Glory Johnson knows how to make an entrance.
The more belated the better for Tennessee's sophomore forward - or so it would seem. She came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and gather a game-high 10 rebounds in the Lady Vols' 124-34 women's basketball exhibition victory Thursday over Carson-Newman College before a crowd of 12,363 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Coming off the bench, you have to prove something,'' Johnson said.
She made a statement with her double-double. Her teammates did likewise with five other Lady Vols scoring in double figures. Angie Bjorklund scored 21, Alicia Manning had 18, freshman Taber Spani scored 17 and Kelley Cain had 16.
Collectively, Tennessee shot 62.3 percent from the floor and amassed 28 assists.
But what did Johnson and the Lady Vols prove? Under similar circumstances last season, Johnson stated her case for being a starter by scoring 33 points in the exhibition opener and UT routed the Lady Eagles, 135-55.
The start wasn't a portent of the finish to come for either Johnson or the Lady Vols, who ended 22-11 last season.
"I think when you get in that situation,'' said UT coach Pat Summitt, referring to the one-sided circumstances, "you have to really focus on what your team brought on both ends. Did we play down to the level of competition? I felt like we kept our intensity and maintained it pretty much throughout the game. I'm excited about that because in the past, last year in particular, we'd get a lead and think the game was over. This team was thinking execution."
Johnson and sophomore point guard Briana Bass were good examples of Summitt's contention. Tennessee didn't need a boost, leading 12-3 when the Lady Vol duo entered the game with 15:45 left in the first half.
Regardless, Johnson barely broke a sweat before literally lifting Zoriah William of the Lady Eagles off the floor in a wrestling match over a loose ball.
It took Johnson about five minutes to gather seven points and seven rebounds as she ran from rim to rim in relentless fashion.
"We call it the post highway,'' Summitt said. "I thought that was one of the best things about our post game tonight."
While the 6-foot-3 Johnson looked like a fleet wide receiver, Bass wasn't letting her 5-2 stature detract from her decent impression of a quarterback. She was flinging transition passes all over the court in piling up five of her game-high eight assists by halftime.
Bass and fellow sophomore point guard Shekinna Stricklen combined for 15 of UT's assists.
"I think just having a year under your belt playing Pat's system and understanding her system - every year it gets easier," Bjorklund said
That said, it didn't look awfully difficult for Spani in her debut. She made three of her four 3-point attempts, grabbed nine rebounds and had two assists.
"She's such a skilled player and she makes a lot of good decisions,'' Summitt said. "She has a lot of composure. She's just going to get better and better."
Summitt used the exhibition to make a point to forward Alyssia Brewer and guard Kamiko Williams about having better practice habits. Each player received just six minutes. Brewer made the most of her time with seven points and five rebounds.
C-N coach Dean Walsh thinks that Summitt already has made her point and it showed in the Lady Vols' effort.
"Pat has clearly gotten the message across to them that it's her team, not theirs,'' he said. "I see a different dynamic out there, and there's no doubt that their attitude has changed."
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
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Comments » 15
utfan00 writes:
I was impressed with this team's effort. They are playing at a different level this year.I hope they continue to play the same in the future. Go Lady Vols Go.
richvol writes:
I would have thought that Brewer had learned her lesson last year about working hard but apparently not if she is having poor practice habits. She has the skill to be as good as any forward we have had but you must have the inner drive to get there. She needed to lose weight and get in shape to run the floor and play defense effectively last year. It's early yet so we shall see.
rocky_topper writes:
They looked really good last night; but they did in the exhibition games last year too. I hope they are for real this year. They did seem to all have better work ethics on the court!
tnluv2play writes:
There seemed to be more teamwork last night. I hope Glory isn't just a one or two game wonder and keeps up the good work. Good job, ladies!
tonyvick#213307 writes:
With the right attitude Glory will be the next Tamika Catchings (my all time favorite player 'mind you)
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
Yes, Kelley will make Griner eat the ball several times. If you look at Griner's videos on you tube, the girl almost never uses her left hand. My guess is that she has never had to because she was always bigger than everybody else in high school. She'll get her points, but as long as the refs let them play (it was disappointing to see that the refs were deplorable in an exhibition game)Kelley will hold her to a minimum, as will Glory.
