AUBURN, Ala. – Vicki Baugh pulled off a feat she’d rather forget Sunday afternoon.
When Tennessee’s forward shed her warm-up top to enter Sunday’s women’s basketball game against Auburn, her jersey came off, too.
“I was a little too eager, I guess,’’ she said. “At least I had my undershirt under it.”
Baugh’s teammates were still laughing about her wardrobe malfunction after a 73-53 SEC victory over Auburn. Baugh also was laughing, since the day turned out to be memorable for much better reasons.
She played seven second-half minutes and scored nine points, her most points since scoring 11 against Oklahoma on Feb. 2, 2009 — a game in which she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee for the second time.
The 6-foot-4 redshirt junior’s performance before a crowd of 7,536 at Auburn Arena made No. 5 Tennessee (19-2, 7-0 SEC) look even bigger and more imposing, as if that was necessary. After all forward Shekinna Stricklen scored a game-high 18 points, forward Glory Johnson recorded her fifth double-double of the season (16 points, 13 rebounds) and center Kelley Cain grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots.
“They’re big; they can really get big on you,’’ Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “It’s hard to see over them and around them.”
On this day, the Lady Vols also were sufficiently aggressive, particularly on defense. They held Auburn (12-8, 5-2) to one field goal during the final 8 ½ minutes of the first half, turning a five-point lead into a 34-19 advantage at halftime.
Led by Morgan Toles and Alli Smalley, who each scored 13 points, the Tigers cut a 20-point deficit to 46-35 with 13:40 left. UT then made another defensive end, holding Auburn to one field goal for nearly three minutes.
Overall, Tennessee had 12 steals and held Auburn to 34.3 percent field goal shooting (23 for 67). It was the ninth straight opponent that failed to reach 40 percent accuracy against UT.
“I thought we had our hands up and got a lot of tips,’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said. “That’s where you have to be aggressive.”
The Lady Vols’ size and depth buoyed their defense. Alyssia Brewer, a 6-3 junior forward, saw her first action since Jan. 2 at LSU and played an active part in a switching man-to-man alignment that blanketed Auburn to end the first half.
“It’s hard to play against a switching man defense, especially when everyone looks the same as far as their size,’’ Fortner said. “It made it very difficult for us to find shots.”
Baugh’s points didn’t amount to window dressing her first basket, off a rebound, stopped Auburn’s second-half scoring surge. She followed with three free throws within the next three minutes. Her layup off a foul-lane cut restored Tennessee’s lead to 58-42 with 7:47 left.
“I think I was very confident,’’ said Baugh, who is wearing a new knee brace. “I don’t remember thinking about my knee at all. I didn’t feel anything jumping. This is really going to help as far as a confidence builder.”
Tennessee’s dominance in the post allowed for some discretion on Johnson’s part. She resisted the urge to attempt a dunk on a late breakaway, opting instead for a layup.
“I didn’t know how happy Pat was at the time,’’ Johnson said. “Coming in from the right side I wasn’t too confident. I knew that a layup’s a layup and when I make it Pat will be happy. If I dunk I might miss Pat might not be too happy.”
Tennessee’s post game also helped minimized 19 turnovers (12 in the second half) and a quiet day from the backcourt. Freshman point guard Meighan Simmons had her worst day with five points on 1- for-8 shooting and four turnovers. Angie Bjorklund scored seven, her lone 3-pointer moved her into third place in SEC history with 283.
Some of these numbers were impacted by UT emptying its bench, beginning with about five minutes left. Other than Stricklen’s 33 playing minutes, no Lady Vol played more than Johnson’s 26.
“We weren’t always as efficient as the coaches would like,’’ Summitt said, “… but I thought we really bought in to what we had to do from the standpoint of rebounding the basketball and playing great defense.”
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Comments » 48
huntined#565710 writes:
Can't say much about a 20 point win in the sec and on the road. But Simmons was way off today and looked like a freshman and Cain missed a bunch of easy shots but it was a win and a big one at that.
mogreer_tn#213464 writes:
Don't be fooled by the 20 point margin; this was ugly, bad and very sloppy for the majority of the game.
