NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Tennessee’s best intentions overcame its worst tendencies Friday night.
But not without a spirited fight.
The Lady Vols built a 17-point halftime lead on power and poise. Florida erased all but three points of it with pressure and passion.
In the end, Tennessee’s start held up to the finish for a 71-67 victory in the second round of the SEC women’s basketball tournament.
The victory advanced fifth-seed UT (22-9) to a semifinal date with top-seed Auburn (28-2) tonight (TV: FSS, 6:30 p.m.) at Alltel Arena.
“We knew this was going to be a battle, having played them earlier in the season,’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said.
The reference was to a 66-57 loss in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 8, during which Tennessee squandered a seven-point lead in the final 7½ minutes. At least one Lady Vol said that the loss had a bearing on this victory.
“We just refused to lose this game,’’ freshman guard Briana Bass said. “We were looking for revenge. That was a big, big part of it. We owed this team something.”
Angie Bjorklund, who failed to score in Tennessee’s opening-round victory over Alabama Thursday, scored a game-high 25 points. Her 9-for-15 field goal shooting (6-for-10 on 3-pointers) highlighted UT’s 53.2 percent accuracy (25-for-47).
Shekinna Stricklen added 18 points and Kelley Cain scored 10.
Sha Brooks scored 22 points for fourth-seed Florida (23-7). Marshae Dotson had 20 and Steffi Sorensen scored 10.
The game had just one tie and one lead change. That didn’t do justice to the countless bumps, bruises and floor burns.
Cain landed on Brooks during a rebounding scramble in the first half, leaving the Gators star with a sore neck. Stricklen briefly went to the locker room in the second half with a banged-up left shoulder.
The Lady Vols struck a thunderous blow in opening a 38-21 halftime lead. They were intent on pounding the ball inside and avoiding the 29-8 disparity in free-throw attempts of the first meeting. They achieved their objective — attempting 21 free throws to Florida’s 20. Each team converted 14 attempts. The real bargain of this strategy, though, was buying extra shooting space for Bjorklund.
“It’s a new game and a new day and I just had to work a lot harder to get open shots,’’ Bjorklund said. “I thought our inside presence with Kelley and Alyssia (Brewer) opened things up for me on the outside.’’
Bjorklund scored the last three baskets before the break, including two 3-pointers.
“You can’t put yourself in the position that we did in the first half,’’ Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “And it’s going to be miraculous to be able to come back from that. But we weren’t too far from miraculous because of our fight.”
The Gators’ ravenous full-court press had a hand in 14 second-half turnovers by Tennessee. UT’s guards often resembled staked-out prey in the backcourt. They were pursued and occasionally surrounded by multiple defenders. Stricklen finished with seven turnovers while Bjorklund had four.
“They put on a whole lot of pressure,’’ Bjorklund said. “We were expecting that. Our guards have to do a lot better job of playing with composure under that pressure. We’ll probably see that in the future.”
The Gators methodically devoured Tennessee’s lead, pulling to 60-57 with 3:50 left.
“I kept saying, ‘We have to keep the lead,’ ’’ UT senior forward Alex Fuller said. “I think that was key for us.”
The lead held, thanks to a seven-point flurry that featured two free throws by Cain, another by Johnson and two baskets by Stricklen.
During that stretch, Brooks picked up her fifth foul, preventing a breakaway layup by Johnson with 2:30 left.
The Lady Vols had enough breathing room again to let out a sigh of relief.
Their best intentions had prevailed.
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Comments » 41
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Tenn wins - Gators lose.
Has a nice ring to it.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Sweet revenge ! Great to see BJ back on track, she lite the lights tonight ! Thanks for coming up big Angie.
Good team effort but we gotta learn to hold a big lead.
Another chance for revenge tomorrow. Rest and soothe those black & blue bodies. We can beat Auburn !
Go Lady Vols !
gohawks1 writes:
Music to my ears.......
dvhill100 writes:
Got to love the Bball sweep of FL. Congrats to the Lady Vols!
BIGEJ writes:
The regular season loss to UF, the girls like ZZ /DC commented UF coach BUTTer owned Pat; I guess they were thinking "attempt to rent to own"....GO VOLS
CTOWNICON writes:
The lady vols aka avenging angels played a helluva game tonight. Got a little shaky in that second half until Bass came back in to stop them from making all those turnovers. Bass played a great game tonight. I don't think she had a single turnover and her defense on the Florida guards was good. Bass bothered Brooks because she was just as quick. All in all the team played great. Angie you granted me my wish, you showed up big time tonight. Shekina you did also. All the lady vols did a great job tonight. Florida has got to be the most foul prone team I have seen. The difference is all those fouls got called tonight that didn't get called in Florida. Lets take this momentum into the game against Auburn. You ladies have one more game to avenge, and then SEC championship time. Lets rock!
utmdm writes:
The way it was meant to be. Universe back in order.
huntined#565710 writes:
Two down Two to go!!! Got to say though these ladies need to play two halves in one game..They have a way to get you on the edge of your seat..Was not on T.V. here in FLA..Had to listen to WLAC. Hard to pick up down here..o to 25 good increase in scoring for BJ..
elizabethtonvol72 writes:
Way to go Lady Vols! Two more to win though! Stay tough, and Git'r done!! GO VOLS!!!!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Use your internet connecition and listen to the audio.
go to yahho, sports, then women's basketball, then click the speaker next to Tennesee. that is how I listen.
