Summitt stays one short of her 1,000th victory

OKLAHOMA CITY -- —  Pat Summitt will be stuck on 999 coaching wins until at least Thursday night, when Tennessee plays host to Georgia. That much was certain after her No. 12 Lady Vols lost, 80-70, to No. 2 Oklahoma on Monday.

“I’m not concerned about a number for me,” Summitt said. “I’m concerned about this basketball team investing in our system and not picking and choosing when they want to play hard.”

Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, marking the first time in more than 1,000 days she had failed to reach double figures in both categories. It was also the first game in Paris’ college career that she didn’t score at least 10 points. Paris said her real goal was winning a national title and apologized for crying after she fouled out with 38.2 seconds left.

“I wish I would have played better, but I realized we have all the tools we need to do what I really wanted to do,” she said. “It’s just overwhelming.”