I don't know where Megan was but it was in Auburn; poor decisions from players and coaches.
Vol72 writes:
Good Game Lady Vols! I think the effort was way better than from the South Carolina game. Kamiko Williams did an excellent job in becoming the floor general. Meighan Simmons needs to play with more focus. She has the effort and intensity, but her playmaking decisions can hurt sometimes. Glory Johnson was great. I thought the fast break she was going to throw it down! Kelley Cain played well, but needs to be more alert with her passing and please learn how to use the backboard. She missed some easy lay-ups. Shekinna Stricklen played really good. I believe the talk with Holdsclaw really helped her confidence and gave her insight on her game. Vicki Baugh looked really well. Once she gets into game shape, the Lady Vols could be very dangerous. If Brewer gets back to the SEC Tourney MVP playing ability, this team could win the NC. Taber Spani also played more aggressive with stealing the ball and frustrating Ali Smalley. She also hit a couple of big 3s and had drives to the basket. Overall great team effort. I just wish they would play with this great effort and intensity every game.
secballer writes:
what are you folks whining about now? A 20 pt win, and you want more. Remember this is a TEAM game. When 1 fails to have a good day, another takes over. Have you people ever played at this level? I assume not!! The title is not an appropriate one either. They made mistakes, but won the game, and are UNBEATEN in the SEC.
voloffaith writes:
You are right title is misleading...kinda...yet Auburn tigerettes did claw it back to within 9 b4 we pulled away again. So title not too bad. Besides the title is there to make you and me want to read article right?
SummittsCourt writes:
Biggest thrill was seeing Vickie Baugh and Alyssa Brewer playing well in limited minutes. Get these two back playing quality minutes in March and the Lady Vols will be unbeatable.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Agree! We also need to get our TO's under control...way too many lately!
UTbassdrummer writes:
Yep. Led by 15 at half and won by 20.
Winning is only good enough when we're
losing. TN fans live up to their reputation
as unpleasable.
PUL4VOLS writes:
What a scare holding off the opponent and winning by 20. I know, I know they cut it down to 9. When I see the words held off I think in terms of winning by 5 or 6 tops. Go Lady Vols!
manoffewwords writes:
Auburn is a very good well coached team . I can't find much to critize THE Lady Vols today. Defence and rebounding great. Everyone played today. I don't think it was ever close even when Auburn cut it to nine.
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
This game was better played than the South Carolina game. Kamiko made some good passes when she penetrated and dropped it to the post player. Kelly did a good job passing out of the double team finding the open player under the basket. I hope she continues that because that player is open most of the time. I can't be more proud of Vicki. It was great to see her have a pretty good game. I hope this is the game that builds her confidence and brings her back to the Vicki that I know she can be. Slowly but surely, Vicki is coming! I just feel it! Stricklen keeps this up, Tennessee will be hard to defend. But she has to be this type of player in every game. Stricklen has the skills to have this type of game, every game. It's up to her! Glory is giving her all whether coming off the bench or starting. I appreciate that! I would not trade Glory for anything in the world.
abnerPeabody writes:
No,and neither have you .
huntined#565710 writes:
Dang just watched DUKE come back and win and they were down18 points
secballer writes:
No, I have not. BUT, I can tell when our Team is going all out and bringing home a win. That is what I am happy and talking about
Ga_Dave writes:
HI EVERYBODY. I just got home from the game. I was there in a mid-court seat. First, about the NEW ARENA. Compared to TBA, its a dump. Good views but sub par sound and the lights kept dimming, very distracting. Now for the game, I yelled my self silly. Proud of the LV's, I know Simmons was down, but I believe Nell Fortner put in a defense to keep a freshman from beating them. Of course, this just made Glory and Strickland open. We did miss too many lay-ups and I didn't think Angie was ever going to find her range - I saw it in pre-game warm ups. I was impressed with AU's #5 & 14, sorry I don't know their names and told #5 after the game. I also thought Glory was going to dunk it!! Got Pat's autograph and even got the chance to talk to Ms. Hazel(her mom), what a charmer. Well have talked enough - GBO & GLV
Orangeblood13 writes:
Win by 20 and you guys are disecting that?
