EAST AND WEST REGIONS
Lady Vols Shown First-Round Exit
Vermont's Amy Rosenkrantz hardly impedes Connecticut's Renee Montgomery, who scored 19 points in the Huskies' easy win.
(By Fred Beckham -- Associated Press)
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Tennessee's title defense ended sooner than expected, wrapping up the worst season ever for Coach Pat Summitt's vaunted program.
Ball State, playing in its first NCAA tournament, stunned the two-time defending national champions, 71-55, in a West Region first-round NCAA tournament game in Bowling Green, Ky.
The Lady Vols (22-11) had never lost on the opening weekend of the tournament, going 42-0 through the years. Tennessee also became the first defending champ to lose in the first round of the women's tourney. Old Dominion won the title in 1985 and failed to make the tournament the following year.
Porchia Green scored 23 points for the 12th-seeded Cardinals (26-8), who will play Iowa State in the second round on Tuesday.
Shekinna Stricklen had 17 points for fifth-seeded Tennessee, which entered the tournament with the lowest seeding in the program's history. The Lady Vols shot just 35 percent and played the second half without center Kelley Cain, who went down in the first half with a knee injury.
Ball State took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Emily Maggert with just over 14 minutes remaining and Tennessee simply could not catch up. The Cardinals pushed the lead to 10 on a pair of free throws by Jarrett with 7 minutes 20 seconds to go and Tennessee would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
-- CONNECTICUT 104, VERMONT 65: Tina Charles scored 32 points and Renee Montgomery added 19 -- all in the first half -- to help the top-seeded Huskies rout No. 16 seed Vermont in Storrs, Conn., in an East Region game.
It was the sixth time that Connecticut scored over 100 points in an NCAA tournament game and first since beating Long Island, 101-29, in 2001.
"We went into the game and had one game plan," Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said. "We wanted to make it a 100-point game. I didn't care if it was 100-90."
Charles was 13 for 14 from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds. She was just two points off her career high when she left the game for good with 13 minutes 34 seconds left in the second half.
Courtnay Pilypaitis led the Catamounts (21-12) with 24 points. "Well, they're a very good team and it will help our program," Pilypaitis said. "You realize what you need to be at the top of the nation in women's basketball. I was happy I was able to play U-Conn. in the first round and hopefully they'll be the champions so we can say we got beat up by the champions."
