A Recent History Of The Stanford-Tennessee Series
or… "Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever." - Billie
Jean King
I began following Stanford Women's basketball in 2003, Nicole Powell's senior
year. Susan King-Borchardt, Chelsea Trotter, Kelley Suminski, and Sebnem Kimyacioglu rounded out the starting squad, with freshman post Kristen Newlin
coming off the bench, but Powell was the dominant force on that sixth-ranked
team. Tennessee came into Maples ranked #2 and ready to play. The Cardinal led
by as many as 14 points, with minutes to go, but could not stave off a Lady Vol
rally; the bleeding was sure to stop when Tennessee's Loree Moore got caught
cheating for the fifth time with thirty seconds left and down two points; with
the ball in Stanford's hands, and the Cardinal needing only a score to put the
game away or at least to run off the majority of time remaining in the
possession, Tennessee's LaToya Davis stole the ball from Suminski at mid-court
to tie the game. Powell drove the length of the court in the remaining seconds,
missing her shot and a chance to avoid overtime. The sold-out crowd saw the Lady
Vols prevail in overtime 70-66, and I was forever changed as a basketball fan.
The 2003-2004 Stanford squad had a roller-coaster season, ending up a
sixth-seed in the NCAA tournament. Despite previous losses and injuries, Coach
Tara Vanderveer had the Cardinal ready for tournament time, rolling through
their first two games en route to an upset of Vanderbilt 57-55 on a Powell drive
and pass to Suminski, who dropped a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to win
the game. The Cardinal and Suminski would have their shot at redemption against
the Lady Volunteers.
In this Elite Eight matchup between these two schools, we witnessed another
game-winning shot with time running out, but it was Tasha Butts of Tennessee
spinning and jumping around Powell to bank in a prayer off the glass with 1.7
seconds remaining to give Tennessee a 62-60 victory, advancing the Lady Vols to
the Final Four, and sending our "overachieving" squad back to Palo
Alto. The Cardinal would only be losing one starter, and returning almost all of
that tournament team. While Powell, a three-time Kodak All-American would be
graduating, another (future) Kodak All-American would take her place, as would
another Kodak All-American who was watching from the sidelines.
The tournament-tested Cardinal squad really started to turn some heads down
on The Farm and across the nation during the 2004-2005 season. Coach Vanderveer
repeatedly expressed her "love" for this team loaded with talent.
Susan King-Borchardt, Sebnem Kimyacioglu, Azella Perryman, Kelley Suminski, and
T'Nae Thiel were all seniors, and all worthy of starting on just about any team.
Despite a team so deep with skill and experience, it was the freshman phenom
Candice Wiggins and sophomore sensation Brooke Smith that were the foundation of
this powerhouse squad. Smith, a transfer from Duke, had post moves that were
making people woozy from all the twisting and spinning, and Wiggins was renewing
arguments for "greatest Cardinal ever". The second-ranked Cardinal
flew to Knoxville to meet the #9 Lady Volunteers; surely this team would finally
break the losing streak against Tennessee, even at Thompson-Boling Arena.
As in horror movies, where you can never trust that the chainsaw and knife
wielding maniac is truly dead, you can never count Tennessee out of a game, even
when you've delivered a blow that would put away most mortal teams. Tennessee
was up by 11 points with 6:51 remaining, but Stanford chipped away at the
deficit, eventually down by three with the ball in Cardinal hands and just
seconds left in the game. Suminski buried a three to tie the game with just 5.6
seconds to go. Surely, with this momentum, we would prevail in overtime, or so I
thought.
That thought evaporated, to my horror, as Tennessee's Shauna Zolman drove
down the middle of the court, and heaved up a 25-footer, which snapped the net
for three and for victory. I will remind you that the college three-point line
is 19 feet, 9 inches, and the NBA line is 23 feet, 9 inches. How do you properly
describe such a shot? How do you convey a horror over a shot like that, and
still pay its due respect? Incredible? Unworldly? Miraculous? Mythical?
Ridiculous? Ludicrous? I know: Supernatural. The fabulous five seniors never got
their Tennessee victory.
The 2005 meeting between the two schools brought Candace Parker to Maples.
The red-shirt freshman for Tennessee was the dunking, scoring, blocking machine
she was promised to be. The #2 Lady Vols and Parker helped sell out Maples, and
helped snap a 23-game home winning streak for the # 12 Cardinal. Stanford had a
one-point lead with 6:05 to go in the game, but too many mistakes in crunch time
let this game get away. This inexperienced team had only one starting senior,
Krista Rappahahn; Clare Bodensteiner utilized her red-shirt year in hopes of
being able to win a title the following year, and Shelley Nweke would never
overcome her diabolical knee injuries.
The 2006 meeting was Smith and Newlin's final Tennessee game, now in their
senior year; with Wiggins now a junior, and Jayne Appel first off the bench as a
freshman, surely we would beat the Lady Vols, even in Knoxville. This game was a
disaster, and foretold future disaster in the tournament. Appel's 23 points, 5
blocks, and 5 rebounds, and a 60-footer by Wiggins to end the first half could
not overcome victory by the eventual NCAA champions. The Cardinal led only the
first three and a half minutes in the game, and never got closer than nine in
the second half. This team, as with previous teams, had to contend with the
accusation of being "nice girls" from Palo Alto. Frequently, teams
would bring a very physical game plan to bear against the Cardinal, and frankly,
it usually worked. There is sometimes truth to rumor; this team and previous
teams could be intimidated if you got them out of their rhythm.
"Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need
not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the
enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know
neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun
Tzu, Art of War
With Smith and Newlin gone, the 2007-2008 squad found itself anchoring a
sophomore and freshman post tandem with a bevy of guards. We were also deep in
something else: ridiculous toughness. There is a now very apparent reason why
black road uniforms were debuted against Rutgers. What could have been a
rebuilding and retooling year has turned into a year where this Stanford
Cardinal team beats other teams like they owe them money. The Cardinal took on a
tough road schedule, as well as an exhibition game against Team USA, and came
out with a 5-1 record, their only loss came in a winnable game against the #1
team in the land, Connecticut. #10 Baylor came to Maples, and took a whupping
from #5 Stanford. It was remarkable how the Cardinal never wavered in resolve as
it battled a physical Bear team, which never led by more than five and never led
at all after the 11.52 mark in the first half. Who are these "tough
women", the anti-"nice-girls"?
As I made the trek to Palo Alto to see the 2007 Cardinal/Lady Vol game, this
time with my newborn son in tow, I couldn't help but feel this was the year
Stanford beats Tennessee. Reflecting on the Rutgers, Baylor, and even the
Connecticut game, I wondered if there has been a tougher starting Cardinal
lineup. Freshman Kayla Pedersen does not play like a freshman, as she is nearly
averaging a double-double, and seems unflappable. Neither is Jeanettee Pohlen,
another freshman, who comes off the bench. Sophomore Appel is an oak of a woman,
and Harmon is as steady as they come. Roselyn Gold Onwude is coming back from a
serious knee injury, but don't ever forget she's from Queens, New York. And the
tougher the game gets, the better Candice Wiggins responds.
"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat." -Malcolm
Forbes
12/22/07 - The sell-out crowd rose to their feet, waved their "terrible
towels" and roared to greet the Cardinal as they came onto the floor at
Maples. Pat Summitt and the rest of the Lady Vols returned to The Farm, amid
rumors that this may be Candace Parker's last season in a Tennessee uniform. The
Lady Vols had their own young gun, freshman Angie Bjorklund, who just tied
Shauna Zolman's Tennessee record for three-pointers the previous week. With the
game underway, Stanford committed 12 turnovers in the first half, and allowed
Tennessee to gain an 11-point advantage with 2:27 remaining. When the going gets
tough, the tough get going, and Stanford took it right back at Tennessee, going
on a 5-0 run to close the half. The defense ratcheted up the toughness, getting
a pair of steals, a block, and refusing to allow any second chances for Lady Vol
shots in those waning minutes.
"If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him.
Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. Attack him where he is
unprepared, appear where you are not expected." - Sun Tzu, Art of
War
The second half opened with Stanford starting where they left off: tenacious
defense. Tennessee could not drive the lane for baskets. Parker never had an
easy shot, as she had Pedersen on her like stink on something smelly. Harmon and
Pohlen never let Bjorklund have a clean shot from anywhere. Nicky Anosike's
highest stat on her line was five fouls, as she was outrebounded, outscored, and
outplayed by Appel. With 14:10 to go in the second half, Stanford took the lead
on brilliant high-low pass from Gold-Onwude to Appel, who stepped once to lay it
in. With 6:30 remaining, Stanford enjoyed its biggest lead of the night, 53-48.
Tennessee and Stanford traded scores, like two boxers furiously exchanging
punches, neither yielding nor wavering. With 30 seconds to go, Tennessee cut
Stanford's lead of four to two, and both coaches called timeouts to get their
players on the same page. Stanford, now up 63-61, inbounded and got the ball to
their best player, Wiggins, who was promptly fouled by Anosike, her fifth and
last. Wiggins went to the line, with 16 seconds left, to shoot two free throws,
therein sealing the win and walking off victorious, having finally beaten the
vaunted Tennessee Lady Vols!
"There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged
warfare." -Sun Tzu, Art of War
Not so fast. I would have bet a paycheck that Wiggins would have made one of
two clutch free throws, if not both. Thankfully, that ridiculous bet did not
occur, and woefully, Candice Wiggins missed both free throws. Parker drove the
length of the court to tie the game with seven seconds remaining, and I just
felt a void develop where my stomach used to be. It was happening all over
again. All Tennessee needs is just a sliver of hope, a glimmer of light to find
their way out from the darkness of defeat. I would never bet against Tennessee
in overtime. Thank goodness THAT ridiculous bet did not occur, either
"You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack
places which are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you
only hold positions that cannot be attacked." -Sun Tzu, Art of War
… or, " 'Roz' is spelled with a 'z' " -Tom Knecht
I think most people root for the underdog, and most people love a comeback
story. This is such a story. Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, earned the starting position
at point guard her freshman year in 2005-06 and spent all of last year
recovering from a severe knee surgery. She has been finding her way back around
the court during her minutes this year, and had yet to find her old stride.
Perhaps she just wanted to wait until the entire women's basketball universe was
watching before making her heroic return. Gold-Onwude owned this overtime. Roz
is back! Gold-Onwude collected a rebound off a Wiggins three-point attempt to
swish her own three in the open seconds of the extra period, and then got fouled
by Tennessee while taking the ball down on the ensuing Stanford possession. She
made one of two free throws, and worked the in-out trying to get the ball inside
to Appel. When that wasn't working, she took matters into her own hands. Down by
one, Gold-Onwude bombed Tennessee for another three, when they failed to cover
her on the corner. With Stanford up by two, Wiggins was fouled and sent to the
line. Clang goes the iron with a miss. Wiggins laughed it off, as did I, because
there is NO way Wiggins will miss four in a row at the foul line. Sure enough,
Wiggins sank her free throw to bring Stanford ahead by two with 28 seconds
remaining. The nail in the coffin was finally driven in; Appel stole the ball
from Bobbitt, and passed it off to Gold-Onwude, who was fouled with five seconds
remaining. Walking up to the line, feeling the emotions come over her, yet
remaining cool and collected, Gold-Onwude sank both of her free throws to seal
the win for Stanford, 73-69. The return of "Roz" was official, with 13
points from Gold-Onwude, nine of them coming in overtime.
"The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up
waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep." -Sun Tzu, Art of War
As a Stanford Women's basketball fan, I have waited for this moment for a
while. Brooke Smith even joined her former teammates on the floor for the
celebration, not doubt home for the holidays, but unable to resist missing this
annual clash between storied basketball programs and coaches. With my son
stretching and straining his head around to take in all the happy Stanford fans
making noise, I felt my eyes get moist. I hugged my wife, and high-fived my
father, all of us so very happy to see a Stanford women's basketball team not
only win a decisive game against the toughest opponent in the land, but to do it
with unwavering toughness and confidence.
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