Volfan1 writes:
Motto: You can never beat Florida (or Bama) in any sport too often or by too many points.
volball7222 writes:
Very physical game. I saw Dotson talking trash to Cain after she hacked her, Brooks undercut Cain, another player using her knee to catch strickland in the thigh and took a hard fall. We survived and those ladies are bound to be very sore. There will be more of that phooey to come.
Go Lady Vols!!!!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Okay, here goes; all Pat has to do it 1) show the LV's the writeup from the first game; 2) show the LV's a few 'lowlights' from the first game.
Aubrun kicked the snot out of us down there. Our guards where completely overmatched, and we didn't play good D.
Here is my thought: we have to come out PISSEED and crashing the boards. We MUST BE THE AGGRESSOR. That means hard, hard fouls. Drive to the basket and initiate contact.
Box out like your an offensive linean. RUN YOUR MOUTH.
What Auburn did last time was intimidate us. What WE have to this time is leverage our size and KNOCK THE HECK our of them. Not dirty, just ROUGH.
We can't count on Angie hitting 25 points. We MUST use Kelley.
halloffamebowler writes:
Bjorklund has been crucified many times on this site recently.Unjustly I think.Sure, she sometimes does not do good things , but you must remember,she has been doubled and tripple teamed all season.Kelly Cain took a lot of double and tripple teaming tonight and that left Angie more room to do what she does best.If Kelly's knees can only hold out a few more games,these girls will make it to the sweet 16 that we are all hopeing for.I think this has been one of Pat's better coaching efforts considering the youth and knee injuries.Most other coaches would not have won 22 games under these circumstances.They will not win it all this year.That snoty nose Geno will no doubt take it all this time around,as he should.I believe he has the best team money can buy.If Kelly's knees heal over the off season,you can bet the farm she will be a great one next year and Tennessee will be back in the hunt once again.
huntined#565710 writes:
Thanks mparker.. I tried sportsanimal 99 but they were not able to broadcast the game..Had my brother in ELIZABETHTON give me 6-7 stations to try on computer but could not get the game.
Thanks again as I will use that info.
halloffamebowler writes:
Try UT sports.com.Click on lady Vols basketball and you can listen to Mickey Dearstone.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
sure;
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-b...
is an example of today; I think the fellow just after me gave anohter way to get to it. it's the same broadcast.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
also, if you have espn360.com on your internet provider, you can wathc it live or watch a replay.
looks good on a good pc with a broadband connection.
richvol writes:
The officiating was horrible. Those officials are going to get somebody hurt as they allowed Florida to beat on us all night. The charges they called on us were ridiculous as well. Slive really needs to stop being so biased and put a stop to this. What a wuss.
ps11824 writes:
I do not usually complain about officiating, BUT, our players got mauled mercilessly in those closing minutes. Refs let them get away with it until they could tie us up. I'm a very patient soul, BUT, after the third mauling, I would have knocked some gators back to Gainsville before I would have allowed them to tie me up. I do not like dirty play, BUT, I honestly believe the officials swallowed their whistles while we were being smacked and grabbed by 2 or more players trapping.
Way to hang tough, Lady Vols. Go soak in the ice bath and whirlpools. Pamper yourself tonight and kick some tiger butt tomorrow evening. I have seen your toughness and IT IS REAL!
Desperately Seeking St Louis...
BigOrangeVol writes:
Bri did have one Turnover but that was it. Strick had SEVEN to lead both teams. 23 total is horrific; Cow College will eat our lunch if we can't take care of the ball any better than that!!!
Alex had four Assists but no one else had more than two. When your two Point Guards only account for 4 of 16 Assists (25%)...that's discouraging.
I'm happy for the win but Jenny is going to have to work for the next 24 hours straight! I agree that the officiating was horrendous. That's why Dee Kantner was fired by the NBA and doesn't get on the floor in the WNBA; she sucks as a ref. Bryan Enterline needs to devote ALL his time to his construction business and Lawson Newton
should stick to ambulance chasing. I've seen bare-knuckle fist fights where fewer people were hurt.
Those tie-up were ridiculous! We can't tolerate that garbage from opponents. That's why God made elbows pointed and Dotson should have eaten several tonight.