Spani...wow. Another Hornbuckle as she sees the whole floor, but she has a better long range shot!
Angie has a much quicker shot than last year and created some shots for herself. She is going to have a stand-out year.
Manning...where did that come from? She proved she can bring it and play every possession.
Glory...nice. She has learned how to finish her shot. Way to get on the boards!
Bass looked good...who says you have to be over 6ft tall to drive to the bucket? Reminded me of a certain little point guard out of NC.
Brewer looked good when she played. Sure hope she earns herself some more playing time.
Kamiko has a lot of work to do. She looked scared to death (much like I would have on that stage).
Smallbone had several defensive let-downs, which surprises me as I always liked the way she plays defense. Her offense looked stronger and her shot is improved from last year.
Strickland was her normal solid self. By the time her senior year is here, she will have won every award there is to win in women's college basketball, including a National Championship!
Nice game ladies...GO VOLS!!
PureOrange writes:
Watching this team last night was like comparing night and day to last year. The hustle, the desire, the ability, was so encouraging. I saw improvement in every player over last year, and Spani looks like a game changer. It was hard to see her as a freshman. I am really excited about this year. Good things are going to happen with this kind of effort.
utfan00 writes:
Once again I am so PROUD of these girls.I saw mental toughnes, quickness,good passing and shooting. I think they are ready to compete this year. I can't until the season start.
Glory..I was amazed with the effort you brought to this team.
Taber.. You don't play like a freshmen.. You go girl
Angie...Your playing is 3x better than last year.
Bri.. Little Bit.. You maybe short, but know how to find away to score...Good job.
Shikenna..Keep doing what you are doing
Manning..You earned your position and I see why
Syd..You have shown tremendous improvement.
Lyissa, Faith, Kamiko..I know its there. Keep pushing and pushing.
Kelly..It doesn't matter if your competition is 6'8 -6'10 you got what it takes.
Vicky...Don't be in no hurry.
Amber.. I will keep you in prayer.
johnlg00 writes:
Ooh, that's a bit of a stretch! I like Glory's potential but to compare her to Tamika Catchings is like the poster on another thread who wanted to compare Taber Spani to Diana Taurasi. In Catchings and Taurasi, you are talking about two of the greatest players in women's basketball history. Let's just let Glory and Taber be the best players THEY can be, unburdened by excessive expectations, and I think we will find that to be QUITE sufficient.
joeparr2000#255292 writes:
....let's come back down to earth, posters....they were playing carson newman, not uconn....until then, i think ya'll better pull in your horns....fleser hit the nail on the head when he compared this year's opener to last year's and what happened after that...i'm going to wait and see if they prove out....
ps11824 writes:
[[ joeparr2000#255292 writes:
....let's come back down to earth, posters....they were playing carson newman, not uconn....until then, i think ya'll better pull in your horns....fleser hit the nail on the head when he compared this year's opener to last year's and what happened after that...i'm going to wait and see if they prove out....]]
Who the heck are you? Get over your love affair with the opposition. This (the supportive, see-the-glass half-full mentality) is the kind of chatter Lady Vol fans appreciate, not your officious castigation. Everytime we get some positive thread going, which is why we log in here on this LADY VOL site, some nitwit naysayer like you feels compelled to intrude and bring up other teams. I, for one, care so little about other teams. If and when I become curious about the progress of those teams, I will log onto ESPN to read about them, and kindly keep my snide remarks and unsolicited criticism to myself. I have more gumption than to visit a team's site and run my mouth like I know all about them.
My advice: Go there, to those home sites of the teams you praise, and blabber your negativity. Come back here if and when you realize what color WE CHOOSE to wear, what team WE CHOOSE to support.
utfan00 writes:
Words of Encouragement will help boost the lady vols spirit. Who cares about UCONN anyway? It's not like they can't get their butts kick. Stanford proved them wrong 2 years ago and let's not forget the same superstars were playing back then.
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
Nicely put again 98. Will you marry me?
reachkim00 writes:
As always 98, love your posts and to the point replies. I tend to be a bit harsher with some of the idiots that come here with their negativity.
GO LADY VOLS!!!
CTOWNICON writes:
Congratulations lady vols! Keep up the good work and prove the doubters wrong. I am really impressed with all the balanced scoring. Also impressed with Spani, sounds like a great future for her with the lady vols.
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