A reduced roster didn’t prevent the fifth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols from whipping Texas Tech 91-53 Tuesday night at the ESPNU Road to the Championship Invitational in San Antonio.
Four Lady Vols (2-0) scored in double figures led by freshman Taber Spani’s 18 followed by Glory Johnson with 17, Shekinna Stricklen’s 16 and Angie Bjorklund, who scored 12 of her 14 from three point range as UT recorded its 1,100th victory.
The Tennessee-Texas Tech contest was the opening game of the Invitational which served as a warm-up for the 2010 Final Four which San Antonio will host in April for the second time since 2002. Top-ranked and defending national champion Connecticut faced 13th rated Texas in the nightcap.
Just nine Tennessee players travelled to the Lone Star State after UT coach Pat Summitt suspended sophomore Alyssia Brewer and freshman Kamiko Williams for one game due to a team policy violation.
The 33 point victory margin was the most lopsided since the Lady Vols defeated Louisiana Tech by 35 almost a year ago.
The Lady Vols trailed 6-2 in the first four minutes then proceeded to outscore Tech 23-2 the next nine minutes to lead 25-8 with 6:36 remaining before halftime.
UT led 30-17 at intermission and opened the second half with a 14-2 run to lead 44-19 at the 17:19 mark virtually cementing its now perfect 6-0 mark against the Red Raiders.
A trio of Lady Vols - Johnson, Stricklen and Kelley Cain – nabbed seven rebounds each as UT thumped Tech 44-27 on the boards.
Next up for UT is its first regular season trip to Charlottesville on Sunday when they battle 17th-ranked Virginia at 2 p.m. The Lady Vols will be looking to avenge its 83-82 loss to the Cavaliers last season in Knoxville.
Tennessee Game Notes: Texas Tech, November 17, 2009, Game #2 – 2-0, 0-0 SEC
Notes…
Tonight’s starters: junior Angie Bjorklund, sophomores Kelley Cain, Glory Johnson, Alicia Manning and Shekinna Stricklen
Four Lady Vols scored in double figures: Spani (18), Johnson (17), Stricklen (16) and Bjorklund (14)
The Lady Vols took their first lead (8-6) on a Stricklen layup at the 14:27 mark of the first half
Tennessee went on a 24-2 run over 10:55 to build a 26-8 lead
Tennessee led at the half for the first time this season. In those games, UT is 1-0
The largest Lady Vol lead of the first half was 18 at the 5:02 mark; the largest UT deficit of the first stanza was four at 15:49
UT opened the second half on a 32-4 run to the 13:58 point
The Lady Vols scored 80 points for the first time this season
The Lady Vols made a three-pointer for the 375th consecutive game
Tennessee is on the road again as it travels Charlottesville to face the No.14/18 Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday, Nov. 22. Game time has been changed to 4 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena
The win …
Gives the Lady Vols a 6-0 record against Texas Tech, including a 3-0 mark at neutral sites
Gives the Lady Vols a 45-14 record against teams from the Big 12 Conference and a 2-0 mark this season
Improves the Lady Vols to 2-0 in TV games this season
Gives the Lady Vols 1-0 record on neutral courts this season
Head Coach Pat Summitt’s career record now stands at 1,007-193 (.839) all time
Freshman Taber Spani:
Led the team with 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, also added six boards
Sophomore Glory Johnson:
Had the Lady Vols’ first basket of the game, a layup at the 18:17 mark off an assist from Angie Bjorklund
Finished with 17 points and six boards in 20 minutes
Named Lady Vol Player of the Game
Sophomore Alicia Manning:
Made her first start of the season after starting seven games as a freshman in 2008-09
Sophomore Kelley Cain:
Grabbed eight boards and scored seven points
Sophomore Shekinna Stricklen:
Finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists
Junior Angie Bjorklund:
Claimed sole possession of fifth in the UT record books with 137 career three-pointers
Finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting