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Saul Young/News Sentinel Tennessee's Meighan Simmons throws up a shot against Middle Tennessee State during the Lady Vols' 82-43 win at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday.
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The math just didn't figure Tuesday night.
Tennessee had just one fewer turnover at halftime than Middle Tennessee State. Yet the Lady Vols had a 10-point advantage in points off turnovers and a 24-point lead.
All giveaways aren't created equal. In this case, the same could be said for the two teams, especially with Tennessee intent on ending a two-game losing streak.
The Lady Vols' defense ignited their play like a match to kindling and they raced to an 82-43 women's basketball victory before an announced crowd of 11,861 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Tennessee came ready to play,'' MTSU coach Rick Insell said. "They're very athletic, very long. They're more athletic (than us) at every position."
Freshmen Ariel Massengale and Cierra Burdick led No. 8 Tennessee (3-2) with 14 points apiece. Burdick also grabbed 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Shekinna Stricklen added 12 points. More importantly, she was a conspicuous trendsetter on defense. She took her defensive assignment of guarding MTSU top scorer Kortni Jones so seriously that she ended up in the front row of seats when lunging for an early deflection.
"We played with high energy and it came from the players,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "They challenged each other to come into the game with lots of high energy and it's obvious they did that."
Middle Tennessee State (4-3), meanwhile, had just two double-figure scorers and shot 23.8 percent from the floor (15 for 63). Jones, the former Oak Ridge High standout, scored a game-high 16 points, but she shot 6-for-25 from the floor.
The Lady Vols flaunted their strength in numbers. Every player contributed to a 53-30 rebounding advantage and five reserves combined for a 37-4 edge in bench scoring.
UT's overwhelming production was more than enough to overshadow Meighan Simmons' 0-for-7 shooting from the floor.
As for the turnovers, they crested at 21, just one fewer than MTSU's. No matter, they didn't diminish UT associate head coach Holly Warlick's glowing postgame assessment.
"When your whole team contributes,'' she said, "that's a great sign for us."
Massengale and Burdick contributed like never before. Massengale's points added up to a career high. Her 6-for-9 shooting from the floor was a vast improvement over her 2-for-16 the past two games.
She helped her cause by getting to the rim. She converted three layups during an early four-basket flurry that was fueled entirely by turnovers. In the end, her only non-layup was a 3-pointer on a kick-out pass from Glory Johnson.
"I wasn't settling for the outside jump shot, but attacking the basket and getting easy buckets,'' Massengale said.
Along with her scoring, Massengale had five assists, two steals and zero turnovers.
"I thought Ariel was the most aggressive she's been all year,'' Warlick said.
The inspiration for Burdick's night originated in a post-practice discussion on Monday with Warlick and fellow UT assistant Dean Lockwood about Burdick's dwindling minutes. They encouraged her to think defense first.
The rest followed.
"It was definitely needed, just for confidence,'' Burdick said of her performance. "Lately, I haven't been playing to my fullest potential. I haven't been showing the coaches what I need to show them in practice.
"I'm just thankful that they gave me the opportunity, and I guess you could say I got a little lucky because preparation meant opportunity."
UT's 48-24 halftime lead erased any doubt about the outcome but didn't preclude further drama.
A second-half rebound struggle between Tennessee's Isabelle Harrison and MTSU's Janay Brinkley turned feisty and resulted in three technical fouls. Two were called on the Lady Vols. UT's Vicki Baugh got the extra one for rushing in to play peacemaker.
"It's two kids being aggressive and going for ball,'' Warlick said, "and that happens."
Dan Fleser may be reached at 865-342-6288. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FleserKNS and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/fleser
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Comments » 30
wigmeister writes:
They looked good, as they should against MTSU. Still do not have that drive for a whole game they will need against the better opponents, starting with Texas coming this weekend. Long range shooting not consistent. Play out of control too often. Very low arcs on foul shots. Getting better, moving forward.
ACWLY writes:
GOOD: Massengale made layups and shots in the paint look easy, the only consistent LV. Spurts of great play especially on the defense side. Good game to feed off of when going against Texas this weekend.
BAD: Not a great performance against a lesser team. Way to many turnovers, lot of missed shots in the paint, unimpressive second half.
Not a great game for UT but hopefully a game that leads to better play in the future. LADY VOLS always learning, always trying, always giving the fans something to be proud about!
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
About as expected.............with only 2 days removed from playing an emotional, and tough game against the no. 1 team in the nation. So if it was not perfect, nevertheless a win by a nice margin, once they got into the flow of the game.
