AU WOMEN'S HOOPS: No. 5 Lady Vols slam Tigers

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Playing in front of a crowd of 12,353 at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena, Auburn (11-10, 2-6 SEC) fell, 85-56, Thursday night to the fifth-ranked Lady Vols(18-2, 6-1). Alli Smalley scored a game-high 21 points in the loss, her fourth 20-point game of the season.

“Tennessee played very well, shot the ball really well,” said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. “We did a poor job on transition defense and gave up a lot of looks from the 3. It was a good night for them, not for us, and we just have to get back up on the horse on Sunday.”

The Lady Vols shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range in the game for 56.5 percent. Junior guard Angie Bjorklund led the way, scoring 18 of her team-high 20 points from 3-point land, finishing the night at 6-of-12.

“We have to keep working hard and not let the team lose their belief in what we are doing,” said Fortner. “Our effort was good (Thursday), we worked hard, it was just not enough. Tennessee shot the ball so well and had 18 offensive boards, it is hard to play against that.”

Smalley finished the game with three 3-pointers of her own, along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Alli played so hard (Thursday) under a lot of pressure,” said Fortner. “She really had to work to get her shot off, they had her covered up pretty good. I’m really proud of her for what she did out there (Thursday).”

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the game following a KeKe Carrier layup and a 3-pointer from freshman Blanche Alverson. The Tigers did not trail through the first 5 minutes of the game, but Tennessee’s Kelley Cain scored on a putback with 14:41 left in the first half to give the Lady Vols a lead they would not give up.

Auburn kept the Tennessee lead in single digits until Alyssia Brewer got a putback and completed the 3-point play to give the Lady Vols a 10-point lead. UT would go on to take an 18-point, 43-25 lead at halftime.

Tennessee kept that momentum rolling in the second half, scoring the first 4 points of the period. The Lady Vols would go on to lead by as many as 33 points in the second half. Auburn was able to cut it down to 29 for the final score of 85-56.

With the Tigers playing in front of their largest crowd of the season, Fortner said it was a hard environment to play in, but she was proud of how her team fought.

“It does not matter what part of your season you are in, winning or losing, this is a tough place to play,” said Fortner. “The biggest thing is you want your kids to come in here and compete hard for 40 minutes, and we did that. There are no moral victories, but I am pleased with how my team fought out there.”

Tennessee shot 45.6 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from 3-point range. The Lady Vols also knocked down 10-of-14 free throw attempts for 71.4 percent. UT also became just the fifth team this season to outrebound Auburn, taking a 43-37 advantage.

The Tigers were 35.7 percent from the field (20-of-56), but knocked down 45.5 percent of their 3-pointers. Auburn made it to the free throw line 20 times, converting on 14 for 55.0 percent.

Alverson, Carrier and Morgan Toles followed Smalley with 8 points each. Carrier also pulled down a team-high six rebounds while blocking six shots.

Tennessee sophomore Glory Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points along with 13 rebounds. Bjorklund led the Lady Vols with 20 points, followed by Shekinna Stricklen with 17 and Brewer with 11.

The Tigers will return to action at 5 p.m. Sunday, hosting ninth-ranked Georgia at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.