A year ago, the Tennessee Lady Vols were one and done in the NCAA Tournament at the hands of Ball State.

Flash forward to Saturday’s Memphis regional first round game at Thompson-Boling Arena and Austin Peay was no Ball State.

Kelley Cain scored 18 points and secured 12 rebounds as the third ranked and top seeded Lady Vols posted a 75-42 landslide victory over the 16th seeded and Ohio Valley Conference champion Governors.

The Lady Vols (31-2) will face the eighth-seeded Dayton, which won over Texas Christian University on Monday night for the right to advance to next weekend’s Memphis Regional.

Angie Bjorklund added 14 followed by Shekinna Stricken’s 12 as the Governors (15-18) were no match for a Lady Vol team that has been energized since UT lost its first ever opening round game.

UT held Peay scoreless for nearly seven minutes until Ashley Herring scored the first of her game high 21 points on a jump shot.

Tennessee Game Notes: vs. Austin Peay, March 20, 2010, Game #33, NCAA First Round – 31-2, 15-1 SEC

Notes…

Today’s starters: junior Angie Bjorklund, sophomores Alyssia Brewer, Kelley Cain, Alicia Manning and Shekinna Stricklen
Capacity for the configuration of Thompson-Boling Arena for the NCAA Tournament is 12,839
Three Lady Vols scored in double figures: Cain (18), Bjorklund (14) and Stricklen (12)
Kelley Cain tallied her sixth career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds
Tennessee opened the game on a 15-0 run and held Austin Peay without a field goal to the 13:14 point
Tennessee did not trail in the first half for the ninth time
UT’s largest lead of the first half was 21 (35-14), at the 1:44 mark; UT never trailed in the first half
Tennessee led at the half for the 26th time this season; in those games UT is 26-0
Tennessee never trailed in the second half for the 23rd time this season
Tennessee never trailed in the game for the eighth time this season
Tennessee outrebounded Austin Peay, 47-28; it is the 31st time this season UT has won the battle of the boards
Tennessee outscored Austin Peay 36-20 in the paint and the UT reserves topped the Lady Gov bench 21-8
The Lady Vols scored 23 points off of turnovers
The Lady Vols made a three-pointer for the 406th consecutive game
The Lady Vols will await the winner of the No. 8 seed Dayton Flyers vs. No. 9 seed TCU Lady Frogs in today’s second game at Thompson-Boling Arena in a 7 p.m. match-up on Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena and on ESPN2.

The win today…

Extends UT’s winning streak to 15 games
Extends UT’s home winning streak to 18 games
Extends UT’s winning streak as a No. 1 seed to 13 games
Gives the Lady Vols a 22-1 mark all-time in the NCAA First Round
Gives the Lady Vols a 35-0 mark in NCAA Tournament games in Knoxville
Gives the Lady Vols a 105-20 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament
Gives the Lady Vols a 76-13 mark all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed
Gives the Lady Vols a 14-0 record in NCAA First Round games as a No. 1 seed
Gives the Lady Vols a 6-0 all-time mark against Austin Peay
Gives the Lady Vols a 4-0 all-time record in Knoxville against the Lady Govs
Gives the Lady Vols a 46-15 mark all-time against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference
Gives the Lady Vols a 2-0 mark against Austin Peay in the NCAA Tournament
Gives the Lady Vols a 29-2 record in TV games this season
Head Coach Pat Summitt’s career record now stands at 1,036-195 (.842) all time

Sophomore Alyssia Brewer:

Finished with nine rebounds and eight points

Sophomore Kelley Cain:

Had the first basket of the game – a turnaround, fade-away jumper at the 19:22 mark

Had six of UT’s eight points at the first media timeout

Scored double digit points for the 27th time

Tallied her sixth career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds

Is in sixth place in the UT record books with 154 career blocks; Nicky Anosike is fifth with 161

