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Tennessee's Meighan Simmons celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer against Rutgers at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J., on Tuesday night.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The misses didn't matter as much as the moment to Meighan Simmons.
Tennessee's beleaguered sharpshooter was working on a 2-for-10 performance when she found herself wide open in the corner against Rutgers on Tuesday night. The sophomore guard stepped into the shot like she hadn't missed in a week.
Swish.
She did the same on her next long-range shot with a Scarlet Knights defender right in her face.
Another swish.
Simmons' 3-pointers were part of an 11-point scoring flurry inside the final six minutes that propelled the Lady Vols to a 67-61 women's basketball victory before a crowd of 6,368 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
"For some reason, I thrive in moments where you know the team needs that certain person to step up at that moment,'' Simmons said. "It just happened to be me."
For some reason, No. 6 Tennessee (6-2) was able to survive a 38-18 disparity in paint points, an 18-12 deficit in second-chance points and just four points from its reserves.
"It speaks to their poise,'' Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "And the things they did."
Shekinna Stricklen did just about everything for UT, scoring a team-high 22 points and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. She exited briefly in the final minute because of a leg cramp but returned to seal the outcome with two free throws with six seconds left.
Simmons and Taber Spani each scored 13 points.
April Sykes scored a game-high 27 points for No. 11 Rutgers (9-2).
What the Lady Vols did best was hit 3-pointers. They were 9-for-18 from long range with Simmons, Spani and Stricklen hitting three apiece.
After UT missed three free throws while trying to close out the victory, associate head coach Holly Warlick joked about a possible solution.
"Maybe we can move the free-throw line back to the three-point line,'' she said.
Free throws weren't the only shots with which UT struggled. The Lady Vols missed from close range and other points on the court throughout the game.
The Lady Vols' shooting woes were more problematic than their 16 turnovers. After opening a 13-point lead in the first half, they made just one basket in the final six minutes, finishing with 31 percent accuracy (9-for-29) for the half. Rutgers took advantage to creep within 33-28 at the break.
Simmons missed a 3-pointer to end the half and UT assistant coach Mickie DeMoss stared at her with her arms spread out wide in disbelief.
The Lady Vols weren't much better at the start of the second half as Rutgers pulled ahead 43-38 with 15:38 left. But then they started to find the range, which resulted in five lead changes.
Glory Johnson's layup with 5:42 completed the final exchange. Simmons did her best to make sure of that. The first of her clutch 3-pointers came with 4:20 left. The second splashed down 44 seconds later.
"I feel like I was really positive at that time with those two 3s,'' Simmons said. "I was really focused on hitting those 3s because I knew we needed them."
Spani followed with a trey and UT's lead suddenly was 64-54.
They didn't miss when it mattered most.
Dan Fleser may be reached at 865-342-6288. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FleserKNS and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/fleser.
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
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Comments » 46
Razor784 writes:
Excellent effort, I thought Rutgers had this one, about time a UT team does something good, way to go ladies!
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Big pat on the back to the team! Hostile setting, Rutgers wanted Tennessee in the worst sort of way, especially based on all the previous
defeats to the Lady Vols.
We went through some spurts where we were a turnover machine. Thank goodness Rutgers hit the cold spell at the end. A bit troubling was missing the free throws at the end, especially by
Simmons. However...........she nailed the 3's
and 50% from that part of the court was huge.
Baugh? When she put the ball on the floor in the paint and had the turnover, it was a bit troubling. However, she made the beautiful move to the basket and had the 3 point play......that was huge. The Sykes shooting for Rutgers was awesome. So sad to see Pat watching in the background while the other 3 talk to the players. But, it works and they know more about this game than I.
Great, great road win.
SoddyVol writes:
Greatly enjoyed the Vols effort. Watching the game on TV it sure looked rough under the basket. Rutgers was called for several early fouls and it looked to me that they could have had more. That made the rebounding by Vols look much better than I anticipated.
Vol72 writes:
Great Job Lady Vols! UT will surely miss Shekinna Stricklen next year. She is a very versatile player and her shooting was great. I think if Simmons and Spani can be more consistent UT will make it to the Final Four. This game gave the players great confidence, especially Simmons. I think if UT Lady Vols will clean up a little things like making lay ups and hitting free-throws they will have a great chance of defeating UCLA & Stanford. The refs were terrible! I wish they would just let them play like the men and quit calling little touch fouls. The women game have envolve and they are more athletic than in the past. This was great exposure for UT and I hope that we can win over some top recruits in the class 0f '13 like Russell, DeShields, Greenwell. We need some big athletic and quick guards that can shoot the ball. Good game Lady Vols!
la_Madrina writes:
What a dog-fight! The lady vols came out on top, thank God! Shekinna played really big for the lady vols tonight! Really proud of Shekinna! I think we are going to have to find a way to get her more rest. She cramped probably because she played too many minutes! Good for her to fight through it!
