Postgame Notes: UT 102, UCA 47

Nov. 15, 2015

Recap |  Box Score |  Highlights |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery 

Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee defeated Central Arkansas 102-47 in the first ever meeting between the two schools.

The Lady Vols won their 23rd consecutive game at Thompson-Boling Arena, a streak dating back to 2013-14. The team went 18-0 at home in 2014-15.

Six Players saw action on Sunday afternoon. The other six on the roster missed time due to a combination of injuries and a violation of team rules. With the exception of Jaime Nared (Broken Left Hand) the others are all expected to be available for Wednesday's game against Penn State.

The game was the first four quarter regular season NCAA women's basketball game in Tennessee history after the NCAA rule change over the summer.

The Lady Vols starting lineup combined for 39 combined starts coming into Sunday's contest. Andraya Carter (31), Mercedes Russell (5) and Alexa Middleton (3) started alongside Kortney Dunbar and Te'a Cooper who were making their first career starts. Cooper made her Lady Vol debut.

First Impressions

Te'a Cooper was the 19th Lady Vol freshman to start her debut game joining current teammates Andraya Carter and Alexa Middleton in accomplishing that feat.

Te'a Cooper finished with 22 points, tied for the second most points by a freshman in her debut. Semeka Randall owns the record as she scored 24 against Ole Miss on 11/18/97. Meighan Simmons also scored 22 in her debut against Louisville on 11/12/10.

Te'a Cooper became just the sixth freshman to score more than 20 points in her debut. It is the second straight year a freshman has done that as Alexa Middleton scored 20 against Penn on 11/14/14.

Cooper finished with the third most assists by a freshman in her debut game as she notched six. Alexa Middleton set the record last year when she tallied 11 against Penn on 11/14/14.

Te'a Cooper scored her first career point 53 seconds into the game. Cooper played 38 minutes in her debut.

Diamond DeShields made her Lady Vol debut as she entered the game at the 5:09 mark of the first quarter. She was the first person off the bench for UT.

Diamond DeShields scored her first career point with 2:33 left in the first quarter as she scored a layup and was fouled on the play.

DeShields scored in double figures for the 10th straight game, dating back to her freshman season at North Carolina.

Tearing up the Record Book

Dunbar set multiple career highs on Sunday afternoon besting her previous highs in points (24), rebounds (13), steals (2), field goals made (10), three pointers made (4) and minutes (34). Her previous highs in points (15 vs. Penn, 11/14/14), rebounds (6 vs. Oral Roberts, 11/17/14), steals (1, multiple times), minutes (25 vs. Penn, 11/14/14), three pointers made (3 vs. Penn, 11/14/14) and minutes (25 vs. Penn, 11/14/14). This was also Dunbar's first career double-double.

Mercedes Russell also tallied her first career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Russell also had a career game besting previous personal highs in points (20), rebounds (13), field goals made (10) and minutes (36). Her previous bests in points (15 vs. Chattanooga, 11/14/13), rebounds (11 vs. Missouri 2/23/14), field goals made (7 vs. Chattanooga, 11/14/13) and minutes (26 vs. St. John's, 3/24/14).

Andraya Carter tied a career high with six steals and seven rebounds. She last reached six steals against Winthrop on 11/21/14. The last time she reached seven rebounds was against Missouri on 1/2/15.

Diamond DeShields tied a career high with seven assists. She hit that mark on 12/14/2013 against Charleston Southern while at UNC.

First Half Flying

Mercedes Russell scored the first bucket of the game with a layup on an entry pass from Alexa Middleton

The Lady Vols opened the game on a 17-0 run to start the game.

Central Arkansas didn't score until the 5:44 mark of the first quarter.

The Lady Vols scored 63 points in the first half, tied for the third highest scoring half in school history. The team scored 69 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on 11/29/02 and 67 against Hawaii Paciific on 12/20/85. The 63 points tied the 1/3/2000 game against Old Dominion for third most.

The Lady Vols led by 43 at halftime, the fifth highest halftime lead for the Lady Vols in school history. The team's biggest halftime lead was 55 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on 11/29/2002.

Balanced Attack

It was a balanced Lady Vols attack as five of the six players finished in double digits while Andraya Carter finished one point shy of that mark.

Kortney Dunbar (24), Te'a Cooper (22), Mercedes Russell (20), Alexa Middleton (15) and Diamond DeShields (12) all finished in double figures.

The last time three players scored 20 points in a game was 2/26/06 against SEC foe Florida when Candace Parker (34), Tye'sha Fluker (22), Shanna Zolman (22) combined for 78 of the team's 93 points.

Opening Night

The Lady Vols scored 102 points which tied for the third most points scored in a season opener. That mark tied the time UT notched a 102-72 victory over Chattanooga on 11/12/2006. The most points ever scored in an opener was 112 against Stetson on 11/26/89.

The Lady Vols are 38-4 (.905) in season openers in the last 42 years.

Tennessee has a 28-1 record at Thompson-Boling Arena when they open the season at home. The team is 39-3 in home openers since 1974-75.

UT has won 11 season openers in a row at home dating back to 1999, when the team lost to #6 Louisiana Tech on 11/14/99.

This was the most points the Lady Vols have scored in a game since they put up 111 vs. St. Francis (Pa.) on 12/3/2014.

The 55 point victory was the largest since last year's game against St. Francis (Pa.) when the Lady Vols won by 67, 111-44.

Up Next

The Lady Vols will continue their season-opening eight game home stand when they play host to Penn State on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

The Lady Vols own a 403-28 (.935) at TBA and a 556-52 (.914) all-time record in home games.

University of Tennessee Athletics