Owns the UT single season blocks record with 105 on the season

Sophomore Shekinna Stricklen:

Finished with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals

Finished with her 44th career double digit scoring game

Junior Angie Bjorklund:

Finished with 14 points and two assists

Finished with her 56th career double figure scoring effort

Made at least four three-pointers for the 23rd time in her career

She now has 1,126 career points

Is in third place in the UT annals with 227 career three pointers made; Kara Lawson is second with 256

Is in second place in the UT single season records with 97 threes on the year; Shanna Zolman is first with 103

NO. 16 SEED AUSTIN PEAY LADY GOVS POST-GAME QUOTES

Head Coach Carrie Daniels

Opening Statement:

“Obviously we got off to a really slow start and we couldn’t get the ball down and that’s kind of been throughout this season when the games have started this way, it’s been a rough go for our team. When we get going and a quick basket we’ve been a little more to our step. When you have a couple players that step up and score for you and other players who have a rough night shooting it makes for a long night and that’s kind of the way it went for us today.”

We talked about how huge they were, after a while what were you telling the players about just battling [Kelley] Cain and all that size?

“One that we weren’t going to quit fighting until that final buzzer and we had to keep attacking and taking it at them, that was the main thing. I was pretty disappointed that at half time we were down only one rebound and in the second half we only get eight rebounds, you know that was pretty disappointing but that was the main thing that we had to keep fighting we couldn’t hang our heads and get disappointed in ourselves that we had to keep fighting.”

To follow up on Cain, do you play anyone like her at any other time and when you watch film when you’re preparing for Tennessee what do you do?

“Well we played a pretty tough non-conference schedule. We played Xavier and Pittsburgh which have pretty similar size players at that height. I’ll be quite honest with you, prior to this game we got out some broomsticks and made the players shoot over those to simulate because obviously we don’t have any players on our roster of that height. We had to get a little creative and put some things out there for them to shoot over, but we felt like with our non-conference schedule that would help prepare us with some of the players we went up against.”

We talked yesterday about how Ashley [Herring] has finally got it, and she certainly got it today with 21 points she left it all on the floor:

“That’s been her this season, the talents always been there with Ashley for two years, her freshman and sophomore years I have harped on her and harped on her to step up and be the player I knew she could be and this season she has finally done that for us and she has kind of brought us here. She has kind of put the team on her back. I mean we have had other players step up, Jasmine and Nicole, but Ashley has been the one that when the game has been on the line she wanted the ball she’s just really stepped up for this team and I had no doubts she would do the same thing today.”

There are a lot of people who will come into this post game afterwards upset, your players and you still smile, is there a sense of pride for how you guys played out there today?

“Well, there are things that I was disappointed with, the way we handled the ball and some of the turnovers we had. We knew that Tennessee was going to come after us with the pressure and they were going to force some turnovers, but I think we had some turnovers that were unforced and we kind of lost our head, so there were things that I was obviously disappointed with in ourselves. But it’s a great experience and what I told my team in the locker room is we have to draw from this experience, we have one senior and we have a lot of players on our team that this is their second experience being here in the NCAA tournament, and I expect them to be here next year. With our non-conference schedule we didn’t do our part this year in competing in the non conference schedule, and I expect them next year to come back hungry and ready to compete in our non conference schedule to where we are not a 16 seed, and that’s my goal. You know all season long we have tried to look for little things, and look at the positives, I’m not one that tries to look at the negatives. We have done that all season long, I’m proud of this team for overcoming a lot. They said we were only the 8th team with a losing record to make the NCAA tournament, I think that speaks volumes for my team, to overcome what they did to make this tournament field. They are competitors who did it with heart guts and determination, and I am very proud of them for even being here.”

Junior Guard/Forward Ashley Herring

On the intimidation factor of playing Tennessee on its home court:

“Tennessee is a great team, but at the same time, we went in there with the mindset that ‘this is going to be a competition.’ I don’t think it was intimidating. They outsized us, but at the same time we were able to get points in the paint. I don’t think it was so much intimidation as it was we didn’t really play our game tonight.”

