Lady Vols Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Angie Bjorklund couldn’t make a shot for most of Thursday night.
Yet Tennessee’s junior guard made the one that mattered most. Her driving reverse layup with 2.3 seconds left was the difference in a 66-64 SEC women’s basketball victory over Florida before a crowd of 4,103 at the O’Connell Center.
The outcome was not safe until a nifty inbounds play by Florida advanced the ball the length of the floor for guard Lonnika Thompson’s potential game-winning 3-pointer, which bounced off the rim.
“I think everybody in the gym thought we were going to be on ESPN by hitting that buzzer beater and pulling the upset off,’’ Florida coach Amanda Butler said.
Florida (9-8, 2-2 SEC) certainly earned its final shot at a celebration. The Gators took the fight to No. 4 Tennessee (15-1, 3-0), which committed a season-high 25 turnovers and trailed by as many as eight points (56-48) with 7:33 left.
Despite deploying a lineup that often had just one 6-footer on the floor, the Gators nearly overcame a 46-24 disparity in rebounding with their quickness and determination.
“I give a lot of credit to Florida,’’ said Bjorklund, who scored her first basket with 8:51 left. “They came out a lot tougher than us. We have to match their intensity. We didn’t.”
Four Gators scored in double figures, led by Steffi Sorensen’s 12 points. She hit four of Florida’s nine 3-pointers.
Tennessee center Kelley Cain overcame a painful blow to her right hip by matching her career high with 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Shekinna Stricklen scored 14 points.
Like much of the game, Tennessee’s decisive possession was disrupted by Florida’s aggressive defense. The play was designed to go to one of UT’s post players. Instead, the ball ended up in Bjorklund’s hands, and she drove the baseline for the winning shot.
“I’m definitely a shooter,’’ said Bjorklund, who shot 3 for 11 from the floor and matched her season low with eight points. “I don’t shoot too many layups.’’
Desperate times demanded resourceful measures.
“It was one of those situations where the offense breaks down,’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said. “You have to create. That was the most creative shot of the night for her.”
For the first 34-plus minutes, Tennessee’s creativity was counterproductive. The Lady Vols were turning over the ball in about every way imaginable. Stricklen was credited with nine turnovers.
“It was like the ball was a hot potato,’’ Summitt said. “Nobody wanted to hang onto it.
“You have to give Florida credit. I think they made us rush. That disappointed me, but that says something about their team.’’
The finish said something about the Lady Vols, who pulled themselves together and didn’t commit a turnover in the final seven minutes. They began an 18-8 finishing kick with Bjorklund’s second basket — a 3-pointer with 7:22 left.
Cain, who had to be helped off the court shortly before halftime, scored two consecutive baskets, pulling UT to 60-58 with 3:54 left. Another Cain layup gave Tennessee a 64-62 lead with 1:32 left.
“It was difficult,’’ Cain said of returning. “But I knew my team needed me. I knew I’d leave my team hanging if I didn’t and sat out.”
Cain took advantage of the absence of Florida’s 6-foot-4 center Azania Stewart, who was on the bench with four fouls.
“She stayed out a long time; thank you,’’ Summitt said of Stewart. “You have to decide. Do you hold out or gamble. Her being out worked to our advantage.”
Down the stretch, the Lady Vols also benefited from strength & conditioning coach Heather Mason. Cain said that she reminded them during a timeout of their offseason work and the importance of finishing.
The Lady Vols were all ears.
“We had to buckle down,’’ Cain said, “and get our minds right.”
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Comments » 38
IdahoVol writes:
Tremendous finish. It was closer than I'm sure Pat would have liked, but they made the plays down the stretch (other than leaving a wide open shot for Florida at the end). Go Lady Vols!
richvol writes:
Why no blocks or steals? Why did they play so poorly? I was watching the men and did not get to watch or listen.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Agreed, that uncontested 3 pointer would have been a huge dagger, but we prevailed. Again. :) GBO
ladyvolsfan789 writes:
Florida certainly did not play like an unranked team tonight! It was good that we were still able to pull out a win despite Cain's hip injury and Bjorkland's poor shooting night. Turnovers were a huge problem, but I think Florida might have gotten away with more than a few hand checks or reach ins.
mmynatt writes:
That last shot went totally uncontested. Also: why did Cain not move with the Fla gal trying to inbound the pass? If Cain was that immobile then maybe Brewer should have been chasing the inbound effort. Very dangerous to let an inbounds play go totally uncontested all the way down the court. Very lucky that the Fla gal missed the shot; whew!!!!! Still very satisfying to beat Fla in anything!!!!!!!!
dvhill100 writes:
The mark of an outstanding team is to beat another team they should, even when they play badly. Congrats to the Lady Vols and Pat.
dwolfcreek#397971 writes:
Lady vols played terrible , about as bad as i've seen them play and Fla. played a great game .
huntined#565710 writes:
THANKS, as I watched that game I also saw a better FLA team then I thought I would.. We were lucky that last shot missed..
