University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes: #2 Notre Dame 72, #7 Tennessee 44
January 23, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2012
Recap |
Final Stats |
Quotes |
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Numbers of Interest
1: Only one Lady Vol put up double-digit scoring against the Irish -- a season-low total for UT. Meighan Simmons put up 13 points for the Lady Vols.
10: With 10 steals, Notre Dame was only the second team on the year to put up double-digit steals against the Lady Vols. The only other team was Virginia (13 steals), also a loss.
11: All 11 Lady Vols were available and saw action for the first time in 2011-12. Taber Spani returned to the floor for the first time since the Lady Vols loss at Stanford (12/20).
28: The 28-point loss to the Irish marks the second-worst loss in Tennessee history and the largest margin of defeat of 2011-12.
44: With 44 points, Tennessee set a new program mark for the fewest points scored by a Lady Vol squad. The previous program low was 45 points vs. Belmont (1/17/76).
To Note
The Series
• With the loss Tennessee moves to 20-2 in the all-time series versus Notre Dame dating back to the 1983-84 season. Tennessee won the first 20 meetings in the series before dropping the last meeting in the 2011 Elite Eight.
• The loss marks the first time the Lady Vols have dropped a game in South Bend.
• Tennessee is now 85-22 vs. teams from the BIG EAST conference. The Lady Vols won their other two games this season against Rutgers and DePaul.
For Starters
• Today's starters: senior Glory Johnson, senior Alicia Manning, senior Shekinna Stricklen, sophomore Meighan Simmons and freshman Ariel Massengale.
• This is the eighth game in which the Lady Vols have taken to the court with this starting five. They sport a 6-2 record with those five lining up for the opening tip.
Injury Report
• All 11 Lady Vols practiced together for the first time in 2011-12 on Sunday with the entire squad available for the first time this season against Notre Dame.
• In tonight's game, Spani saw her first game action since Dec. 20 at Stanford.
Drawing Crowds
• For the fifth time this season, the Lady Vols played in front of a sell-out crowd away from home. UT's games at Rutgers, UCLA, Stanford and Kentucky were also sold out.
Chalk Talk
At the Half
• The Lady Vols trailed the Irish at halftime, 28-18. The Lady Vols have trailed at the half of three contests. They have led in 13 games and have been tied in the other three contests.
• Trailing Notre Dame by ten at intermission, the Lady Vols saw their biggest halftime deficit of the season. They previously trailed at Stanford (7) and at Kentucky (4).
• With 18 points in the first half, Tennessee tied the seventh-worst mark in school history.
• Tennessee is now 0-3 when it trails going into the locker room.
Free Throw Woes
• UT posted its lowest free-throw percentage of the season -- a 43.8 effort -- hitting 7-of-16 shots from the charity stripe against Notre Dame.
• The Lady Vols' previous season-low free-throw percentage came in the loss at Virginia (11/20), when they shot 52.4% from the line.
Simmons Leads Scoring
• The Lady Vol sophomore led UT in scoring for the second consecutive game with 13 points against Notre Dame.
By Comparison
Points Scored
• The loss marks the fewest points scored by UT this season (previously 60 points at Kentucky).
• Tonight's scoring performance earns the number one mark in the UT record books.
• The previous low Lady Vol scoring effort in program history was 45 points scored against Belmont (1/17/76).
Margin of Defeat
• The loss marks the largest margin of defeat for UT this season, topping the 17-point loss to Stanford (12/20).
• Tonight's margin of defeat is the second-worst mark in the UT record books.
• The largest margin of loss in Lady Vol history is 31 points at the hands of Texas (12/11/84).
Field Goal Percentage
• UT shot 27.9 percent from the floor against the Irish on 17-of-61 shooting.
• The loss marks the lowest field goal percentage put up by UT this season. The previous low mark this season was a 29.3 percent effort against Baylor.
On the Horizon
Up Next
• The road trip continues for the Lady Vols, as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on FSN.
• Tennessee will then travel to Athens where it will face Georgia for a Sunday SEC contest.