The Texas game will be very interesting, a team that blew out Virginia...........which was our first loss of the season. Once the young players
get more and more comfortable with what they are asked to do.......the Lady Vols will be better.
jt45 writes:
Good defense and some good scoring by the bench.
Overall I think they played well except for rushing some of their shots.The next few games will be quite a test for them. Good luck
Lady Volunteers, time to turn it up a notch.
la_Madrina writes:
The bench was used a lot tonight! Might explain why play was somewhat out of control a bit!
BxVol writes:
In the second half while watching the game on tv, Meighen missed a layup which looked to me like she took her eyes off the basket at the last second.I`m going to guess this is a major cause for her being in her slump.I play a lot of tennis, and when I start missing shots it`s more often than not, that I take my eye off the ball to soon.Larry Bird always talked about keeping both eyes on the goal thru the release.I noticed many times our Lady Vols seem to want to get the ball up quickly when the are close to the basket, but don`t seem to pick out a target to shoot for. Keep the faith Meighen, work hard, and I expect you will start scoring like you are capable of.I have seen a couple of games this year, and really like our freshmen.Thought Burdick was great tonite.If our Lady Vols learn from the Baylor game I truly believe we have a shot at the National Championship!
la_Madrina writes:
Ariel looked good tonight! I hope this is the game that gets her through her slump! Still waiting on Simmons to work through her slump. Burdick looked pretty good! Shekinna is playing like the player I knew she could be. Good for her! Nice tuneup game until Sunday! Go lady vols!
dwa7#337691 writes:
early predict:
Lady Vols 72
Texans Girls 68
Vols68 writes:
Pretty good game, sloppy in the 2nd half... Manning and Burdick got some GREAT minutes this game... Texas is a GREAT team! They have some good guards and 6'4 Cokie Reed! Gonna be interesting in the paint.. Baugh has GOT to stay out of foul trouble.. If we play like we did against baylor, we most definately win this game..... I love having these hard tests! And it wont get any easier.. But this team will continue to get better, and learn about themselves, which is a good thing.. Because when you play CUPCAKES you have the tendency to think you are better than what you really are....
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
All of you above..............excellent analysis.
butch31 writes:
My goodness ITS COLD LOL...I am so happy Cierra played tonite, I am so glad that Alicia played tonite, I am delighted that Bri played tonite. I hope the coach's decide to play everyone from here on out. We looked much better offensively tonite. The rebounding was good. I feel Meighan is slumping, and needs to get in more time shooting, so she can get hot, and start making shots. I'm not sure why she's slumping, but she has to get in a better place mentally. Meighan is too talented to slump 3 games in a row. Spani played much better today, she needs to rest her knee tho. Stricklen & Johnson did well, Glory, needed 1 more point, and one more rebound to get that double double LOL The next five games against Texas, Depaul, Rutgers, Ucla & Stanford will really let us know if we're a final 4 caliber type of team. This will be a tough stretch. Lady Vols will get that championship this year. Sorry Coach Mulkey, but that was NOT the Lady Vols best shot...29% from the field is NOT a best shot.
butch31 writes:
We're the 6th man...The coach's and Lady Vols read this stuff...it will only make them better.
xvolx writes:
Whoever is coaching Baugh and Johnson to dribble the length of the floor, should be fired. It's ugly and is going to cost Baugh an injury. Too much individualism on this team. No chemistry.
SummittsCourt writes:
Some people just have to be critical they just can't help it, even after a 39 point win. Some people just have to point out the wrongs.
ps11824 writes:
xvolx writes:
Whoever is coaching Baugh and Johnson to dribble the length of the floor, should be fired. It's ugly and is going to cost Baugh an injury. ]]]
Mark this! I have to agree, in part, with xvolx. There is no reason for these 2 to be handling the ball full court. Baugh usually takes herself right into a charge. She needs to, IMO, get the ball to a guard then get herself down court and set up under the basket. Same goes for GJ. They are setting themselves up for trouble when they should be getting back to take the pass.
Baugh looks terribly awkward, hurried, out of control. Last night she slung the ball in the direction of the backboard and hit the bottom of the rim, when all she had to do was put the ball in the basket. Why oh why do they not work with her on her shooting technique? She could be such a weapon down there.
The technical fouls, please, give me a break. Baugh was simply trying to be a leader.
I was not happy with the play last night. They should have buried Middle. I'm hoping they will calm down and play with their heads. Just too many unforced turnovers and too many missed shots. xvolx calls it individualism, I don't know, perhaps. For sure they are not jelling.
