University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes: No. 6 Tennessee 67, No. 11 Rutgers 61
December 13, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2011
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes
Numbers of Interest
4: After opening the season 2-2, Tennessee is currently riding a four-game winning streak into games at UCLA and Stanford next week.
7:55: Span over final 8:33 that UT held Rutgers scoreless as the Lady Vols used a 13-0 run to go ahead 64-54.
8: With 22 points against Rutgers, Shekinna Stricklen has now posted double-digit scoring efforts in each of the Lady Vols' eight games this season.
23: Twenty-three more wins will put Summitt at her next victory milestone: 1,100 wins.
71.4: Tennessee hit 71.4% (5-7) of its shots from downtown in the second half, overcoming Rutgers' largest lead of five points.
To Note
The Series
• With the win, Tennessee moves to 18-3 in the all-time series versus the Scarlet Knights dating back to the 1978-79 season.
• UT owns an 85-21 overall record against 13 schools from the current BIG EAST Conference.
For Starters
• Today's starters: redshirt senior Vicki Baugh, senior Glory Johnson, senior Shekinna Stricklen, junior Taber Spani and sophomore Meighan Simmons.
• Freshman point guard Ariel Massengale was out of the lineup again tonight after suffering a finger injury Dec. 8. She is projected to miss two to three weeks of action.
• This is the second game in which the Lady Vols have taken to the court with this starting five. They sport a 2-0 record with those five lining up for the opening tip.
Stricklen Start Streak
• Lady Vol senior Shekinna Stricklen has the nation's longest starting streak. Including today, Stricklen has started 112 consecutive games.
Chalk Talk
Battle Tested
• Tennessee's five ranked opponents within its first eight games marks the most since playing five teams in the AP poll in the first eight games of the 2007-08 season.
Ahead at the Half
• The Lady Vols led at halftime for the sixth time this season. They were tied at the break in the other two contests.
• The Lady Vols were ahead at the half despite trailing in paint points, second chance points and bench points in the opening 20 minutes.
• Tennessee is now 5-1 when it takes a lead into the locker room.
Board Game
• Tennessee won the board game for the seventh game this season, pulling down 45 rebounds as compared to Rutgers' 38 boards.
• In the four games leading up to tonight's contest, Tennessee had converted 79 second chance points while surrendering only 42. Tonight's contest proved to be closer, with UT trailing in second chance points at the half before topping RU 18-12 in the category.
UT For Three
• After not hitting a shot from behind the three-point line against DePaul, the Lady Vols connected on 9-of-18 (50%) attempts against RU -- including a 5-for-7 mark (71.4%) in the second half.
• 27 of Tennessee's 67 points came from behind the arc in the win -- capped by three big time shots in the waning minutes: two from Simmons and the third from Spani.
Lady Vols Lookin' Good
Stricklen Stellar
• With 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting against Rutgers, Stricklen adds to her 2011-12 double-digit scoring streak. She has put up 10 or more points in all eight games this season.
• She nearly posted a double-double, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds in the contest.
Spani, Simmons Step Up
• Spani and Simmons stepped up in the second half of the game, hitting crucial three-pointers near the end to pull out the win for the Lady Vols.
• The pair tallied 13 points each against the Scarlet Knights, turning it on in the second half. The duo scored 17 of its 26 points in the game's final 20 minutes.
Baugh with the Block
• Senior Vicki Baugh tied a season-high with three blocks against Rutgers, with one coming as UT clung to a four-point lead with 3:38 remaining in the game.
AutoZone Player of the Game
• Shekinna Stricklen was named the AutoZone Player of the Game for her 22-point, nine rebound performance at Rutgers.
On the Horizon
Approaching 1,100 Wins
• Twenty-three more wins will put Summitt at her next victory milestone: 1,100 Ws.
Elite Company
• Glory Johnson needs 65 rebounds to reach the 1,000 career boards plateau, making her the fourth in school history to tally 1,000 pts. and 1,000 reb.
Up Next
• The Lady Vols have a day at home before traveling to Los Angeles to face UCLA on Dec. 17. UT finishes the pre-Christmas swing at Stanford on Dec. 20 before breaking for the holidays.
