Jan. 3, 2009

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Game Notes: Rutgers vs. Tennessee

• Today's starters: Briana Bass, Angie Bjorklund, Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and Alex Fuller.
• Sophomore Vicki Baugh did not play after spraining her left knee in practice on Thursday.
• Two Lady Vols scored in double figures today: Shekinna Stricklen (16) and Angie Bjorklund (12).
• Stricklen recorded a career-high 11 rebounds for her first double-double.
• Today's attendance at the RAC was 8,079 - marking the second straight game the Lady Vols have played on the road in front of a sellout crowd. It is the first home game RU has sold-out this season.
• The Lady Vols committed six turnovers in the first 4:01 of the game and were down 7-0 at the first media timeout (15:59)
• Tennessee started the game with 11 turnovers and 0-of-3 from the field before getting its first basket on a Kelley Cain layup at the 11:47 mark.
• At the second media timeout of the first half (10:11), Rutgers was 7-of-14 and Tennessee was 2-of-6. RU led 16-4 and had scored 14 points off of 12 Lady Vol turnovers.
• Rutgers opened the game on a 14-0 run to the 11:47 point of the first half.
• Tennessee trailed 33-13 at the half. The 13 points are the fewest ever the Lady Vols have scored in the first half. The deficit also marks the first time this season, UT has trailed at the half and 20-point margin is the largest in school history. The previous first-half low was 14 at Virginia on March 25, 1996. The previous largest halftime deficit was 19. Once on Feb. 4, 1996, at Ole Miss and on March 28, 1986, against Southern California in the Final Four in Lexington, Ky.
• In the first half against the Scarlet Knights, UT committed 15 turnovers which led to 17 RU points.
• Tennessee held Rutgers without a point for the first 5:10 of the second half, cutting the RU lead to 33-24.
• Stricklen's three-pointer at the 11:56 mark of the second half cut the Scarlet Knight lead to eight at 40-32.
• In the first 10 minutes of the second half, UT turned the ball over only twice, while cutting the lead to 43-34.
• Bjorklund's three-pointer with 7:06 to play in the game made the score 47-40, the closest Tennessee had been since the score was 7-0 at the 17:18 point of the first half.
• Johnson's put-back layup with 3:10 to play in the game pulled the Lady Vols within two at 49-47.
• Alyssia Brewer's free throw with 2:26 remaining tied the game at 49, the first tie of the day.
• Bjorklund's 15-foot jumper with 1:31 to play gave Tennessee its first lead at 51-49.
• UT held RU without a point from the 6:39 mark of the second half to the 0:24 point, going from a nine-point deficit (49-40) to a two point lead (53-51).
• Bjorklund's two free throws with 14.2 to play made the game a two-possession contest, 55-51.
• In the first half, RU outscored UT 17-0 in points off of turnovers. In the second half, UT outscored RU 10-0.
• The Lady Vols have shot an average of 26.7 free throws per game, making 68.1 percent. Tonight they shot 21, making 13.
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 15-3, and a 2-3 mark in Piscataway. The last Lady Vol win on the Scarlet Knights' home court was in 1988, when No. 1 Tennessee beat No. 10 Rutgers 93-53 on Dec. 30.
• Head Coach Pat Summitt's career record now stands at 994-184 (.844) all time, just six wins from 1,000.
• Up next: The Lady Vols return home to open Southeastern Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 8, when the Kentucky Wildcats visit Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Knoxville.

Redshirt freshman Kelley Cain:

• Had today's first Lady Vol basket - a layup at the 11:47 mark of the first half

Freshman Shekinna Stricklen:

• Recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds
• Named Lady Vol Player of the Game