KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Lady Vols began the season 8-0 for the second consecutive season and enter Friday night’s contest vs. ETSU ranked No. 9/8 in the country with an 8-1 record. Sophomore guard Evina Westbrook has played a key role in the team’s early-season success, averaging 18.0 points per game and doubling her scoring output from a year ago (8.4 ppg.).
The Salem, Ore., native paced the Lady Vols’ attack with 23 points in a victory over No. 12/12 Texas on Dec. 9 in Austin, Texas, and followed that with a 29-point, 10-assist double-double vs. No. 8/9 Stanford on Dec. 18. She became the first Lady Vol since Candace Parker in 2007-08 to record four consecutive 20-point scoring performances.
In a recent road win at Texas and a home match-up against Stetson, Westbrook averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per contest as the Lady Vols stayed unbeaten. The success comes despite UT fielding a team featuring seven freshmen or sophomores among 10 active players.
In the come-from-behind victory over Stetson, in which UT trailed 38-22 at half, Westbrook fueled an offensive attack that outscored the Hatters 43-17 in the final two quarters. Westbrook notched 20 points, while shooting a perfect nine of nine from the free throw line.
Her performances helped her collect SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. She also claimed College Sports Madness SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week accolades and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
The 6-foot guard is shooting 50 percent from the field in nine games this season, easily eclipsing her field goal percentage from a year ago (39 percent). She also has knocked down three-pointers at a 56-percent mark, which nearly doubles her accuracy from her freshman campaign (31 percent).
In 42 career games at UT, Westbrook has been in the starting lineup for every contest. The sophomore guard has improved every aspect of her game from a season ago. She offers some credit to a pair of UT men’s standouts, All-SEC players Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, whose work ethic she made sure to note and utilize in improving her skill set.
“I play one-on-one with the guys all the time,” Westbrook said. “I played with a men’s AAU team growing up, so I’m used to it. I like learning from them. The success they’ve had these past two years shows the overall work they put in. It helps me do the same thing. We learn from each other.”
A coveted recruit out of high school, Westbrook was the No. 2 overall player and No. 1 guard in the 2017 HoopGurlz espnW Top100. She was part of the nation’s No. 1 signing class for the Lady Vols.
She currently ranks third in the SEC in scoring at 18.0 per game and is fourth in assists at 5.3 per contest. She also stands ninth in field goal percentage (.504) and steals (1.8 spg.) while averaging 29.8 minutes per game.
During the 2017-18 campaign, the 33 games Westbrook started helped set the table for a successful sophomore season. Her 4.3 assists per game a year ago stood as the No. 2 all-time mark by a Lady Vol freshman, and her 12 dimes vs. Troy placed her seventh in the UT record book by any player. Still, there were the typical growing pains, frustrations and nagging injuries that can occur as high school players transition to the college game.
“You don’t realize how much of it takes a toll on you physically and mentally,” Westbrook said. “It’s such an advantage now, knowing the grind of the season.”
Lady Vols’ coach Holly Warlick and assistant coach Dean Lockwood‘s mentorship to Westbrook has helped the Oregon native mold her game, but she also has relied on her parents to critique parts of her game.
“My parents are a very big help,” Westbrook said. “They have been watching me since the first day I picked up a ball. Getting their input, when they see little things in my game, they tell me. These past few games especially have been very important for me.”
Westbrook has shown tremendous improvement in just a season and a half on Rocky Top, and she has helped guide a very youthful squad that has two sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup. She has helped steer the way for a Lady Vols unit that ranks No. 23 in the nation in scoring at 81.2 points per game.
“None of it could be done without my teammates,” Westbrook said. “It’s a team sport, and none of this could happen without everyone contributing and working together. We don’t like to lose, and we never doubt ourselves. That’s really special about this team.”
Westbrook and the Lady Vols will play their final contest before the winter break at 7 p.m. on Friday, as ETSU comes to Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be streamed by SECN+. UT returns to action after the break with home games on Dec. 28 (Murray State/7 p.m.) and Dec. 30 (Belmont/2 p.m.) to close out the pre-conference schedule.
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