CTOWNICON writes:
Angie is back. She knows what she has to do now. I think that Kelly being on the court really opens it up for our shooters, they just have to take advantage of it like they did tonight. Kelly also clogs up that paint and her defense was stellar tonight. Stricklen keeps shooting like she is will also take some of the pressure off of Angie. I hope and pray that Kelly is ok and her knees are going to be ok. I agree with you on Pat's coaching job this year. She has been great with what she has had to work with. I don't think another coach could have accomplished what she is doing this year either with such a young team. By the way, she looked good in that orange. Great job Queen Pat and the coaching staff and medical staff.
CTOWNICON writes:
Even though the lady vols won, and I am ever so thankful for that, the officiating was horrible. That undercut Brooks did on Kelly they did not even call it. Kelly could have been hurt. The officials really need to get a grip.
CTOWNICON writes:
Ok lady vols, lets come out smoking tomorrow and catch the tiger by the tail. I am calling on you tomorrow Alex, need you to be more physical.
xvolx writes:
Bass played hard and intense. Fla. was able to come back because Pat held her out too long in second half. I would have to agree the officiating was terrible. The bald guy did a good job. The guy with no teeth look was totally biased. The lady did overrule him once on a deliberate attempt. Thought Strickland was pressing some. Maybe in front of her friends and relatives made her press. Like I told the poster yesterday, Bjorkland is a pure shooter. They finally stopped her dribbling and used her properly. Cain played great considering her painful knees. Brewer lacks quickness and shooting touch. She just needs to play smarter. Johnson did a good job rebounding and on defense, but has a lot of skills to develope on offense. Strickland does not like pt. guard, but has to be there at times. Manning and Gray didn't get into the game because they can't contribute. If Auburn beats them, it will be because they are tired. Great effort. They have played like Lady Vols are suppose to play.
RLL59 writes:
Sha Brooks was undercutting Lady Vol players all night, and even attempted to do so when she committed her 5th foul against Glory Johnson. Unfortunately, women's basketball referees frequently reward out of control players on the offensive side, and ignore dangerous play by defenders.
Despite the poor officiating, it was a good win for the Lady Vols. Do they have enough left for Auburn?
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Yes, the Gators played a rather dirty game. Their ex-coach who was doing tv commentary, loved the physical aspects of the game--ha. Bruised & battle tested, the Lady Vols held on to win !
It is now gut check time. I think we can dig down and beat Auburn but it will take a team effort. I am proud of this team for finally playing like true Lady Vols ! We can !
vol98champ writes:
The worst call was the tie up call in the last few minutes against Brewer. I looked at it several times and I'm not sure Fla ever got even a hand on the ball. The guy who made it was out of position and assumed what evidently he wanted to see. What gives with Brooks and Dotson? I love intensity, but those two would try Job's patience. It seems as if every time we play Fla someone "punks" us to quote Tyler. We only shot 21 foul shots. Good referees would have fouled out Brooks and Dotson in less than 20 minutes. No hard foul or technical when Cain was hammered and cussed. Do you think the TV commentator was biased? Don't think I saw a "good game" from Pat at the end. Wish I knew what she really thought.
ps11824 writes:
Of course Carol Ross is biased toward the gators. but the gators are no longer in this picture. Dave Neal is always biased against TN, but he can't play. The officials, on the other hand were truly biased. They called our touch fouls quickly, and allowed our players to be mauled only to get a jump ball.
johnlg00 writes:
You can get the audio feed on the Lady Vols website. For some reason, their webcasts come through much louder on my computer than the men's feed, so you can tune it in and do something else while listening. When I listen to the men's games, I have to be either in the computer room or near the door but the LV games can be heard all over the house!
Thank goodness for those webcasts because FSS is fickle here in ACC country; after carrying the first two days of the SEC tourney, they will carry the ACC women's tourney today at least. I will also check channelsurfing.net to see if I can get the TV feed on there.
Great gut check win yesterday, gals! Mind over matter from now on! GO LVs!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
ps11824 writes:
The closeline from Dotson on Cain with the mouth that followed and repeated should have been ruled flagrant, and Dotson should have been sent packing. Go back and look at it. It was evident she was going for the throat.
On another isolation involving Stricklen, she was sandwiched between 2 gators and they were holding her from all angles. Stricklen got the shot up anyway. That kid is a baller.
I thought our kids did an awesome job on Brooks and Dotson. If they can be that aggressive on offense, AND keep Bonner and Boddie from going off, they will give Auburn a run for it. There's a big girl tiger, Kiki Carrier, who will attempt to free up Bonner. Carrier is a load and Fortner will be willing to waste fouls on her. Our FT% doesn't pose a threat to anybody. I hope Brewer and Cain get their rest and rehab today. They will need to have the hardhat/lunch pail mentality tonight to hang with the tigers. BUT, I know we can do it.
utang1602#204610 writes:
I think I'm going to listen to Pat Summitt's assessment of the game. She said that while we had turnovers and a few defensive lapses, we were VERY FOCUSED. She was pleased with the effort, and so was I. If you didn't expect for Florida to make a run and cut that lead, you haven't been watching them play. Regardless of our national ranking, which is affected by a number of variables, we were the lower seed in this game.