Simmons with those big three's! Enough said! She played a better controlled game tonight! Proud of her! Taber hit big three's as well! Good job fighting through the injury and playing Taber!
When the lady vols went through that slight shooting slump, they should have went inside. It would also help if Vicki would fight for position, and hold it better than she did tonight. She was soft tonight for most of the game. She couldn't hold on to rebounds, and she was getting pushed around. She has got to be tougher than that! The team needs good post play to balance out our perimeter!
SummittsCourt writes:
Great road win again lady vols! On to ucla and stanford. Go lady vols!
ps11824 writes:
She probably cramped because she did not get her body hydrated well in advance of the game.
Tired of hearing how it is sad to see Pat allowing her staff to take the huddles. That's Pat's call. She made that call just as she makes most calls pertaining to the Lady Vols. Pat is a teacher. She is teaching for her life, for her health and for the well-being of her team and staff right now. She's brilliant, even now.
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
Way to fight through the Rutgers pressure in the beginning of the second half. Played good D against everyone but Sykes but hey its better to stop four or three players than to have a balance attack from a whole team. One thing about Tenn is every player brings something different. Strick, Johnson, Simmons, Spani, Baugh and Manning are mentioned quite a lot because they all bring something to the game. That's good!! We will need that experience from everyone down the stretch. This team is hungry. I feel it. We will blowout the Bruins and will matchup well with Stanford with us having the edge. Stanford is still big and slow. We shutdown one Ogunmike we win. Our perimeter defense has been superb cutting off the 3 pt line . Show make for a wild stretch. Once we get back Ariel and Kamiko these girls will run teams out the gym.
UTByrd writes:
Amen!
kazoo writes:
I'm not a MS hater--I WANT her to succeed. I'm pulling for her, and the Vols badly need her to play well. She made two huge three-point shots tonight. But, overall, she still still had a weak game--and the fact is, she has played very poorly this year. And yet people complain about her playing time. She was 4-12 tonight, which is not a good shooting night but better than her terrible recent performances. She missed a bunch of free throws; had 1 assist and three turnovers. The best thing about her night was that she had six rebounds. She's got an odd, set-shot shooting technique--shoots from well below her head rather than above (which is fundamental form)--and I think this is why she often rushes her shot.
It was a gutsy win over a decent but not great rutgers team, which basically lost it down the stretch. Without Massengale, the offense was really ragged, as it has often been in recent years. Summitt & Co. need to teach the team how to pass--a problem for eons. Unlike uconn, UT is a terrible passing team, which is why the assist numbers are usually relatively low, the to's relatively high, and the shooting percentage usually pretty low. A lot of UT's struggles--for years--can be traced to their weak half-court offensive execution.
What is the deal with Lockhart? Can he not teach Baugh or anybody how to make a basic low-post move? Baugh is 6'4" but wants to play outside, bent over like a guard! She needs to play inside and play tall. She's got a good shooting touch: Get in the low block, get a pass (that's one problem--UT, being a bad passing team, doesn't know how and when to make passes into the low post), fake one way with the upper body, pivot the other, go up strong, ball high...off the glass from six feet. She could WREAK HAVOC in the paint with her size and athleticism--IF she had a few BASIC low post movies. But she doesn't have them. Not sure where the coaching is. Watch Stanford's centers on offense and watch ours--huge difference. Anosike had the same problem--could have been a dominate low post player on offense to match her defensive prowess, but no moves.
Kudos to Stricklin--big game; she is picking up the slack.
Vols68 writes:
GREAT game! I would love to see Massenagle and Simmons get some chemistry going (when Massengale returns.) They have the potential to be the best backcourt in the country. They could really do some damage, with Strick at the 3 and the way she's playing we would be a nightmare. Baugh has got to get physical down there!
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
Probably the best PG in the country is sitting in the bench with a injury and we have her for 4 years. Awesome! Not to mention one if the quickest , smoothiest slashers to the basket just inching to play in Kamiko. We will be ready !
Scouting-
UK has a whole bunch of guards that give teams fits. I have them beating ND.
