. So, we didn't stay long - but long enough to get our "Will fix"!
The Lady Vols are a young team this year with all of their 2007 national championship team now playing in the WNBA. We were anxious to see the new talent. On the other hand, we had no idea what to expect from the Lady Mocs, but we happened to be sitting next to a former Lady Moc who was very excited about their team.
The first half (and frankly, the entire game) was very close. During the first half, the Lady Mocs were open on so many 3-point shots, I really just couldn't figure out whether the Lady Vols had no respect for the Lady Moc 3-point shooters, or just weren't effectively playing defense. In the 2nd half, I found out as the Lady Mocs proceeded to nail every 3-point shot they took.
Actually, two things could have swung this game either way: (1) the Lady Mocs could have hit all the 3-point shots in the first half and won; or, (2) the Lady Vols could have hit their foul shots - unbelievable!! There were more fouls called in this game than any I have ever seen - 29 in the 1st half alone - so, there was ample opportunity for the Lady Vols to win this one going away on foul shots alone. I would bet that they will be spending day-in and day-out at the foul shot line this w
eek.
The Lady Vols were up by a few points at the half. During the halftime, we were entertained by the Sugar Mocs, a rhythm dance troop of students who performed to the music of the pep band.
The Lady Mocs came back out in the second half and started hitting the 3-pointers. Half way thru the period, they had an 8-point lead and showed no signs of slowing down. Slowly, however, the Lady Vols started making their way back and finally hit a couple of 3-pointers themselves.
Then the most amazing thing happened.
The Lady Vols had a 1-point lead with 35 seconds left in the game. They took the inbound pass and froze the ball at half court and the Lady Mocs let them do this while 21 seconds ticked off the clock!! By the time the Lady Mocs challenged them, it really was too late. They had no choice but to foul, but in my opinion, they should have fouled them as soon as the ball was inbounded. The Lady Vols weren't hitting their foul shots anyway.
Miraculously, the Lady Vols missed their foul shots, and the Lady Mocs got the ball for an inbound pass. They couldn't get the ball into play, and called a time out with 2.6 seconds left. Problem was -
they had no time outs left so they were charged with a technical foul. The Lady Vols made both foul shots and ended up winning the game 66-63.
This one came down to coaching - Pat Summitt is just hard to beat, all other things being equal. Both teams played hard, but the UTC coach was just outcoached at the end of the game. Great game! I'm looking forward to the next 4 years watching this team grow.
We stopped first at Jimmy's
and got a big hug from Will. They were actually headed out to see the opera at the Tivoli that night. So, we didn't stay long - but long enough to get our "Will fix"!The Lady Vols are a young team this year with all of their 2007 national championship team now playing in the WNBA. We were anxious to see the new talent. On the other hand, we had no idea what to expect from the Lady Mocs, but we happened to be sitting next to a former Lady Moc who was very excited about their team.
The first half (and frankly, the entire game) was very close. During the first half, the Lady Mocs were open on so many 3-point shots, I really just couldn't figure out whether the Lady Vols had no respect for the Lady Moc 3-point shooters, or just weren't effectively playing defense. In the 2nd half, I found out as the Lady Mocs proceeded to nail every 3-point shot they took.Actually, two things could have swung this game either way: (1) the Lady Mocs could have hit all the 3-point shots in the first half and won; or, (2) the Lady Vols could have hit their foul shots - unbelievable!! There were more fouls called in this game than any I have ever seen - 29 in the 1st half alone - so, there was ample opportunity for the Lady Vols to win this one going away on foul shots alone. I would bet that they will be spending day-in and day-out at the foul shot line this w
eek.The Lady Vols were up by a few points at the half. During the halftime, we were entertained by the Sugar Mocs, a rhythm dance troop of students who performed to the music of the pep band.
The Lady Mocs came back out in the second half and started hitting the 3-pointers. Half way thru the period, they had an 8-point lead and showed no signs of slowing down. Slowly, however, the Lady Vols started making their way back and finally hit a couple of 3-pointers themselves.
Then the most amazing thing happened.
The Lady Vols had a 1-point lead with 35 seconds left in the game. They took the inbound pass and froze the ball at half court and the Lady Mocs let them do this while 21 seconds ticked off the clock!! By the time the Lady Mocs challenged them, it really was too late. They had no choice but to foul, but in my opinion, they should have fouled them as soon as the ball was inbounded. The Lady Vols weren't hitting their foul shots anyway.Miraculously, the Lady Vols missed their foul shots, and the Lady Mocs got the ball for an inbound pass. They couldn't get the ball into play, and called a time out with 2.6 seconds left. Problem was -
they had no time outs left so they were charged with a technical foul. The Lady Vols made both foul shots and ended up winning the game 66-63.This one came down to coaching - Pat Summitt is just hard to beat, all other things being equal. Both teams played hard, but the UTC coach was just outcoached at the end of the game. Great game! I'm looking forward to the next 4 years watching this team grow.
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