As for Meigan. It seems to be in her head. She missed point blanks and layups. Do they utilize specialists? They might consider doing so.
Nevertheless, I wish they could get in the groove.
SoddyVol writes:
At least Simmons made free throws. Otherwise, another big ZERO even on layups. I fully agree with 98reax, it's in Simmons head. Maybe she fails to totally concentrate on the ball going into the basket when she shoots. She should try to get an open shot, then just ignore having a defender while shooting and concentrate on the basket. Because of farm work, I didn't get to play much in High School, but when I did my FG % was great. (Many years ago).
volboy81 writes:
Fun game to watch! Keep that intensity that youve had over the last 2 games ladies, and we will go far into March.....and April.
SEE YOU IN DENVER!
kazoo writes:
Actually, I think Massengale can be a scorer in addition to running the team and distributing the basketball. She has a nice jump-shot technique--better than Simmons, whose form is awkward--and generally takes good shots. Also, she's got the size and inclination to take the ball to the basket, which is wonderful. As long as she gets some rest during games, she should be good. Simmons needs to settle: Take good shots when they are there, don't rush--and shoot with confidence.
nhaaga writes:
a lil sloppy. tighten it up!
:) good job girls. keep working, keep improving. stay confident. and stay together!
shekinna, keep playing to your potential. meighan, get extra shots up as much as possible. your shot will start to fall. vicki, enough with the fouls! :-l really. we need you in the game!!! glory. dunk that thing! your athleticism is STILL unbelievable. good job freshies!
nhaaga writes:
i'm a little disturbed by some of the unwarranted negativity on the boards.
confidence IS an issue. listen to the girls comments. burdick, simmons, massengale... several of them have mentioned waning confidence being a reason they struggled at different points. and, many of us have probably experienced that as well.
the foe in your head can be very apt at convincing you that you don't have the tools necessary to finish the task at hand. in fact, this is often the most difficult of opponents to defeat. as we have all know, the negative doubtful voice in your mind is often far from correct. however, the FEAR that it instills, will often cause you to perform well below your actual potential and abilities.
these girls, the seniors in particular, have had a few years of performing below expectations. they have said themselves that they often have to battle negative energy on the floor while playing. there is a lot on their shoulders, and a lot on the shoulders of the coaching staff as well.
i think we can all do a little better at creating an environment conducive to winning and developing mental toughness for them. yes, even the fans. our boards are often so negatively toned. we don't always behave like we are nurturing champions. in fact, sometimes, from comments, you would think our team was TERRIBLE. not the case at all. rally around our beloved lady vols. positive energy!!!
i am by no means saying that we shouldn't voice our frustrations or our concerns. even our dissapointments. but, i don't think that should be the overwhelming energy of the boards, the gym, the lady vol fan base. especially when we WIN.
be critical. but, be balanced and fair. be positive, when it is deserved!! how do you help build confidence?? certainly not with negativity and pessimism.
i hate to bring uconn into this, because lord knows i am not a fan of that team lol. but, one thing about those girls. they BELIEVE they can win. they believe they are better. and they play like it. no, you won't win just because you put on a TN or UCONN uniform. but, do not underestimate the value of confidence or lack thereof!!!
nhaaga writes:
bobbit WAS pretty small though. :)
kidding.
because her toughness certainly wasn't (small).
you're right. at least they have die hard followers.
i just don't care for all of the, omg we're not even going to make it beyond sweet 16, this team is overrated, blah blah blah. this is not a terrible team!
AllforTenn writes:
Fatwood kindling is the first step and only step - no paper. Just so you will know!
frblalack writes:
Glad to see Alicia get back on the court. She puts the T in teamwork. Obviously she was a little rusty from spending so much time on the bench. When are the coaches going to WAKE UP and build this team by playing "team players" instead of individuals i.e. Simmons only playing for themselves?
Baugh, Stricklen, Johnson, Spani, and Massengale/Manning should be the first six! I like what I'm seeing from Burdick and Harrison as well. Simmons will be a force WHEN she matures.
Go Lady Vols!
Theo writes:
Love this team, Simmons will be fine. She seems like a little bit of an A personality to me and she is going 1000 rpm right now.