GA hasn't played anyone
Vandy who?
LSU not yet.
jt45 writes:
Good win for the Lady vols against a quality opponent wich had a big crowd behind them.
Sykes was just too much for manning to handle but she gave it her all and its good to see her getting playing time. It looked bad for a bit but they regained their composure and held on for the win. I hope to see them get better on their inside game soon, they are going to need it down the stretch. I didn't much care for the officiating in this game. Am I the only one who thinks all ESPN annalist want UT to lose ?
AHOUSE writes:
I agree , but only one coach should be doing the talking in the huddle, otherwise it is very confusing to the players.
floravol writes:
ESPN always wants Tennessee to fail. BUT, Coach Summitt signed a deal with them. The worse Tennessee looks and sounds to the nation, the better Connecticut looks and recruits.
Roger41 writes:
Rutgers looked better than an 11th ranked team. A big road.win. Great rebounding with Rutgers crashing the boards with all 5 players at times. Proud of this win tonight. Manning 23 minutes tonight.
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
To me Tennessee still brings the ratings. Even before Pats announcement its always been TN women's basketball because everyone wants to knock them off. Tenn still sets the bar for a lot of programs . There's no one in the country with a harder schedule because Pat fears no one. This stretch is playoff competition with UCLA ,DePaul, Rutgers, and Stanford in that order. This should help with recuiting. They only had 5400 at the garden and like 6000 at RAC . TBA I think averages like 12k so yes we love our women's bball.
xvolx writes:
I've stated in previous post, that Harrison and Bullick should not be in the game at the same time. Too much inexperience. That space of time, a 14 pt lead went to a 6. Way to go meghan. I believe in you.
oldster writes:
This team shows more guts than is necessary. If they played smarter they would find the games somewhat easier. First, quit throwing the ball to air. Second, quit trying to throw passes to a post when they are being played front and back with help in position to get there by the time the pass get there. Third, do not allow Baugh to take more than one bounce on the dribble. Fourth, hit free throws. Fifth, and not the least, hit layups. This team shoots 3 pointers better than wide open, uncontested layups. I once had a team of 12 and under girls that, in practice missed 13 straight layups, throwing the ball, basically, from inside one low box to the other like volleyball. The Lady Vols look like they are trying to match those girls' futility.
oldster writes:
I wonder how much missing two years set Baugh's development back. I really would like to see her at high post and Glory at low. Even though Baugh is the taller, she has a shot from 15 which Glory does not. Further, due to her height, Vicki should be able to see inside pretty well, too. Good high - lows are hard to beat as, if played behind the defender is usually under the basket when the low gets the ball and double teams are almost impossible. It basically forces fronting which, even if a lob is not possible quick passing to the low through a wing when combined with good footwork and positioning, gives pretty good close shots.
butch31 writes:
I said it before and I'll say it again...UT has Rutgers number LOL...Glad the 3's were falling, the Virginia & Baylor games helped a lot! Way to go Lady Vols.
Let's NOT be judgmental about the freshmen, o.k. at least until mid January LOL
oldster writes:
Have you ever tried any of the moves to which you refer with only one well functioning leg? I tried to teach them shortly before having hip surgery. All of these moves require use of both legs. One needs to push off and the other to accept the weight upon landing. I also know, that even after the leg heals, the mind is still shaky for longer. I still cannot show a kid how to do these moves as well as I could before - and I am more than 2 years removed from my surgery. Granted, I am old and was never the athlete that Vicki is. On the other hand, I only had one surgery to one leg. So, I am not sure, by any stretch that her leg issues are the reason for her lack of development on these moves, but they would seem to give her an excuse - if she needed or wanted one.
oldster writes:
I feel your and her pain. I have never found too many one-legged moves. Usually, what I try to do with a post trying to recver their confidence in their knee, is to just have them do the box to box drill and elbow to elbow drill. These do not require a lot of stress on the knees, but involve movement and turning. See how she does with those. Good luck, there is not much one can do with a child than to help them learn and enjoy at the same time.
DroopyDrawers writes:
She will always be the LADY. She carries the banner for the University of Tennessee. Tyler is a great influence on her life. Go Lady Vols!
richvol writes:
Wow...that was a great win against a very tough Rutgers team. UT could have lost that game easily and it looked like they were going to let it slip away in the second half. We couldn't score or pass the ball and then Rutgers went cold.
