CS Long Beach Women Face Tennessee Today : 49er Loss Takes Some Luster Off Matchup of Nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 Teams

The edge is off somewhat, but today’s game between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 (for the moment) Cal State Long Beach is the kind of early-season showdown that women’s college basketball loves to produce.

The game, the second half of a sold-out doubleheader--the Tennessee men meet Tennessee Chattanooga in the opener--may be played before as many as 22,000 fans in the Thompson-Boling Arena, and it would have carried more weight if the 49ers had beaten unranked Louisiana State as expected Thursday night. Instead, Long Beach was ambushed in Baton Rogue, La., in its season opener, 78-73.

Worse for the 49ers, they missed their connection in Atlanta and cooled their heels in the airport for 4 hours. Plenty of time to consider the defeat.

Long Beach was simply flat against a highly motivated LSU team. All-American Penny Toler, who averaged 22.5 points a game last season, had only 4 in the first half and 14 for the game. Traci Waites had 22.

A loss here would certainly drop Long Beach out of the top 10. Even if they win, the 49ers aren’t likely to take over No. 1.

So, some of the luster is off this game, which starts at 1 p.m., PST. The unbeaten Tennessee women had even gone so far as to schedule their game after the men’s game to attract a larger crowd. The Volunteers expect at least 15,000 to stay around for the women’s game and are hoping it will attract considerably more.

The 49ers, who had a healthy respect for the Volunteers, have even more now.

“Obviously, they are a great team,” Long Beach Coach Joan Bonvicini said. “They have a number of advantages. They have played 3 games, we are their home opener. They are taller. They have more depth. They are coming off a great win.”

There was more, but you get the idea.

Actually, some people here think the Volunteers have it tough, having just returned from a tournament in Hawaii. Playing a little basketball in Hawaii doesn’t sound tough? Try playing three consecutive games, including the championship game against Louisiana Tech, the defending national champion, a game you win by sinking 2 free throws at the buzzer in overtime.

But to Tennessee, the tough part was the change of weather--from balmy Hawaii to blustery Knoxville, where snow flurries awaited the team as it stepped off the plane Tuesday. And jet lag wasn’t the worst of it. The flu was.

Telephone interviews with Coach Pat Summitt and Tennessee players this week were punctuated by coughing, sneezing and yawning. And that was all before the questions.

The team is likely to be healthy by today, but practices have been spotty. Weakest among the Volunteers was the team’s strongest player, senior forward Bridgette Gordon. Gordon, who averaged 20 points a game last season, was so sick that she could barely speak. She managed to say that she was excited about the season, and that, yes, she was tired after playing for the U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal this fall in Seoul.

“I feel fatigued, but I’m excited,” said Gordon, who added that when she returned from the Olympics and reported to practice, Summitt sent her home for rest.

At home in De Land, Fla., though, there was little rest and a lot of celebrity. The city renamed the street on which her family lives Bridgette Gordon Avenue.

“I thought I was going to go home and get some rest,” Gordon said. “I don’t know what gave me that idea.”

Still, Gordon practiced only 4 days in October.

She is averaging 16.7 points and led Tennessee in its 62-60 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Rainbow Wahine Classic final.

The Volunteers are little changed from last season’s 31-3 team. They are a tall, strong team that plays physically and is noted for its stubborn defense.

“Defense is the key,” Gordon said. “If I set the tone on defense, that starts me on offense. Pat preaches defense. Defense makes us successful.”

The Volunteers’ attention to defense often yields turnovers, the bane of a fast-break offense such as the 49ers’. Long Beach committed 28 turnovers against LSU.

Summitt thinks the team that sets the tempo may win the game.

“We can run at Long Beach, but we can’t afford to run with them,” she said. “If you get into a track meet with them, you will finish second.”