Gee whiz
ps11824 writes:
Way to get a road game against Nell Fortner, play ugly and keep fighting. Pat was pleased. I'm pleased.
adimatteo#261830 writes:
great job, lots of spoiled fans here tonight.
These girls kill themselves,win by 20, and complaints.
Im thrilled for them, keep it up
rogatl2002#222395 writes:
Great game. This team needs to press all the time. We have the speed, length and depth. We can run teams ragged and our ladies thrive in the open court. Pat's teams always struggle in the half court but really know how to run the break.
BigOrangeFan33 writes:
A much better game than against SC, but still room for improvement. Yes, I am not satisfied but it has nothing to do with the point differential or the win-loss outcome. It has to do with wanting this team to be playing at a championship level, a level they seem to be capable of and have shown flashes of, but haven't been able to achieve consistently. They aren't there yet, although they were much closer today than some other days. This team has the potential to win an NC but
everyone who watches and objectively analyzes their play constantly sees the same shortcomings. Consistency of effort, attention to fundamental skills, and playing smart are things this team must have to win it all.
Players will sometimes have bad shooting games - that I can live with. I can live with occasional bad shots.
Defense and rebounding can overcome that when the shooting touch isn't there. That has always been the reason
for CPS' focus on those parts of the game. What I find frustrating is the apparent lack of ability to make good passes and the lack of touch around the basket from some of our post players, appalling free throw percentages, and often an apparent lack of offensive game plan.
The posts on this site mention it over and over. We telegraph passes, wait too long to make them, have never
heard of a fake pass or looking one way and coming back quickly to the post target. It's hard enough to get the
bigs to work hard for position, but often when they do get it the wings/guards don't get the ball to them. Other times they are making impossible passes that should never have been attempted. Around the basket our posts often look as though the objective is just to get the ball out of their hands in the general direction of the goal - no touch at all. Our posts leave a lot points at the foul line and this will hurt us against top competition if it doesn't improve.
But these general criticisms are born of love for our Lady Vols and a genuine interest in seeing them
improve and peak at tournament time.
Lately I have been encouraged by GJ's play - I think she is getting better around the basket. The interior passing today was pretty good and paid off. I think Kelly's offensive game is regressing which makes it even
more important for Vicki and Lyssi to contribute. When we have a distinct height advantage we should look better - what will they do against Griner? Strick, Glory, Vicki, Kamiko, Taber all looked good today. We didn't over dribble. Defensive intensity was good.
Keep improving ladies - you are close.
jcvol#215939 writes:
Enjoyable game to watch in person. Was never really in doubt but felt like a much closer game.
Auburn's new arena is top notch .. very intimate setting and if their men or women get some momentum in the next few years, this could be a tough place to play with a full house.
xvolx writes:
Liked the way Baugh looked physically. She moved with confidence. That's good to see.
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
Great game! Strick is playing comfortable now I think , Glory power and energy , Cain Def threat, Baugh getting back , Lyssi will get back. Guards just keep shooting they will fall. Great game.
Nice to see the trolls gone for now. I try not to mention other teams to much but did some fan scouting and I believe if we stay the course our ladies will get that 1 seed. I see a couple of upsets brewing in the Big East.
xvolx writes:
I'm glad someone noticed LV's should be playing man to man switch besides Pink and myself.
richvol writes:
Insightful post and I agree with all of it.
Why complain when we win by 20? It's one thing to miss layups when you are ahead by 20 but what about a close game when every possession counts. We can't afford to miss those shots and make bad passes when,and if,we play UConn,Baylor,Stanford or Duke in the tourney. Have some foresight to see that this type of play won't work... AND if Cain doesn't get any better than now then why does anyone expect the result to be any different against Baylor and Griner than it has been the two times they beat us?
I don't want to complain and I'm glad we are winning but Auburn,Alabama and some of these other teams we are playing are NOT Baylor or the other great teams. We won't be beating them by 20 and playing this sloppy.
volfan2002 writes:
I don't worry about what we win by as long as we play the defense we played quite a bit of this game. We only shot 43 percent and won by 20 that says your really playing great defense.
ps11824 writes:
BigOrangeFan33 writes: ... What I find frustrating is the apparent lack of ability to make good passes and the lack of touch around the basket from some of our post players, appalling free throw percentages, and often an apparent lack of offensive game plan....]]]