On her scoring six straight points in the first half:

“I remember crashing the boards. I got some easy points from crashing the boards and attacking. That’s a lot of our team’s game, taking whatever opportunities we could to score, taking advantage of it.”

On their shots not falling early:

“Anytime your shots aren’t falling, it’s a little frustrating. You lose focus. You’re off to a slow start and they’re scoring, but you’re not hitting shots. It’s very frustrating. When we did start to score it put a lot more people at ease. (We thought) Now we’re in a rhythm, let’s do this and try and make some runs. When the shots aren’t falling, what can you do?”

On being able to keep the first-half rebounding margin close:

“I think that’s a great accomplishment. They’re huge, they outsized us, but we do always fight really hard on the boards and it wasn’t going to be any different for any team we were going to play.”

On being able to get to the rim:

“That’s my game. I like to get to the rim. I did take into question that they’re really tall and I might have to pull up. When I saw openings, that’s a part of my game I like to do. I was able to do it, and that gave more people the motivation to do it.”

Sophomore Forward/Center Jasmine Rayner

On playing hard:

“You have to play your hardest and give it your all. It’s all or nothing. We had nothing to lose so we went out there and played.”

On her size disadvantage vs. UT’s Kelley Cain:

“She’s huge, and because I was playing someone as tall as she is, I had to find other ways try and score. I couldn’t stay strictly in the paint and try to shoot over her because she can just block my shot. I had to try to do other things, like getting rebounds. (On defense) I had to fight to work with her, to get around her. I couldn’t let her pin me as low as she did, but she did a few times. I had to fight to get around her. I knew if I was going to get pinned low, she would just turn around and shoot over me.”

On their shots not falling early:

“When your shots aren’t falling, you just have to get back on defense and do what you could do. There’s nothing we can do about it if we’re putting up shots and they’re not going in.”

NO. 1 SEED TENNESSEE LADY VOLS POST-GAME QUOTES

Head Coach Pat Summitt

Opening Statement:

“I thought we came ready to play. We started out really strong then kind of gave in to fatigue and that is when you have to start coaching a little bit more. Kelley (Cain) has a done a great job. Today, she really worked for the ball, and we were able to get the ball inside. You have to give our guards a lot of credit for getting her touches. Lyssi (Brewer) did some good things, but she can be so much better. We will challenge her for the next game, and I think she will respond to that. Shekinna Stricklen pushed tempo. She has really elevated her intensity both offensively and defensively. Pushing tempo for us is something she does better than anyone right now. What can you say about Angie Bjorklund? She is going to hunt shots, and she is going to knock down shots for us. It takes a lot of pressure off of our defense. A good win, and we will try to get a little bit better before our next game.”

What is the difference in the atmosphere and the attitude of the players from last year to this year?

“Last year we struggled at times, and we did not always play together. We did not always play hard. It was like a wait and see in every game we played. It was very frustrating for the coaching staff. This program has high expectations. They thought they would just come here, put on the orange uniform and win. It doesn’t happen like that. After we came back and started to work, they were confused as to why we would go back and go right back to practice. They thought it was punishment, but I said it was an opportunity for this basketball team to get better between now and the opening of our next season. Their investment was tremendous. I give Heather Mason [Assistant Athletics Director for Strength and Conditioning] a lot of credit for being very creative off the court. Our workouts were hard for me to watch sometimes. They were that tough. But it brought out the toughness in each and every one of players.”

What did you say during halftime about being only being up by one rebound?

“I was not happy. Our rebounding has got to be there every night. The rebounds can separate us out. Our defense and our board play are critical for us all the time. That is why we put a place of emphasis on it. We had roll call, and they responded. Brewer was picking and choosing when she was going to play hard. I had no idea what Glory Johnson was going to do or Kamiko Williams. Those are three players that are difference makers for us. Hopefully tomorrow after I watch film with all three of them and we get back on the court, they will be a little bit better.”