Baugh hurt the team several times and Simmons hit two big shots but again did not play well. Stricklen needs to play the point until Massengale gets well. Glory is better under the basket than Baugh. The announcer kept saying that Manning was too short to guard Sykes but Manning is 6'1" and no one else could have stopped her great shooting tonight. Sometimes shooters get hot and can't miss.
ps11824 writes:
kazoo, some good points regarding Baugh's game. She plays like she's dadgum 5'4" instead of being the long, lean 6'4" she was pre-injuries. Why the heck she wants to play all bent over, putting the ball on the floor, whe all she need to do is turn and shoot. I do not understand why some coach will not work with her on that...To me, she's still playing CAUTIOUS. I 'spose I understand. It would be nice to have her work with Candace Parker for a while, wouldn't it? Baugh could be a power forward IF she would use what she has, length & strength, but finesse is lacking.
richvol, you're spot on. Sykes was on fire. Griner could not have stopped her last night.
Olster, I enjoy your comments. You've been there-done that. It's obvious in your spot-on posts.
TNINLVF writes:
Send your resume in to the UT Women's Athletic Department. Perhaps they will hire you at the sole coach of the LV basketball team.
underthehill writes:
Simmons got it done at crunch time. TN needs her speed on the floor and that will happen if the turnovers get resolved. Very difficult to defend her. TN seems to be going to the zone more and looks like it's working.
oldster writes:
Thank you. I am certainly glad you enjoy my opinions, but I want to point out that all my basketall playing was recreational. Most of what I know is a result of coaching. I started that in 1981 with a girl's rec team. Since, I have coached girls and boys (once with both on the same team), at rec level, AAU, and a small middle school. It is amazing how much more one can enjoy something by reading, watching videos and going to seminars in order to learn enough to teach young people. On the other hand, it can be frustrating when you see athletes as talented and as well coached as the Lady Vols are continue to do things that you know they should not (e.g. continually give up the baseline for drives completely to the basket).
volboy81 writes:
Great win! I was worried with about 15 minutes left in the game. Stricklin never ceases to amaze me. She is AWESOME! No wonder we got outscored 38-18 in the paint..The refs thought it was an NBA game because they never called walking, which Rutgers did over and over!! We've got to start hitting the easy lay-ups. Must be a spin the girls put on the ball or something...its not just UT, seems like all teams blow way too many easy baskets. Lots of orange there, especially to be in Joisey! VOL fans are there, regardless!!
BEAT THE LEFT COASTERS!!!
GONAVY (Inactive) writes:
Well said...but it is still sad to watch PS fade away.
Jephry writes:
Apparently, you haven't been watching much the past four years... Turnovers and sloppy passes have been a major issue...
Jephry writes:
A good win over a great team. A win is a win, but of course I can still find things upon which our girls can improve. =)
Baugh has said herself that she used to play guard in AAU, and she's comfortable doing it. That said, we don't need her handling the ball. We need her in the post. Turn and shoot. PLEASE, someone, teach her to turn and shoot. Why do Vicki and Glory insist on putting the ball on the floor? They give defenders time to grab elbows and slap the ball!
On missing layups...I really do think there is more contact under there than we know, but there shouldn't be any excuse for missing wide open layups...just a lack of focus.
Sykes was incredible last night - I'm surprised she only got 27. She could have thrown the ball over her shoulder and it would have found the basket. I'm glad RU failed to get her the ball over the last 8 minutes.
Strick - wow. Just...wow. If she can keep up this energy and intensity, she can help carry this team to the Final 4!
Glory - I felt bad for her last night. She couldn't blink her eyes without getting called for a foul. That has GOT to be frustrating for her.
Meighan - I'm glad she has confidence in herself. Her passing is suspect, but it worked out.
Taber - She brings more to the floor than just shooting. Her hustle plays are admirable, and her drives work most of the time. She got out of more than one tight spot last night and made some smart plays. I just hope she finds her shot again soon.
Manning - I still love her fight. She, too, can make some very pretty moves to the basket. I love how aggressively she plays on both ends of the court.
Burdick and Harrison - As they keep working, it'll come.
I would have liked to have seen Brianna Bass play a bit at the point last night. We needed some speed during that lull, and she could have brought it.
At any rate, now the girls can prepare for UCLA and Stanford. Our defense can stifle Stanford's offense. I think the pressure will work against them. Let's beat UCLA handily and then put a stop to Stanford's silly little home winning streak!
Go Lady Vols! Keep working and keep winning!
