Judging by her start, Ariel Massengale intended to finish off Georgia single-handedly Thursday night.
With her shooting hand still warm from a 6-for-6 performance against Chattanooga on Tuesday, Tennessee's freshman point guard scored 11 points in the first nine minutes against the Lady Bulldogs, entertaining a crowd of 13,721 at Thompson-Boling Arena with two nifty assists to boot.
"I forget she's a freshman,'' UT senior Vicki Baugh said.
Fortunately for Massengale, her teammates didn't forget her altogether. They eventually joined forces and the result was an impressive 80-51 SEC women's basketball victory.
Glory Johnson scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her fourth consecutive double-double
for No. 6 Tennessee (11-3, 2-0 SEC). Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 points and Meighan Simmons had 10.
Vicki Baugh added 10 rebounds to the Lady Vols' haul, which was 52-32 in their favor.
And Massengale didn't exactly cede the floor to her mates. She matched her career highs with 19 points and nine assists, while committing just one turnover.
"I can tell you I didn't see this coming,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "Georgia is a very good basketball team, but we just came out and executed for 40 minutes."
And No. 16 Georgia (12-3, 1-1) didn't. Judging by Lady Bulldogs coach Andy Landers' harsh assessment of his team's play, Massengale, or any other Lady Vol for that matter, could have gone it alone against his team.
"Lack of fight, lack of motivation, nothing pleased me," Landers said. "Nothing pleased me. We didn't do one thing that I thought we did well. Nothing."
Well, they were pretty good at rebuking themselves.
"We didn't fight,'' said Georgia's Meredith Mitchell, who scored a team-high 14 points, "and that's where the game turned for us for the worse."
Said Lady Bulldogs forward Jasmine Hassell: "We pretty much gave up and we shouldn't have. And that is not Georgia basketball."
As far apart as these two teams were in the end, UT's lead was only 44-36 with 15:55 left. At that point, the Lady Vols weren't too happy, either.
"The coaches were reminding us that the score was too close; the score was too close," Johnson said. "We're a team that, we need to take off, and from halftime, we're looking at (the fact that) we're playing with this team the energy should be a lot higher than what we're showing. That's when we just had to take over."
When UT finally made its break, defense played a pivotal part.
Against the Lady Vols' zone alignment, Georgia missed five consecutive shots over a three-minute stretch. Tennessee, on other hand, scored three straight baskets. When Johnson scored at the rim, courtesy of a Massengale assist, UT's lead was 54-38 with 12:27 left.
"We tried the zone in the first half and it wasn't very effective,'' UT associate head coach Holly Warlick said. "They were screening us on the baseline and getting open looks. We made some adjustments at halftime, and we were a different team. We had more energy. We were guarding the screen. I thought it was effective."
The Lady Vols' rebounding enabled them to widen their advantage. Their dominance resulted in 20 second-chance points and factored into their 20 points at the foul line.
"We gave up those two things tonight,'' Landers said. "We didn't even fight."
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 » 35
AHOUSE writes:
how's that for some good news today
SummittsCourt writes:
The Lady Vols are always the constant success.
allvol9 writes:
Great win for the Lady Vols....beating Ga soundly makes it even sweeter.
wigmeister writes:
They played well tonight. Fun to watch a TN team do well!
xvolx writes:
I like the idea of playing Baugh 20 minutes a game. It helps her physically and shocks the other team when she replaces Manning with her 6-4 athleticism. She seems to be playing less like a soph. (which basically she is) and more like a fifth yr. senior. This team appears to be getting better and that won't be good news to the rest of SEC.
ps11824 writes:
Nice win, Lady Vols.
SoddyVol writes:
As I said in a previous post, I am looking to the 6 games starting tonight to tell me what kind of year I can say the Vols Will end up with, great or so-so. 1st of 6 was a huge success. Win on the road at Arkansas and Ky. plus a comfortable win in the next two at home and I believe they will have an excellent chance to beat ND or at least make it a 3 or 4 point game.
GetEmVols writes:
Glory Johnson played better than Ariel with 22 points 11 rebounds..
BruisedOrange writes:
I was thinking exactly that, wigmeister! So much more fun to watch than the men right now.
