KNOXVILLE — Amber Gray made it look easy.
The Tennessee freshman's behind-the-back pass to fellow newcomer Shekinna Stricklen led to a fast-break layup, highlighting a nearly 12-minute run in the first half of the Lady Vols’ 85-50 win over Love & Basketball on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“It just happened,” said Gray, who had 10 points and three assists. “A lot of people think it's just a fancy pass, but what you don't know is at that time it's the easiest pass to make. ... It's just quicker to go behind the back. It's something that I used to practice all the time in high school.”
UT coach Pat Summitt said that style of up-tempo play suits the team's character.
“They’re unselfish,” said Summit. “I think that’s why the ball’s not getting stuck in people’s hands.”
Gray said the team's ball distribution shouldn't come as a surprise.
“I think coming in here people thought we were a team that wasn’t going to play together. ... Our assists are going to continue to go up because we have confidence in our team.”
Freshman point guard Briana Bass, who led with six of the team's 26 assists off the bench, used her speed to pressure the opposing defense and create scoring opportunities for teammates.
“She went to a different gear,” said Summitt, who added that she feels Bass is quicker with the ball than former Lady Vol and current WNBA player Shannon Bobbitt. Bobbitt, like Bass, stands at 5-foot-2.
Stricklen said she just tries to keep up with Bass' pace.
“Honestly I haven't been on the floor with someone that quick, especially at point guard,” said Stricklen, who had a team-high 16 points. “I just run with her and get to an open spot because I know she's looking for whoever's open.
“We’re a fast team. We know we can outrun you.”
Tennessee matched that speed with a dominant presence in the paint, totaling 54 rebounds. Freshman Alyssia Brewer grabbed 11 followed by redshirt freshman Kelley Cain with 10.
Sophomore guard Sydney Smallbone and Cain each scored 12 points while Brewer added 11.
After a 33-point night on Thursday against Carson-Newman in UT's exhibition opener, freshman Glory Johnson struggled from the field, making only two of 11 attempts. Five of her nine points came from free throws.
At the outset, Love & Basketball kept it close. Charlee Underwood's basket with 13:13 left in the first half gave Love & Basketball a 9-8 lead.
But the Lady Vols responded with a 34-4 run that spanned the remainder of the first half, highlighted by Gray's nifty dish to Stricklen.
Love & Basketball, a team composed of former college players from Southern California, lost 83-74 to Vanderbilt, which a preseason coaches' poll picked to win the Southeastern Conference.
But Love & Basketball head coach Colleen Matsuhara said she isn’t counting out UT.
“I think they’re underestimating the Lady Vols,” Matsuhara said. “I think it's a good year to sneak up on people.”
UT's lone senior Alex Fuller left the game early in the second half with an injury. Summitt would not comment on Fuller's condition, but said “she's feeling a lot better.”
Redshirt sophomore Cait McMahan (knee) didn't play in the game.
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