SoddyVol writes:
untimed_vols_ghost, I fully agree with your point about contact. I don't believe any rule changes could help. It's always going to be a judgement call but the ref should be able to see the play better than they seem to do. I just hope for calls to even out during the game.
orangecountyvols writes:
Untimed, and Jephry,
Very nice comments on your parts.
The men are laboring with what the girls had to endure before Massengale arrived. They don't have a true point guard and it shows.
Yes, I would have liked to have seen Brianna Bass for even just a few minutes........with her speed.
I would also like to say Glory has a much nicer free throw technique this year. Used to be it was a quick shot like a deer in the headlights
look, hoping it would go in. She seems much more confident now.
Shekinna? That girl has the heart and I'm glad she's on our side. These seniors are scrapping and that will overcome a lot of the turnovers.........I hope so at least.
KennyGVolsFan writes:
I don't disagree but if you are going to call people out, make sure you know their names!! It's Burdick, not bullick!! However, they will likely be starters next year. Let's get them some playing time and prepare them for what is to come!! We won and that is all that matters. Simmons showed up when it mattered and that's all that really matters.
Burdick needs to work on her 16 ft jump shot. I know it's smooth in practice but she has to be able to hit her favorite shot in the game!!
I don't believe our posts had good games. If we can get all of our players to click at the same time we will be extremely dangerous!! Glory and Baugh should have had doubles as well!!
frblalack writes:
GREAT GAME LADY VOLS!!! It was quite enjoyable to watch the team play with some heart - really dig in when they got behind. Shekinna played like the All-American that she is!!! What a performance!
Very thankful that Simmons was able to make those "rainmakers". Obviously her potential is incredible. Loved the spin move by Alicia when the game was very close; Taber once again showed her grit. Despite the ticky-tacky fouls, Glory Johnson is an AWESOME presence on the court.
Very proud of our entire team!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Good win for the Lady Vols. Agree with most comments on here. The one thing that I haven't seen is about Spani. She has a sweet 3, but when they don't go in, she needs to follow her shot to the paint for rebound attempts. I noticed ever time she shoots, once the ball is in the air, she starts running backwards to the other end. Has anyone else noticed this? It is quite obvious. Follow your shot Spani and all will be well. GLV!! Time for 9!!
camvols writes:
Most likely on a three ball the shooter gets back on defense while the other 4 crash for offensive rebounds. I have noticed the same thing and that is unusual for her, she usually goes after every rebound.
D60 writes:
Holly sure can chew some butt
oldster writes:
Falling back on defense after shooting a 3 from the top of the arc makes sense as the shooter is probably the player on her team closest to her defensive hoop and, therefore, in a better postition to stop run outs. However, not following your shots from the baseline or even the wings does not make any sense that I can see.
volcraze writes:
Thank you so much 98! "Tired" was not the word I was going to use. The words I was going to use would have had my comment removed. Since you said it best I will quote you, "Pat is a teacher. She is teaching for her life, for her health and for the well-being of her team and staff right now. She's brilliant, even now.
..."
johnlg00 writes:
I agree about the zone. The LVs are generally not quick enough on the perimeter to contain the dribble drive. Simmons probably is quick enough, but she is not focused on fundamental defense. The zone requires a lot of work to get all the players paying attention to the same things and moving together. Still, with long-armed players like Baugh, Johnson, Stricklen, Burdick, and Harrison, the LVs ought to be able to completely seal off the middle. Of course, that bunch will never be on the court at the same time, but that just shows how many players they have that can make that kind of defense work.
johnlg00 writes:
I've seen enough of your posts to know that you could add a considerable number of fundamental mistakes beyond your point about giving up the baseline. It must drive "old-school" coaches like the LV staff crazy trying to remind these phenomenal athletes of the most basic aspects of the game as they learned it. I know it drives me crazy watching it!
johnlg00 writes:
I think this bit about missing layups is more due to the fact that SO MANY players these days just try to shoot the ball juuuust hard enough to go in without using the backboard. Then when they get contact under the bucket, which they always will, they inevitably "short-arm" the ball. There is no margin for error on shots like that. If they were shooting to put the ball high up on the backboard, they might get more of them there even when they DO draw contact.
johnlg00 writes:
Lots of specialist shooting coaches say an outside shooter should see the ball go into the basket so as not to "give up" on the shot too soon. It is true that the shooter usually has the best sense of whether a shot is long, short, or off line, but I would rather have him/her shout, "Short right" or whatever than to think too much about following his/her own shot. The point about the shooter being the furthest away and thus being responsible for floor balance on defense is also well taken.
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