I agree with this, except 'the lack of offensive game plan.' I think ball security, the lack of, is the reason the offensive game plan fails. It's difficult to get into the offensive set when the opponent is taking the live ball turnovers, and we are constantly having to adjust defense on dead ball turnovers. WE HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE of possessions. We will not win a championship until we learn to value the basketball.
BigOrangeFan3, those crazy shots thrown in the direction of the basket: worthless possession. Those telegraphed passes: worthless possession. Every time we look indecisive, walk, carry the ball, get tied up, commit an unnecessary foul, we disrespect the basketball. I could never be a coach, but I would insist on the players who have more than 1 turnover per game, carry the basketball with her everywhere she goes until the next game. Then I would ask, "did you let go of that ball during that time?" if so, bench her for that game : (
orangecountyvols writes:
Vol fans,
I see where some of you are coming from about the turnovers. However..............aside from the obvious careless ones, let's for once give the opponent just a little bit of credit. They actually play some good defense themselves from time to time....thus causing some of our turnovers. It's not all about robots playing the game, we make mistakes and the other people make em' too. It's easy for you and me to analize from the living room..........it's a fast paced game and the best teams will make mistakes, not just Tennessee.
Finally, we might have bought into Adams' theory that we're supposed to beat everyone by 50 points or more.
That is wishful thinking. When we run into a tight game, that's when our girls have to hunker down and play like a championship team.
Opponent alert.............IMO the radar shows Georgia to be probably the most dangerous future SEC foe, possibly U K.
volboy81 writes:
we are a force with all our players healthy and playing. Everyones going to have an off night. Simmons was yesterday, but she seemed to be more aggressive on D. When is Kelly going to learn how to shoot a layup? SOOOO frustrating!! But good win. Beat MSU on Thursday!
GO LADY VOLS!!!
ps11824 writes:
orangecountyvols, you are right too, about fans going to extremes, nonetheless, turnovers=points for our opponents is not a good thing. I don't expect a game w/o TOs. I would like to see us hold our share to single digit status. Would that be an unrealistic expection? I think not. I think our coaching staff would agree.
A quality opponent will pick your pocket occasionally. They will frustrate you to the point of slinging a pass OOB, or getting tied up, but those things should not happen repeatedly in a single game. Coaches would not allow you to repeat such error w/o chewing you a new plan.
If we pile up turnovers at the rate we have in some games against unranked opponents, it shows a lack of focus, heart and desire, IMHO.
I love the Lady Vols. I want them to play like champions. I can't like sloppy play.
johnlg00 writes:
I agree. That was by FAR the most positive development in this game. The turnovers remain worrisome, but they seem to be a problem for almost every team in almost every game. It may be that the elite players have mainly been scorers for their whole careers and are more accustomed to catching passes than throwing them. Poor passes are hard to catch even for such players. Players who specialize in passing--i.e., the ones who set up the big scorers--are too often overlooked in the all-star lists and recruiting services. They often wind up at lower-tier programs, which helps the "unknowns" compete occasionally with the "big girls".
patsvolsrgr8 writes:
every game is different and makes it exciting to watch these girls. i was very happy to see baugh out there and play so freely....she looked good which is a good sign for us. kamiko did a super job too i thought. simmons was off and thought she should've sat a little more....i love watching her but she was just off today. i wish a-town would get more minutes, she helps us out a lot as well. it was good to see brewer out there as well; but can tell she has a ways to go to be in game shape; keep up the hard work. strick and johnson were solid again; which is what this team needs as well as cain. all cylinders will be running come march madness time.
martinvol34 writes:
You didn't watch the game did you. As ugly, bad and sloppy as you thought it was, it was great to see (at a cost of chemistry) all the players get some time on the court. Megan is a Freshman. It's that wall time for Freshmen. She'll be fine. And who are you to question these coaches decisions? How many national championships do you have? Exactly.
ps11824 writes:
mogreer, I knew you were gonna catch some heat when I read your post. I haven't noticed you on here much, but you my want to use a little finesse when you talk about the ladies. There's some sensitive regular readers on here, including myself : }
You probably were not intentionally being harsh, were you?
