Hoops Preview: N0. 12/12 Lady Vols vs. Florida A&M

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 12/12 Tennessee closes out an eight-day, three-game home stand on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, as Florida A&M pays at visit to Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Lady Vols stand at 2-0 after capturing at 73-46 victory over UNC Asheville on Wednesday night in Knoxville. The Rattlers, meanwhile, come to Rocky Top with a 0-2 record after a 64-53 loss at North Florida on Friday evening in Jacksonville, Fla. This marks the second all-time meeting between these programs but first since the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

After Sunday’s match-up, the Lady Vols will prepare to hit the road for the first time, as they travel to Bimini, Bahamas, for the 2018 Junkanoo Jam at Resorts World Bimini on Nov. 22-24. The Lady Vols depart Tuesday afternoon and open play against Clemson on Thanksgiving day at 3 p.m. ET in the tournament’s Junkanoo Division. The winner meets the winner of Oklahoma/UAB at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while the loser plays the OU/UAB loser at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.

Florida A&M will play its next game and spend its Thanksgiving in Miami, taking part in the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament. The Rattlers are schedule to meet FIU at noon on Friday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Michael Wottreng (play-by-play), Madison Blevins (analyst) and Maddy Glab (sideline) will describe the action for the UT-Florida A&M online broadcast on SECN+.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

PROMOTIONS FOR THE GAME

It’s Knox County Schools Day. Donate two school supplies items and receive one complimentary ticket. Please donate at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entering Thompson-Boling Arena. All donations benefit the Knox County School Supply.
Enjoy the pre-game Kids’ Corner at Gate F. It opens one hour prior to tip-off! Fun includes free face painting, the Big Orange prize wheel, visits from Smokey, cheerleaders and – on Nov. 18 – Smokey X! The Kids’ Corner crafts include princess crowns for National Princess Day and hand turkeys!
There will be postgame lay-ups. Kids 12 & younger can shoot a lay-up on the court after the game!
Kids 12 & younger can pick-up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pre-game High-5 Tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, contact 865-946-7000.
Free parking & shuttle service will be available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip.
The UT men’s basketball team used the successful campaign, #FeedTheFloor, a year ago, and this year the Lady Vols are reinforcing the importance of active, vocal fans with a #SparkTheSummitt initiative. Fans can ignite the home team’s players on their appropriately-named court (The Summitt) with relentless enthusiasm. Fans can give their all for Tennessee, just like the Lady Vols.

LADY VOL NOTABLES

COUNT OF 10: UT forced four backcourt violations all last season. They already have prevented foes from crossing the timeline five times in 2018-19 (4 vs. Presb.).
TURN ‘EM OVER: Lady Vol opponents are committing an average of 29.5 turnovers per game. UT forced 39 by Presbyterian in the opener, which was the most by a foe since Dec. 9, 1992 (40 by Charlotte).
GETTING TO THE LINE: Tennessee has gone to the free throw line 56 times in two games for an average of 28 per contest (17.0 made). UT’s foes have shot 22 FTs for an average of 11 per game (7.0 made).
HITTING THREES: The Lady Vols have made 12 of 27 threes and are hitting 44.4 percent after shooting 30.7 a year ago. Five UT players already have hit threes. Only six Lady Vols hit threes last season.
CONSISTENT SCORING: UT has scored 21 or more points in seven of eight quarters this season. The anomaly was eight/3Q vs. UNCA.
SHARING THE MINUTES: UT’s Holly Warlick has spread out the minutes among her players during UT’s exhibition and first two regular-season games. No player saw more than 25 minutes of action vs. Carson-Newman, Presbyterian or UNCA, except Rennia Davis (28 vs. UNCA).
EFFICIENT WESTBROOK: Evina Westbrook leads the team in scoring (15.5), 3FG% (1.000), assists (4.5) and steals (3.5) in only 19.5 minutes per game.
PLAYING WITH A CHIP…: Rae Burrell is the only UT freshman who didn’t make the McDonald’s All-American Game, but she leads her Lady Vol classmates at 12.0 ppg. and 6.5 rpg. (tied with Mimi Collins) through two games.

ABOUT THE RATTLERS

FAMU is directed by LeDawn Gibson, who is in her 11th season at the school and owns an 142-165 record.
Gibson is a 2000 graduate of Warner Southern College.
The Rattlers welcome 13 newcomers this season out of a roster of 16, including eight freshmen, three junior college transfers and two graduate transfers.
Center Shalaunda Burney-Robinson is the leading returning scorer and rebounder from 2017-18 at 9.5 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. Forward Dy’Manee Royal was close behind at 8.1 ppg. and 6.3 rpg.
Florida A&M finished 8-24 last season, including 3-12 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Ten players departed the team after last year, including All-MEAC Second Team selection Florence Quattara, who averaged 14.5 ppg.

UT/FAMU SERIES NOTES

Sunday’s match-up between the Lady Vols and Rattlers will be the second-ever meeting between the programs.
The last time these schools met, back on March 16, 1995, a No. 3/2 Lady Vols squad rolled to a 96-59 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
FAMU is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and UT owns a 4-0 record against current members of the league.
The last MEAC team UT met was Florida A&M in 1995.

UT’S LAST GAME

Five Tennessee players scored in double figures, fueling the No. 12/12-ranked Lady Vols to a 73-46 win over UNC Asheville Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Senior guard Meme Jackson led Tennessee (2-0) with a team-high 13 points, while redshirt senior forward Cheridene Green tallied 12 on 5-of-6 shooting to help UT improve to 2-0 on the season. Sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook chipped in 11 points, while sophomore forward Rennia Davis returned from missing Sunday’s game to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds, as did freshman guard/forward Rae Burrell.
UNC Asheville (0-2) got 14 points from Sonora Dengokl and 12 from Ali Trani, who was 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line.
Although shooting 39 percent from the floor on the night, Tennessee hit at a 66.7 percent clip (8-of-12) in the fourth quarter to close the game. The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Bulldogs 46-24 on the glass, including 21-8 on the offensive end, and outscored UNCA 27-2 in second-chance points. UT also forced 20 turnovers by the visitors.

FAMU’S LAST GAME

The North Florida women’s basketball team picked up its second consecutive home win this week as the Ospreys came away victorious in a 64-53 decision over Florida A&M on Friday night in UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
FAMU fell behind 17-6 in the opening quarter and trailed 32-19 at the half after playing the Ospreys to within 15-13 in the second frame.
The Rattlers outscored North Florida, 18-14, in the third quarter, before the Ospreys sealed the decision with an 18-16 advantage in the final period.
Florida A&M put two players in double figures, including Mya Moye with a game-high 24, bolstered by 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Dy’Manee Royal added 11 for FAMU.

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