Nov. 6, 2008

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Video Replay: Basketball vs. C. Newman - 11/6

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - On Thursday night at the Thompson-Boling Arena, the University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team opened its 2008-09 season with a 135-55 exhibition win over the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles. Freshman Glory Johnson (Knoxville, Tenn.) made an impressive debut, finishing with 33 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Lady Vols. She was one of six Big Orange players to finish in double figures. Freshman Alyssia Brewer (Sapulpa, Okla.) also posted a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds to go with seven steals.

The Lady Vols opened the game with a 17-4 run, spurred by redshirt freshman Kelley Cain's (Atlanta, Ga.) nine points. Cain would finish with 18 first half tallies on 8-of-10 shooting.

Cain was not the only Lady Vol working hard in the paint, as UT outscored the Lady Eagles 44-6 in the paint in the first half and 80-14 for the game.

After finishing off her second national title in as many years in 2008 with a limited bench, Head Coach Pat Summitt played all 10 Lady Vols available, which led to 86 points contributed by substitutes.

Freshman Shekinna Stricklen (Morrilton, Ark.) earned a starting spot in the lineup and made her first shot, a two-point field goal, 1:48 into the game. Stricklen wasn't the only rookie to make her first shot in the Orange and White as Brewer and Amber Gray (West Chester, Ohio) both made their initial three shots

An Alicia Manning (Woodstock, Ga.) free throw at the 8:07 mark - her first charity toss of the evening - put UT over the century mark for the fourth time in the last five exhibitions against Carson-Newman. The 135 points mark the second-highest exhibition output by a Pat Summitt-coached team, only ranking behind a 144-point outburst against Dynamo Kiev on Nov. 5, 2000.

Leading the Lady Eagles was Mandy Mendenhall with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Lady Vols will return to the court for their second, and final, exhibition game of the year on Sunday, Nov. 9, when they host Love & Basketball - a traveling team based on the popular movie of the same name and made up of former collegiate players. Love & Basketball is 2-3 in exhibition games this year and tip time at Thompson-Boling Arena is 3 p.m.