Valoisvol writes:
Kelley Cain always misses easy lay-ups. She would be a bench warmer on my team.
BBhoops writes:
I agree with you Valoisval. A big girl 6'6 shouldn't miss any lay-up during a game. I honest don't see these girls winning the sec championship or making it to the sweet sixteen. I see an average team with a big name.
joeh writes:
Now here is what one would call a dominant girls basketball team!
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/bl...
richvol writes:
On the face of it,it really does seem ridiculous to complain about a team that wins by 20 and is so highly ranked. However,we want to see Tennessee get back to winning championships and it takes a game that is much closer to the level of perfection than the LadyVols are currently playing.
No one is going to achieve perfection but the constant striving for it has been a trademark for Pat Summitt since she picked up a basketball. I believe that our criticisms are motivated by the desire to help us achieve that status once again...I know mine is. If one is a troll that's one thing but the vast majority of us are huge LadyVol fans and only want what's best for the team and the girls.
Angie,in the previous game,turned the ball over four straight times and in the Auburn game Meighan turned it over three or four straight times...that's unacceptable just like Cain missing so many layups. I would not accept that in my business nor should Pat in a game. We need offensive precision.
Jephry writes:
Do you really think all of Kelley's shots are "easy lay-ups?" I wonder how much hacking, clawing, pulling, tugging, pushing, etc. we DO NOT see during these games because our eyes are on the ball...
On another note:
Dear Lyssi Brewer,
You are not a guard. Stop dribbling. Glad you're back on the court. That is all.
jephry
Go Lady Vols!!!
ps11824 writes:
Valoisvol & BBhoops, you two go get you a team to coach and see how you do.
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
Vicki I feel your anxiety! To shed the jersey, you were more anxious than I, to see you finally take the court. I imagine that blunder with the jersey was funny!
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
You don't know how much I love that defense, epecially against a good shooting team. With the makeup of our team, there is no reason why they should not sit in that defense.
kazoo writes:
Memo to Summitt: If Baugh can play, then play her. How long are we going to continue with the 2 minutes, 4 minutes, O minutes, 4 minutes, 9 minutes of PT. Play the girl and see if she can handle it. She needs to get winded, get fit, develop chemistry with teammates--and the team needs her. With so little playing time it's not going to happen! For chrissake, if the knee is not healthy now, it's not going to be. For Baugh, IMO, it is go time or no time. She is not going to help playing two minutes a game when the Vols are playing Baylor in the big dance.
Fall_Creek_Vols writes:
Easy to call from the armchair. I mean, after all...it's not YOUR knee, is it?
Welcome back, Vicki. Your hard work and dedication are inspiring.
Jephry writes:
I was impressed with Vicki. She has some kinks to work out, but that's absolutely to be expected. Her "want to" is awesome. You can see it in the way she played...she WANTS to win. Given playing time, confidence and experience, she could be a superstar...for her sake, I hope she gets the chance.
Go Lady Vols!!!
johnlg00 writes:
Maybe she is playing all she is fit for right now. I would rather continue to bring her along slowly, gradually increasing her minutes until they can be sure she can go all out without risking further injury. If she is a regular in the rotation and able to play 20 productive minutes a game by the last couple of weeks of the season, everything will be fine. After all, she hasn't played in nearly two full seasons and has had at least two operations in that time. It isn't like she is getting over a mild ankle sprain. I agree that it is important to find out what the team can expect from her, but the last two weeks of the regular season is soon enough to learn that, IMHO.
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
IM happy for Baugh. Lets not get too tied up in minutes played. Pat knows when to put certain players on the floor in different situations. They are the deepest team in WCBB.We have four post players that are capable of 10+pt/10+rb if there are in there for 25-30+ mins. But coach knows each players strengths and uses that.
xvolx writes:
I like the defense except when Cain is playing. She doesn't have knees or back to run the man to man switch or standard man. A match up zone is probably her best defense. Don't care much for the zone press because that puts Cain in position for foul trouble.
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