We were playing 5 players versus their 8 for the 2nd game this year. It was ridiculous.
Also, re: the Dotson foul--Saul Young has a photo of it in the gallery for last night's game. She has her arm at Cain's neck. That was a flagrant foul, and at the least, she should have been T'd after the mouthing as the ref pulled her away.
ps11824 writes:
Let's move on to AU. 'From Gators To Tigers In 24 Hours' might be the next Fleser headline. That will be a monumental task for our team, but we can do it. We are a better team than we were back on January 25 when our Bj scored 6pts and turned the ball over 4 times in 25 minutes.
A new day, a stronger Cain than the Kelly who played just 16 minutes to come out of the game with 6 pts will make the difference tonight. Her presence in the paint will not allow Bonner to go off with 35 pts, 14 of those from 16 trips to the charity stripe.
Our guards will have something to prove as they will not allow Boddie, AU's point guard to control the game dishing out 9 assists and adding 17 pts in a game that sent the tigers to the line 29 times while we scored just 10-13. And hopefully we will shoot more than 30% from beyond the arch.
Most importantly we must take care of the rock. In our last meeting we turned it over 23 times. We have to be aggressive and smart, quick but not hurried. We have to come out like the ferocious tiger who tamed the gators last night.
ps11824 writes:
Mikey, I'm so glad you ARE a TN fan, even though you are a closet-fan. You are so addicted to us you cannot help yourself. You better watch out, pal, you are starting to turn a shade of orange. Speaking of rings. You do remember we have stock in championship ring manufacturers. Here's another nice headline with a ring to it: GENO'S HUSKIES OUSTED ONCE AGAIN FROM NCAA
rbwusa writes:
Getting better all the time and remember we're mostly freshmen wheeew!! look out!
ps11824 writes:
VOLinCockCu, fair is fair. Equality is irrelevant. Officials are officials whether they are calling a little bitty women's game or a big old men's game. The size of the balls are also irrelevant. The rules of the game are the rules of whatever gender game they are working. And for your info, many of the officials do both men's and ladies' games.
Yes women are slower, smaller than men. How astute of you to notice. One might think the refs would also notice. Calling a slower game involving smaller players should be less difficult to make the RIGHT calls; wouldn't you think, CockCu? Do you have a point other than the obvious, blatant revelation of your gender myopia?
In regards to the game in question, TN Lady Vols vs Florida Gators, which was played last night on TV for all to see, the trapping fouls by Florida, of which there were several in the last minutes, were allowed until Florida could tie up the ball. If you were watching, you would see that more than once or twice, the defenders were never touching the ball, but were mauling the ball handler. If you can show me different pictures than the ones I saw, I will gladly say, "I was wrong."
ps11824 writes:
Word is he's already been caught. However, no severe punishment as of yet. It takes time to push the paperwork thru the red tape, but when sanctions unfold, the proverbial fan will have been hit. IMO, that's the main reason TN severed that relationship. It's always best not to swim with sharks. The audacity of the head coach was just the bitter green icing pouring down in McAurema's Park.
As for the present farce, that too is coming to an end. I feel bad for the student athletes who are caught up in it.
CTOWNICON writes:
I knew this she-male was around here somewhere lurking. Put your wig on and go against Angie, she would take you. Once again this man proves that he does not like women. At least spell her name right if you are going to be jealous of her.
CTOWNICON writes:
I have never heard such mess, you just wish it was you in the hot tub with Harry. You will do anything to try to bring down the Queen. It want work, she is a respected woman, unlike you. You jealous of how good she looks in orange to, aren't you? You are one pitiful she-male.
vollynn writes:
Aw, Mike. You are showing your breeding. You have to attack someone personally when you run out of decent arguments on the topic. I dont think Pat's personal life has anything to do with it, but since there is a constant rumor that Geno is gay, I guess you would say we SHOULD listen to everything we hear about someone's personal life
CTOWNICON writes:
The truth hurts. You know that Geno is a slime ball and he does not follow rules when he recruits. Everybody knows what 98 is talking about and it cuts you deep. That was the worst game Uconn and Maya played against Rutgers, and unranked team. Florida was ranked higher than us and we prevailed. Geno is a cheat, he even looks like one. I hate it for the players as well that they have to suffer for his mistakes. If our games bother you that much, quit watching, but you can't because you really admire and want to be Queen Pat. You will never be, she is a woman, you are a she-male wanna-be running behind Geno hoping he notices you.
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