Tennessee beat Georgia at its own game Monday night.
The No. 20 Lady Bulldogs have pestered opponents all season long with a strong inside presence combined with quick, flashy guard play.
But the Lady Vols turned that around in their 77-70 win. After Georgia used guard tandem Janese Hardrick and Sherill Baker to pound the ball inside to freshman post sensation Tasha Humphrey early, Tennessee used UGA’s own trick to turn the game in its favor.
Utilizing at times a three-guard lineup of freshmen Alexis Hornbuckle and Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood and senior Loree Moore, the Lady Vols used a stark pressure defense to force 15 first-half turnovers. Tennessee also picked off 10 steals in the opening half, led by Moore’s three.
“Our three-guard perimeter game was very effective for us,” UT coach Pat Summitt said. “The three of them together allow us to really push the tempo and pressure the ball defensively.”
Using what the team learned in practice was significant in forcing Georgia out of sync offensively.
“We were on our toes defensively,” Hornbuckle said. “We knew that they were sharp and we had to be really intense on defense and not miss a beat. We used our scouting report well.”
The team was determined not to get off track opening up the second half.
“At the half, the team said we’ve got to keep the pressure on,” Summitt said. “We’ve got to keep pushing them.”
For the game, Tennessee forced Georgia into forking over the ball 36 times, with 23 turnovers and 13 steals.
Tennessee converted 19 points off Georgia turnovers.
The inside game was also a Tennessee plus for the game. Humphrey, who averaged 18.7 points per game coming into the contest, scored her points. She picked up 25 points off 10-of-16 shooting.
But Tennessee forward Sidney Spencer put a strong body on Humphrey, frustrating her in the post and leading to four fouls of her own.
“Inside, it looked like Tasha Humphrey was going to have her way all night long, but we had some nice defensive presence in there,” Summitt said. “She had to work for her shots.”
Humphrey dominated as a single player, but UT dominated the post play. The Lady Vols had 40 points in the paint to Georgia’s 24. Tennessee also outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs by a 43-37 margin by crashing hard to the boards.
After pounding the ball inside for most of the game, Tennessee lit it up from the perimeter in the closing minutes. Moore, after playing perhaps her best game of the year, was knocked out with an injury to her nose with 3:52 remaining. Her teammates took that as added incentive to finish strong.
“I thought Loree had great energy and intensity and good leadership tonight,” Summitt said. “She looked more like the Loree Moore of the past than she has this year.”
Ultimately, it was Tennessee turning Georgia on its heels that flipped the game around.
“I was pleased that we had enough defensive intensity and intensity on the boards to finish this game out with a win,” Summitt said. “That’s the key to winning in the SEC.”
