Postgame Notes: No. 11/10 Tennessee 83, Auburn 61

Feb. 21, 2013

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THE SERIES

 With the win, UT improves to 21-5 overall and 12-1 in the SEC and increases Tennessee's first-place lead in the SEC to a full game over Kentucky (11-2).
 Tennessee is now 38-10 all-time over the Tigers, and 18-2 at home. The Lady Vols have won the last six consecutive games against Auburn.
 The Lady Vols have won 15-straight home games against Auburn, with the last loss in Knoxville against the Tigers coming 25 years ago.
 Today's attendance was 10,806.

FOR STARTERS

 Today's starters: freshman Bashaara Graves, senior Taber Spani, sophomore Cierra Burdick, sophomore Ariel Massengale and junior Meighan Simmons.
 Simmons is the only Lady Vol to start every game this season.
 Senior Taber Spani drained Tennessee's first bucket for the second time this year as she swished a three-pointer.
 Freshman Jasmine Jones was the first off the bench for Tennessee.

SPREADING THE OFFENSE

 Junior Meighan Simmons led the scoring effort with 24 points.
 Along with Simmons, Spani (16), Burdick (15), Graves (14) and Massengale (10) also hit double digits in scoring marking the eighth time this season five Lady Vols have hit double-digit scoring.
 Burdick led the effort on the boards as she pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds.
 Tennessee dished out a season-best 24 assists, with Massengale leading the team with a season-best 10 helpers, while Bashaara Graves dished out a career best five assists on the night.
 UT outscored the Tigers 36-26 in the paint, while notching 20 points off fast breaks.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE, DOUBLE-DOUBLE

 Two Lady Vols registered a double-double on the night, the third time this season that two Tennessee players had double-doubles on the same night.
 The last time UT recorded double-doubles with rebounds and assists in the same game came against Florida on Feb. 26, 2006. Three Lady Vols recorded a double-double in the 95-93 loss.
 Candace Parker finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds, Tye'sha Fluker had 22 points and 16 rebounds and Shanna Zolman had 22 points and 10 assists in the game.
 Sophomore Cierra Burdick recorded her third double-double of the year and fourth career with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds
 Ariel Massengale recorded her first career double-double using a layup with just 32 seconds remaning in the game to achieve the feat. She finished with 10 points and 10 assists on the night.

GIMME THAT

 Tennessee forced five Tiger turnovers within the first five minutes of action, while wrapping up the first half by producing 14 Auburn turnovers.
 UT forced 20 total Auburn turnovers throughout the game.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS

 Tennessee outrebounded the Tigers 44-30, recording its 19th game this season grabbing more boards than its opponent.
 In the first half, UT outrebounded Auburn 20-13.

RAINING THREES

 The Lady Vols were 6-of-7 from the three-point range in the first seven minutes of action, and wrapped up the first half 7-of-10 in three field goals, including five 3-pointers in a row.
 The seven threes were most 3 FG in a half since the first half against Texas last year (Dec. 4, 2011), when the Lady Vols finished the game with 11 three pointers.
 UT finished the game with nine three-pointers, a season-high and the most since recording 10 threes against UT-Martin on Mar. 17, 2012 in the first found of the NCAA Tournament last season.
 It is the seventh time this season the Lady Vols have made seven or more field goals from the 3-point range.

TABER DRANI

 Senior Taber Spani continued her double-figure streak in SEC play as she has now scored in double-digits in 12 of the last 14 games notching 16 against Auburn.
 Spani was 3-for-3 in three-pointers in the first half, and finished the game with four three-pointers, tying her career best.

SIMMONS SHINES

 With Meighan SImmons' 24 points against the Tigers, she recorded her ninth game this season scoring 20 or more points.
 Simmons finished the game with four three-pointers.
 Simmons also snagged a career-best five steals and tallied seven rebounds

AT THE HALF

 At the half, UT led Auburn 44-21, the third SEC game that Tennessee has led by 20 or more at the break this season and eighth overall.
 Junior Meighan Simmons led the team in scoring with 13 points, while senior Taber Spani added 11.
 Sophomore Cierra Burdick led Tennessee on the boards as she grabbed eight in the first half.
 The Lady Vols outrebounded the Tigers 20-13, while producing 14 Lady Commodore turnovers.
 UT tallied eight fastbreak points, as well as had eight four chance points in the first half of action.
 Tennessee shot 50 percent during the first 20 minutes, and was 7-10 from the three-point field goal range.

ELZY RECOGNIZED AS UT'S SEC LEGEND

 Prior to tipoff, former Lady Vol and current assistant coach Kyra Elzy was recognized as Tennessee's representative in the 14-member SEC 2013 Class of Women's Legends.

UP NEXT

 Tennessee travels to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks on Sunday in a 2 p.m. ET contest on the SEC Network.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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