When the starting lineup was announced before Thursday night’s 78-56 win over Mississippi State, junior guard Shanna Zolman had a new number.
In honor of sophomore forward Sidney Spencer, who suffered a torn right anterior cruciate ligament in Wednesday’s practice, Zolman will wear Spencer’s No.1 for the remainder of the season.
After the tipoff, Zolman and her teammates set out to honor Spencer with their performances on the court.
UT (22-4, 12-1 SEC) shook off early shooting problems after hitting only 36.7 percent from the field in the opening half. Tennessee tried to attack from the perimeter, something that UT coach Pat Summitt wasn’t pleased with.
“The first half was a lot of quick shooting with no real commitment on the defensive end,” Summitt said. “I thought we didn’t have a commitment to getting the ball inside, with too many shots from the outside.
“The second half was Tennessee basketball.”
Returning to Tennessee basketball was all about pounding the ball into the post, where the Lady Vols had a decisive height advantage. Mississippi State (16-10, 5-8) has only one player on the roster taller than 6-foot-3.
“We had an advantage on the inside in terms of having more height there than Mississippi State,” Summitt said. “In the second half, we worked the ball into the post more effectively. Fluker came in and gave us tremendous presence on the low block.”
In her third game since returning to the power forward position, senior forward Shyra Ely contributed 27 points, including 20 points inside the paint. Fluker added 13 points off the bench, while freshman forward Nicky Anosike tossed in eight points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Lady Vol post players have a bigger role to fill with the loss of Spencer, who was averaging 5.2 points and four rebounds per game. Summitt thinks that takes away a few options.
“Unfortunately, our injuries have put us in this situation,” Summitt said. “We’re a little more limited right now. Dominique (Redding) and how she performs will be big for this team. She put in some quality minutes today.”
Redding hit 3 of 4 shots for eight points in 15 minutes of play against the Bulldogs.
The Lady Vols had their hands full defensively guarding against Bulldog guard Tan White. White, averaging 22 points per game, is considered one of the leading candidates for the SEC player of the year honors.
Guarded mainly by Ely, White hit 7 of 19 from the field for 19 points and picked up four steals in the game. With a second-half steal, White became the SEC’s all-time assists leader.
Summitt, for one, will be glad when she’s gone.
“I’m glad she’s a senior,” Summitt said. “She’s a terrific guard. She may in fact be the best guard in the country.”
White, along with three other Mississippi State seniors, were honored prior to the game as part of UT’s Senior Night ceremonies. They were presented with flowers and White received a rousing ovation.
“I thought that was really special,” White said. “As seniors, it was like being a part of their program tonight. To have fans support both sides is special.”
Zolman, who hit 12 points in the game, shared her motivation for switching numbers.
“Sid’s my girl,” Zolman said. “She’s my best friend in the world. When she went down, part of me went down. It really hurt me that as a player, she’s not going to be out there with us. I wanted to do what I could to show her that she’s still out here with us.
“I want the rest of this season to be for her.”