What effect does the first game have on the rest of the tournament?

“It sets the tone. When you come out and you are ready to play, it is a feel-good for our coaching staff, our team, our fans, our administration that we are ready to play and take it up to the highest level. That why I was not happy at halftime. It is my job to make sure I am holding everyone accountable including myself. I do think this team plays very well together. They are unselfish. They understand playing from the inside out. They are committed defensively. We have to get every player in that circle to understand what you have to bring every night.”

Junior Guard Angie Bjorklund

On the difference in playing the first round at home this year as opposed to being on the road last year:

“Like I always say, anywhere we go, our fan support is going to be great. When you have your regular routine down and the fan support, it’s great. We didn’t know what to expect, but when we ran out there, it was all orange. We were really excited. Like Coach says, we need to give the fans something to cheer about and that’s what we did.”

Sophomore Center Kelley Cain

On Tennessee’s effectiveness at scoring in the paint:

“Every time we get in the paint, we make sure we don’t post up with our hands, we post up with our upper body. We try to show big targets for the guards so they can get it into us.”

On Tennessee winning the rebound battle 47-28:

“We know that rebounds win championships and that’s one thing we really try to do is rebound it. If we can’t do anything else – if your shots aren’t falling, you should be rebounding on both ends. It’s just something the coaches stress with us.”

NO. 1 SEED TENNESSEE LADY VOLS NOTES

Redshirt sophomore Kelley Cain tallied her sixth career double-double with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Cain had six of Tennessee’s eight points at the first media timeout.
Tennessee opened the game on a 15-0 run and held Austin Peay without a field goal to the 13:14 point.
Junior Angie Bjorklund was 4-of-12 from three-point range, it is the 23rd time in her career that she has made at least four threes in a game.
The win extends Tennessee’s overall winning streak to 15 games and its home winning streak to 18 games.
Tennessee out-rebounded Austin Peay, 47-28, the 31st time this season UT has won the battle of the boards.
Tennessee out-rebounded Austin Peay 26-8 in the second half.
Tennessee never trailed in a game for the eighth time this season.
Tennessee improved to 76-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and has won 13 consecutive games as a No. 1 seed.
All 10 Lady Vols played at least four minutes.
Tennessee improved to 105-20 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

NO. 16 SEED AUSTIN PEAY LADY GOVS NOTES

Austin Peay finished the season with a 15-18 overall record. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Lady Govs.
Austin Peay is now 0-7 in the NCAA Tournament. This was the sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 10 seasons for the Lady Govs, all of which have come from the Ohio Valley Conference automatic bid.
The last time Austin Peay played in the NCAA Tournament was the 2009 season when it was a No. 16 seed and lost to No. 1-seed Duke 83-42.
This was Austin Peay’s second trip to Knoxville, Tenn., for an NCAA Tournament appearance. The last time the Lady Govs played in Knoxville, they lost 80-38 in the first round of the 2001 Mideast Regional.
Ashley Herring led the Lady Govs in scoring with 21 points as the only Austin Peay player to score in double figures. It was the 16th time this season Herring led the Lady Govs in scoring. Herring was 8-of-14 shooting, 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
Jasmine Rayner scored eight points and collected six rebounds. Rayner came into the game having collected back-to-back double-doubles in the OVC Tournament. She had 20 points and 11 rebounds against Morehead State, and 12 points and 10 rebounds against Eastern Illinois.
Nicole Jamen did not score for Austin Peay. She entered the game having collected three consecutive double-doubles.
The loss drops Austin Peay’s record against Tennessee to 0-6.
The Lady Govs fell to 1-12 on the season when their opponent shoots a higher field-goal percentage. Austin Peay shot 30.2 percent in the game to Tennessee’s 46.3 percent.