When the fundamentals are sound, it makes all the special individual plays so much more enjoyable. Of course, it also helps when you're bigger and quicker than your opponents!
And (on TV) it looked like the LVs also got help from the refs. There were missed and strange calls against both teams, but their inconsistency seemed more consistently against Landers' girls.
If any writers need a story idea that doesn't require leaving the office, how about an exegesis of the NCAA rulebook regarding contact between a dribbler and defender in the open court... with a sidebar interview with the head of SEC referees on how they interpret the rule.
I am plumb bumfoozled about the whole issue, in both men's and women's game. It's obviously changed since when I played, but I can't explain what to.
budd#207344 writes:
I saw a team tonight that understood how to beat another team into the ground. #17 was not even in the game from the start. Play with this attitude and you will be cutting down nets til they are all gone.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
You ladies have to play until the other team gives up which happened tonight. And if they don't give up make them know you're still not going away. You go ladies.
richvol writes:
I did not see the same things the other posters saw. I did see a team that is sloppy with their ballhandling and passes...that is too quick to shoot instead of working for good shots yet still won handily. UT must play much better than this against Stanford,Baylor or UConn in order to win. Simmons is playing worse than last year and shoots way too much. Baugh is not a force under the rim and we turn the ball over for no reason.
Ariel and Kamiko are both excellent passers. They should be starting at the guard positions with Strick and Glory and Manning the other three starters. This would result in less turnovers and much better shot selection which is what it will take to beat those teams. I don't see what the coaches see in Simmons...she occasionally hits a shot but turns the ball over way too much and her shooing choices and percentage is poor. Nice win but Georgia is not those teams.
butch31 writes:
Obviously Ariel will be SEC Freshmen of the year, but I believe Glory Johnson is the SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR. She is putting up numbers left & right! When the guards & wings find the post players, it makes the game run smoothly. We're still waiting for Cierra to have that breakout game LOL...I sense it coming.
I'm glad everyone played, I'm glad everyone did well. I am really rooting & pulling for this team to win it all this year. I am also waiting for Vicki to put it all together, and start playing a little bit better. Alicia was out of it tonight, Meighan had no turnovers *(YES)* we rebounded well. I hope we don't have a let down in mine & Shekinna's home state *(Arkansas)* I can't take another loss. We need to win out, with peddle to metal on these teams. Great win Lady Vols!
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Did you see Pat's comments. They were on the side of most posters not yours. And I think Pat has forgotten more coaching than you will ever know. We will take what she saw rather than what you thought you saw.
Jephry writes:
This was a good, solid win for our girls. I'm worried about Strick...I wish she'd regain her All American form. I'm sure the staff will work with her so she gets her legs under her again. Other than that, a decent game. Any time we can make Andy Landers whine like that, it's a good game. =)
Keep workin', keep winnin', Lady Vols!!
Fall_Creek_Vols writes:
Rock & Roll!!!
orangecountyvols writes:
Tony, and other true Vols,
Thank you Tony. Very well said. A 29 point victory still isn't good enough for some people.
BxVol writes:
I understand some of the frustration from richvol.Like myself, richvol probably loves the Lady Vols, and wants to see them win Championship #9.I agree with him that we have to play even better to beat the top teams.I think at times we are slow to rotate to cover 3point shots.Last night Georgia kept on missing and that obviously helped.Meighan takes too many 3 point shots.With her speed don`t see why she does not just dribble past a defender and hit pull up jumpers from mid range.I have seen her be successful time and time again, but she settles too many times for the 3.Don`t get me wrong, Meighan can hit the trey, when in a shooting rythem.Glory was great, and Ariel is coming along like gangbusters.Burdick, also a tremendous passer, will be better ofensively when she gets more comfortable.Great having Kamiko back, she will only get better once she is in game shape.Still believe this team can win #9, but they have to keep on improving and play the full 40 minutes.
richvol writes:
You are right about one thing...Pat has forgotten more about coaching than I ever knew but it still doesn't change my opinion about how far this team has to improve before being able to compete against the elite in women's basketball now. I thought this was a forum for expressing opinions and that's exactly what I am doing.
I have seen Pat produce teams that played with a real beauty and flow but it's been many years now since that has been the case and the results in the postseason show that to be true. I want Pat to go out with the very best team but this one has a long way to go.
ps11824 writes:
[[[[ "The coaches were reminding us that the score was too close; the score was too close," Johnson said. "We're a team that, we need to take off, and from half-time, we're looking at (the fact that) we're playing with this team the energy should be a lot higher than what we're showing. That's when we just had to take over." When UT finally made its break, defense played a pivotal part. ]]]
Now, this gets me excited. A scenic like me might say, "Well, duh, why not play as such ALL GAME EVERY GAME?" I mean after all, isn't that what great teams do? A player loves the game, right? A team loves their team? Why wouldn't a team play with fire, fight and passion every minute they are in the game, is my thinking. Even the bench has an obligation as team members to show those same emotions while on the bench.
I like reading about the win last night against a Bulldog like Andy Landers coached teams. I wish I had seen the game. It sounded like fun. I have missed fun, as previously posted.
The Lady Vols should be bowing to Massengale, carrying her bags and cooking her meals. This point guard could be the future of the Big Orange Lady Vols for the next few years. Keep her healthy and listen to her wants and needs is what I would do. We haven't had the luxury of a humble, wise, and talented, unselfish point guard leader on the court in a good while. (Those are some fine accolades ; ) Maybe since Kelly Jolly...
I watched the Ky\Arkansas match up last evening. The Hawgs are a good team. They hung in with the Blue for 2/3 of a game, going ahead at times. Cierra Ricketts is a scoring machine. The big post gal, her name escapes me now, could NOT score last night; if she had, Arky would have taken Matt Mitchel's gals. A kid for Matt we need to really scout is the freshman post. She's a courageous beast down there and can finish her shots. She's tall but solid, and knowledgeable in post play, owning the boards.
We will have our hands full with Arky, Tom Collen's coaching. We should not fear either, but scout and determine to play 40 minutes against Ky and Ark, as well as SCarol. Heck, we will have no easy games in the SEC. The only cupcakes will be determined by the players' fire, fight and passion.
ps11824 writes:
Somebody needs to be jumping on my post, but since you are not, maybe you don't have the day off of leisure that I do today, but I'll just get on here and do my thing with coffee on the side.
This is a perfect time, if I'm Manning to be taking the advantage of playing time. Taber will be off for a while now, and Alicia is working her final SEC season, possibly her last rotation as a starting Lady Vol. Her basketball days are quickly passing. That said, I'd be playing my tail off right now. I know she is passionate. I know she can fuel the fire in her team with her lay-it-on-the-line style of play. We've seen her do that. Now is the time for Manning to go for the throat every minute she is on that court. Work for the glory, girl. Work on every aspect of your game, especially defense and outside jumpers. The team needs that from Manning, and Alicia will need that to cap off her tenure at Tennessee. She has accomplished her goal academically, now is the time & opportunity for her to reap dividends for her efforts as a student athlete.
madrigal writes:
I'm glad some of you have finally decided to shut up and let Massengale get her feet under her. Nothing jells immediately. She is doing fine and can only improve from here. Pat obviously sees things you don't. You sideline coaches need to shut up and let the coaches coach. I don't see you having the credentials to run your mouths the way you do.
SoddyVol writes:
98reax, I enjoy your posts. They are almost always right-on. The performance of Massengale and the vigor (with all its definitions) of Glory are two of the most encouraging things I see. They keep my hopes alive. I also want to see more of the things I've seen Manning do in the past.
johnlg00 writes:
I only got to listen to a few minutes of the game, but luckily for me it was the part where the LVs pulled away. Puzzling that UGA would pull a no-show against the LVs; they are supposed to be a top-20 team themselves. In fact, we see these inexplicable dead spells from nearly all teams these days, men and women alike. No doubt some social psychologist could have a field day trying to explain why even the most talented teams can just come out flat on so many occasions. Oh well, I'm just glad it wasn't the LVs doing that last night, but you can be sure they will still have another "WTF?" game or two before the season is over. I just hope it doesn't come on one of those nights in March when it means it really IS over. GO LVs!!! GO PAT!!!
