Louisville-Tennessee Postgame Notes
November 12, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2010
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With the loss, Louisville falls to 0-2 all-time against the Volunteers, having also dropped an 86-56 decision to Tennessee on Dec. 16 of last season.
The defeat snaps U of L's five-game win streak in season openers. Louisville last loss on opening day came on Nov. 19, 2004, at Vermont (59-56). The Cardinals are now 19-17 all-time in the season's first game.
The Cardinals faced a ranked opponent in the lidlifter for the first time since Nov. 11, 2000, when No. 25 UC Santa Barbara dropped Louisville 78-67 in the Time Warner Cable Classic in Lincoln, Neb. Other ranked opponents (since 1995-96) for U of L in season openers include No. 17 Western Kentucky (89-73 loss on Nov. 14, 1997) and No. 6 Vanderbilt (63-60 defeat on Nov. 24, 1996).
Tennessee is the first ranked opponent the Cardinals have faced in a season opener at home in the last 16 seasons. The Lady Vols are also the highest-ranked first foe for Louisville at any site over that span.
Former Cardinal Angel McCoughtry's No. 35 jersey was retired in a pre-game ceremony, making her the first women's player in school history to have her jersey so honored. McCoughtry is U of L's all-time leader in points (2,779), scoring average (20.0), field goals made (1,042), field goal attempts (2,231), free throws made (552), free throw attempts (774), rebounds (1,261), rebounding average (9.1), steals (481), steal average (3.45), blocks (162), and games played (139). She also holds Louisville season marks in points (901; 2008-09), scoring average (23.8; 2007-08), field goals made (328; 2008-09), field goal attempts (753; 2008-09), free throws made (200; 2008-09), free throw attempts (269; 2008-09), rebounds (362; 2006-07 and 2008-09); rebounding average (10.3; 2006-07), steals (164; 2008-09), and steal average (4.2; 2008-09) and single-game records in points (43), field goal attempts (31), free throw tries (20), and steals (10, three times).
McCoughtry was also a three-time All-American (her final three campaigns), a three-time first-team All-BIG EAST selection (also her final three years), the 2006-07 BIG EAST Player of the Year, and the 2008-09 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
The sellout crowd of 22,124 was the largest ever to see a Louisville home contest, breaking the record of 19,123 set on Jan. 12, 2008, against top-ranked Connecticut. The Cardinals drew 10,000 or more fans at home for the eighth time in the program's history.
The Cardinals forced the Lady Vols into their highest turnover total (29) since Jan. 4, 1986, when they committed 30 at West Virginia. The 29 turnovers tied for the ninth-most in a game in Tennessee history.
Tennessee's 11 assists were the fewest for the Lady Vols in their last 11 games, but the 13 steals were the most for a Tennessee team since Feb. 2, 2009, at Oklahoma (14).
Louisville's 13 steals were the most for a Cardinal squad since a 16-steal effort on March 22, 2009 versus Liberty, a span of 39 games.
After 19 points on Friday, junior Monique Reid is now averaging 24.0 points per game over Louisville's last 10 regular-season games. She narrowly missed her 13th career double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.
Shoni Schimmel became the third U of L freshman in the last eight years to start the season's first game, joining Ashley Rainey (2009-10) and Jazz Covington (2003-04).
After no points, no assists, and seven turnovers in her first career half of play, Schimmel made quite a turnaround in the second stanza, scoring nine points with three assists, two steals, and just one turnover. She took all 11 of her shots in the game in the second half.
After a 2-for-5 day from behind the arc, junior Becky Burke has now gone 9-for-14 (.643) from three in two career games against Tennessee. The guard also tied her career high with three steals, a mark she has now achieved on six different occasions.
Burke did not start for the first time since the 2008-09 season finale.
Senior Keshia Hines notched her sixth straight multi-steal game, finishing with three; she is averaging 2.8 thefts per game over that span. She now has 14 games with at least two steals over her last 29 outings.
The Cardinals had three players (Schimmel, Burke, and Hines) collect three or more steals in the same game for the first time since Jan. 31, 2009, against Providence, when Angel McCoughtry (eight), Tiera Stephen (four), and Hines accomplished the feat.
After never holding an advantage in their first matchup with Tennessee, the Cardinals were tied or ahead for the first 8:35 before a 10-0 run gave the Lady Vols the lead for good, although Louisville crept to within one on two occasions (32-31 and 45-44) in the second half.
Tennessee did not break the two-point mark until Angie Bjorklund's three-pointer with 14:50 left in the first half (the Cards led 8-2 at the time).
The five-point halftime lead for Tennessee was its smallest in a win since Feb. 11, 2010, when the Lady Vols actually trailed Ole Miss 30-25 at the break before pulling out a three-point win (61-58).
The two teams combined for 31 turnovers and just eight assists in the first half; the Cards turned it over 15 times but actually had fewer than the Lady Vols (16).
Tennessee freshman Meighan Simmons led the Lady Vols with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting in her first career game.