SummittsCourt writes:
Good gut check win. The Lady Vols of last year would have checked out in the second half.
Way to go Lady Vols and can we get a call from the refs?
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
That was flipping terrible. We played very tentative and it should have cost us the game. We were not aggressive TO the ball or WITH the ball. It has been a year since I saw our Ladies play with such disinterest and lack of heart. Sure hope this was the worst game of the year, because IMO, it doesn't get any worse than the way they played this game.
CTOWNICON writes:
First off, congratulations on the win! But I have to say as well that this game was one of the worst played this season. Poor offense and poor defense, poor passes, too many turnovers! The officiating was not good but they are going to have to learn to play through bad calls and not let it affect their game. Florida was hungry tonight and they were relentless it seemed on every play. That pressure defense of theirs kind of bothered the lady vols a bit! On the bright side! Kelly had a good game and I was impressed with the poise Kamiko showed down the stretch. Her passes were dead on and that shot she made late in the game was welcomed. Kamiko can be something special! Thank you Angie for the game winner with 2 seconds remaining, WHEW!
xvolx writes:
They looked like last years team. Had to turn game off at halftime. Couldn't take anymore.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
appreciate the classy post. thanks.
r2d2 writes:
You hit the nail on the head with your comment concerning Kamiko Williams. She is the best point guard on the team. Coach Summitt needs to stay in her face to develop her potential. She can lead the Lady Vols to the final four assuming that Kelly Cain's knees hold up.
98reax writes:
Once again I did not get to see the game, only glimpses. I did stop and see BJ hit that reverse layup to tie the game. Cool. What I did not like was the inbounds by Fla which very well could have been the winning play for the gators. My goodness, we need to look at that on tape and fix that problem promptly. Where was the defense? How could all that happen in 2 seconds? It looked like she set up for that shot about 2 seconds.?????
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Yes, it COULD have been MUCH worse, if that last 3 FL threw up and went in....We would have lost!
LV.....TCB.......KOKO......GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Truth be told, there were WAY too many turnovers. Glory had a tough offensive night, but her rebounds made up for it. Angie was just totally off the first half. Neither she nor Glory had single point at halftime. Cain played tuff in the paint while she was in util the hip contusion, but finally made it back with less than 5 minutes and did contribute immediatelty. Angie finaly made a couple of threes and then the reverse layup was the icing on the cake. Strick alone had 9 turnovers! When Williams went in, her passes were smooth as Magic's. She will be an ALL American before she graduates from UT and could be possibly the best point guard in UT history. Pat already sees that and acknowledges it also. The one GOOD thing about the game was our rebounding. For those of you who did get to see the game......Pat was not a happy camper to say the least. I give her props for maintaining her composure when you could tell how disappointed and unhappy she was with the overall performance. Needless to say, she knows where the problems are and she will fix them! I imagine their trip back to Knoxville was not a pleasant one and she will work them to death before the next game and they will come back the next game and play "lights out". Relax folks, Pat knows what she is doing and what has to be done to implement major improvements in this team
LADY VOLS.....TCB.....KOKO.....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!
ladivolfan writes:
LV.....TCB.......KOKO......GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have seen these acronyms for so long I have to ask now. I assume LV is Lady Vols. What do the others mean?
tonyvick#213307 writes:
I only saw the highlights and it's looks to me that these young women have matured enough to do what ever it takes to win a game. I've always thought Kamiko's passing is some of the best in the country. I would say in two years she will be the best point guard in the country. The FL shot didn't go in so all this IF and SHOULD'VE stuff don't mean anything. IF the Lady Vols had been on they WOULD'VE destroyed FL. See what I mean. We'll take this win in our quest to go undefeated in SEC play.
GreerVol22 writes:
IDK, ask your BFF for the 411...
The gals were very fortunate tonight.
martinvol34 writes:
Thanks for turning off the game and please don't watch any more because they obviously felt your negative energy!
OrangeCrush writes:
I have never ever seen so many turnovers in one game by the LV. I quit counting all the horrible down court passes. Winning ugly should be the title of this article.
Must have been jet lag.
volboy81 writes:
great to see we can still win when we play bad and the other team plays great! Hopefully, that will be a lesson.....we better always be ready, regardless of who we're playing!! We better be ready Sunday for Vandy! They handed Ga their 1st loss of the season last night by over 20 points! Vandys women are 0-fer in Knoxville...lets keep it that way!!