The freshmen are better than I had hoped - I know they'll be up and down this year due to their age but more up than down and hopefully strong in Mar/Apr
A quick question - has anyone seen anything about Mercedes Russell's recruiting? Nothing new on Hoop Gurlz.
la_Madrina writes:
Ahhhhhh! Back to the basket post players! I long for the days when they actually played like that. It is very few that actually do that in the game these days, college level and WNBA! I am old fashioned when it comes to post play! You belong under the basket, banging, posting up, turning and shooting! I don't like see post players up high, on the perimeter, dribbling full court, etc. That is not their game! I do understand there are some that are capable,but that does not mean you have to constantly do it. Play your position!
This team would be so much better if Vicki would post up more, and demand the ball on the block. Glory does a good job at it, but she rarely gets the ball,unless it's from an offensive rebound. To be a championship team, you have to have a strong post game,and perimeter game to balance the team out. I still think we are jump shooting too much. Although we are making them at times, but at times shots don't always fall. I want Vicki to play like she played in the Baylor game. Play your position, the post! She is trying to do too much, and I think it is affecting her game. She was really out of control in this past game! Plant Vicki on the block and make her stay there. She would minimize her mistakes!
crossvoll writes:
I didn't get to see the game, but the highlights on the website were great, some very nice teamwork going on there! And skill, really pretty shots and assists! The freshmen are maturing fast and looking good. Glad to see Alicia get some great minutes too! Meighan, hang in there, baby, you'll come out on top because you're a winner! Go Lady Vols, agree with the post that said Baylor did NOT get our best shot in that game. When they see us again, they will realize that, I'm sure!
xvolx writes:
Thanks 98. We're all trying to be objective about what we see on the court. I Agree with you partially about Simmons. I think the coaches have her confused between pt and 2 gd. She's a freelance player and they have tried control it. She must play within the system, but she must have flexability. They took that away, realize their mistake and are now trying to correct it. Of course I'm talking about her off. game. Her defense still not too good. They get her fixed and they can make it to final four.
ps11824 writes:
Somebody please suggest to Vicki, pull-up jumper. How many time has she tried to drive in only to clunk it off the bottom of the rim. or commit foul? Take the pull-up jumper. Where, oh where has the pull-up jumper gone? Heck, a century ago, that was my shot. That is the easiest 2 points on the court aside from a wide open lay-up which we don't get many of. Nobody's in your face. Perfect it, as in Chamiqua Holdsclaw. Best darn pull-up jump shooter we have ever had at UT. Better than CP3 IMHO.
As for guards who can set up and take a charge, we got none. I was thinking about during the game, Semeka Randall, Niya Butts, Ace Clement were the best I've seen lately at taking a charge. They would come out early and practice taking a charge. We seldom draw a charge, but already this season, we've committed several.
No, I'm not complaining, just observing.
Go Lady Vols. Kick somebody's (longhorns') booty.
Jephry writes:
Overall, this was a much needed confidence booster of a game for our LVs.
Stricklen - played like an All American. Period.
Johnson - I still love her fight and will to win. I wish they'd get her the ball more down low!
Baugh - Girl, quit dribblin! Turn and shoot. Baugh has a pretty shot, she needs to use it more. What an incredible leader she has turned out to be!
Manning - Finally! That no look pass was the play of the year so far!
Simmons - Showed up to play some great D, even if her offense is still off center (you can see it in her eyes...she's frustrated!)
Spani - Going to be one of our most consistent scorers. I like her mobility and fight. I'm impressed with her strength this year.
Massengale and Burdick - These girls are fighters, too, and I'm glad they are LVs. GREAT game girls!
Harrison - She's certainly tough, and once she settles down and doesn't rush her shot around the basket...watch out!
Bass - I love watching Bree play defense. I also root SO hard for her to score. I'm a short volleyball player, so Bree holds a special place in my heart. I'm glad she got some good minutes!
These next few games are really going to be tough. Whatever happens, the girls are going to learn a lot about themselves and how to become an even greater team. The SEC had better watch out!
Go Lady Vols!!!
johnlg00 writes:
There is much that I agree with here. However, U_V_G also has a point. For some reason, old-style post play just isn't "cool" to today's players. Even in the NBA, classic back-to-the-basket post players are exceedingly rare--there is, uh, Dwight Howard and, uh,...I really can't think of any others--and that game is the primary reference point for today's younger players. I like the fact that Vicki Baugh is quick and has confidence in her handle, but she needs to be more careful when she tries to take it all the way. Like you, I would prefer that she and Glory just sprint to the block, take a pass from a guard, and make a strong post move before the defense can gang up on her, but I guess that is just you and me. It is hard to instill a true post-player's mentality in a player who sees him/herself as a jump-shooting, ball-handling perimeter player.
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