Rutgers’ Rachel Hollivay (1) blocks s a shot by Tennessee’s Bashaara Graves (12) during their game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, in Piscataway, N.J.PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Holly Warlick was taught at a young age by Pat Summitt that defense and rebounding would be what wins games.
With the offense struggling against Rutgers, the Lady Vols were able to count on those two staples to pull off the 55-45 victory Sunday.
“You’re going to have some nights, you won’t shoot the ball very well,” Warlick said. “If you’re solid on the defensive end and a great rebounding team you got a chance to win the game. That’s what happened for us.”
The 11th-ranked Lady Vols shot just 28 percent from the field, but outrebounded Rutgers 54-42 and held the 17th-ranked team to just one field goal over the game’s final 7:14.
Tennessee’s Isabelle Harrison shoots between Rutgers defenders Betnijah Laney, left, and Tyler Scaife during the first half of their game Sunday in Piscataway, N.J. “The main thing we wanted to focus on was the defensive end, we knew our shots weren’t falling,” said Isabelle Harrison, who had all 11 of her points in the second half. “We got to get a stop, play defense, that’s what carried us through the game.”