Volinflan writes:
I'll be your huckleberry - Doc Holiday... You mentioned you did not see the game last night. Alicia was playing with her usual fervor but at times things weren't looking good for her. Twice she missed 3 foot uncontested shots at the basket. The second time she got so mad she almost got herself a technical. It's weird isn't it how the brain sometimes just chokes like that. I think she was "so uncontested" that it surprised her and she just missed the shots. But yea, she was laying it on the line, it just wasn't a good night for her. Strick was worse. Massengale was outstanding and Glory was glorious (she's turning into a real beast - I think a lot of the opponents are afraid to play near her). That's a good thing.
r2d2 writes:
Ariel Massengale is the key to the LVs reaching the fial four. She is a true point guard. She will be an All American by the time she leaves UT (If not next year). I did not say that she can do it all by herself. I said she is the key to this team. She is as important to the LVs as Odyssey Sims is to Baylor.
Theo writes:
You know - if ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas. Actually I did have a very Merry Christmas BUT I do wonder how we would have looked against Stanford IF Kamiko and Ariel had played. Hope we get to find out in March.
Theo writes:
Regarding why not playing every minute with passion etc., etc.
I hate to break it to you but, you (sadly me too) have forgotten what it is like to be 19....... and a full time student and worried about boys and playing for the premier women's bb program in the country.
I think we probably understand better that the "days pass slowly but the years pass quickly" and every minute is precious. Youth wasted on the young!
Volinflan writes:
Regarding why not playing every minute with passion etc., etc.
I hate to break it to you but, you (sadly me too) have forgotten what it is like to be 19....... and a full time student and worried about boys and playing for the premier women's bb program in the country.
I think we probably understand better that the "days pass slowly but the years pass quickly" and every minute is precious. Youth wasted on the young!
So true. I'd love to sink another jump shot. Heck, I'd love to jump again. Shoot, I'd love to remember the last jump. And I'm not even sad, just older.
g-man writes:
team playing much better since spani went out, maybe coaches will see that and bring spani off the bench............NOT
kazoo writes:
Massengale may already be the best PG UT has ever had. She makes me wonder where Summitt and the coaches have been with respect to recruiting PGs for the last decade! How do we--the most prominent program in the land--go several years without a decent PG? We had years when we didn't even have an average pg on the squad. Lesson learned, I hope. Baugh has to keep getting better. She is someone that we will need when the time comes to play the big teams. She was lousy against stanford and we got killed.
johnlg00 writes:
That is so true! It is said that nobody ever really learns anything important from the experience of others; we all have to find out these things for ourselves. I made one of those "time is fleeting, so make every minute count" rants on a men's bball thread. But it is just in the nature of young people to live in the moment and not think how they will feel in the future. I guess this is a good thing to some extent. After all, even into relatively advanced ages, most of us have to take risks and ignore possible future adverse consequences if we are to accomplish anything important in our lives. The ability to look ahead and sacrifice immediate gratification for long-term gain is a mark of maturation, and everybody acquires that ability at different rates, if they acquire it at all.
ps11824 writes:
O come now, johnlg. You know you remember what it's like to be a teen. i sure do and I miss the heck out of that feeling. I was such a frustrated kid, but when I was on the court I was playing my young tail off. I wanted to keep my spot on the roster from the time I earned it to the time I had to hang those Converse up for good. There was always time for the OTHER things, but when the whistle blew or the horn sounded, I was all ball. I'm not saying I was anywhere near the caliber player these LVs are, but I was who I was and I loved the game. I felt so blessed to be a part of it that I darn shur did not want anybody telling me I did not play hard ball. I think these kids know it too. Maybe it's not cool these days ro show passion.
So johnlg, volinflan and Theo, how could either of you forget the feeling of a young gun with a ball in your hands? I haven't and I hope I never do. I don't really believe either of you do.
ps11824 writes:
What, shur? Really? I did for get how to spell...; )
SoddyVol writes:
My wife says the reason I love sports so much is because I only got to play in a few games. I had to come home and work in field. When I did play, ("B-team" only) I didn't have Converse but had to use someone else worn out tennis shoes. I still loved the game back in those late 1940s days.
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