GO LADY VOLS!!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
You are right about Lady Vols. The rest is "take care of business".....Keep on keeping on....Go Big Orange. I used to type keep on keeping on, but decided to shorten it like the rest of them. Thanks for asking. GO Lady Vols!
98reax writes:
"demon stares" uhm? long_vol, you are so right. We are not nearly good enough to take nights off on effort. Shots sometimes don't fall, but those turnovers, for pete's sake, are gonna get you beat by ANY team in the SEC. Look around, the conference is pretty balanced. We are not that good when we play like we think we are. We are not lucky enough to pull a win out of a hat. It is not cliche to say "you cannot coach effort." Yes Pat preaches that all the time, because she sees it all the time.
Angie's shots were not falling, but I would bet she was taking the shot every time she could. I can't judge a lot because I did not see the game. I'm just going by stats when I imply the effort was not there across the board.
magicbyswh#221420 writes:
Every game it seems one of the Lady Vols are saying we did not match the intensity or we were not aggresive or other excuses. When are you going to come out and do this from the start. Come out with intensity and be aggressive from the get go.
98reax writes:
At least we don't have to worry about our coach running out on us, do we?
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
That is exactly what Pat is trying to do. This team in young and inexperienced and it takes time. As the season progresses, you will see much improvement in that area and those who do not play with intensity and aggressiveness from the start, will be sitting on the bench...Trust me, that is what Pat expects from this team!
LV.....TCB.......KOKO.....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
The answer to your question is ABSOLUTLEY NOT!!!!
Pat will continue to coach the Lady Vols until she feels like in her heart, that it is time to stop and don't expect that to be anytime in the near future. Although, she does not care about all the accolades, records, awards, Hall of Fames, I would expect that maybe after she breaks John Woodens record of 10 NC's and she gets at least 12, she might consider it then. She would much rather the Lady Vols break records than herself. When and if that time should come, I would expect her to be the new AD and add Peyton as the Head Coach (if he is not in broadcasting by then). Her son, Tyler might be ready to take over the Lady Vols by then also.
So, relax, Pat will be there a long long time. She loves the game and the University too much!
LV....TCB.....KOKO....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!
reachkim00 writes:
Absolutely not 98. I love our Lady Vols and coaches. Last night's game gave me a heart attack, but we found a way to win it and that's all that matters to me. Tho win or lose, I'm behind them 200%. GO LADY VOLS!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Nearly every team has a game or two like this every season, but most of the time they lose! In a way, it is nice to see that they can play this sloppy and still win, but that kind of loose play with the ball will kill them against Vandy or darn near any team better than Florida is this year. You dodged a bullet, gals! You might not be this lucky if you play like this again! GBO!!! TCB!!!
ACWLY writes:
This was like a bowl game for florida, a win would have been a RECORD for them and they had planned on this game all year. Regardless of UT's effort during the game, THEIR PRIDE came through at the end. Thanks Lady Vols,WE LOVE YOU!
utfan00 writes:
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY SMALLBONE DOESN'T GET MUCH PLAYING TIME??????
98reax writes:
Is there STILL a Lady Vols Basketball season? Have you noticed we don't even have an current article, just this one wire story? Does it take every KNS writer to cover the fb coaching carousel? Can't you see there's a Lady Vols team who just happen to be 15-1, 3-0? Could they get some coverage here? Could they get some respect. Could Fleser write a few lines, throw us some crumbs? Thank you.
shopsports#273141 writes:
Nothing is more satisfying than crushing the slime lizard dreams....Thanks much Lady Vols!! watching two game at once was rough. Couldn't the slimes have rescheduled a couple of hours or would there have been nobody there for some reason? I also love that they cannot sell tickets to their fabulous slime for men or women. Thus they can't build a decent facility.
shopsports#273141 writes:
PS....they planned on this game all year last year too...now let them go buy yet ANOTHER new coach.
98reax writes:
Last season we took our 6-losses team against Florida with a slew of rookies including a freshman point guard. The name of the game was turn the ball over then foul. We (the stripes) sent the gators to the charity line 29 times, of which they made good on 20. For some strange reason, probably because we relied primarily on the 3-ball unsuccessfully, we only visited the free throw line 8 times and made ONLY TWO of those count! Before a hostile crowd of 8,060 reptile supporters we blew up in the closing minute by passing the ball to the wrong shade of orange. Sha Brooks scorched us with 29 points.
We did not play well this time around, but we got the win, somehow. I betcha Pat has kept their minds off the hullabaloo on campus these past few days and squarely on Vandy. I hope they know exactly what they are facing and are in the mindset to go out there and play Pat Summitt's style.
Go Lady Vols. We're still here.
BigOrangeVol writes:
Will someone tell KNS that we just beat Candy!
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