KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee women’s basketball team improved to 8-1 with Wednesday night’s 79-41 win over Colorado State at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Rennia Davis went over the 1,000-point mark for her Lady Volunteers career – the junior forward’s 23 points led all scorers Wednesday, when she also had 11 rebounds – and Chattanooga native Jazmine Massengill had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Tamari Key chipped in 11 points against the Rams (5-6), and Jordan Horston scored 10 and led the team in both rebounds, with 14, and assists, with seven.
Here are three observations from the win.
1. Massengill finds her spots: The 6-foot sophomore guard who prepped at Hamilton Heights was shooting 33% for her Lady Vols career entering Wednesday and had made just six 3-pointers in those 40 games. Her 7-for-12 performance from the field against the Rams was impressive not simply because of the volume and the accuracy but the intelligence it showed. Massengill didn’t settle for 3-pointers (she missed the two she attempted); with a Colorado State defense that packed the paint and dared the Lady Vols to shoot, she instead chose to take makeable shots inside 3-point range. She’s a stat stuffer – she also had one steal and a block Wednesday – and if she can pick and choose her spots to take quality shots, scoring will be another place she can make a dent.
2. This was a (good) test: The Rams weren’t on par with the Lady Vols from a talent or size standpoint, but they chose to attempt the great equalizer – 3-point shooting – in an effort to compete. Colorado State attempted 44 shots (two-thirds of their field-goal attempts) from 3-point range Wednesday, with 10 of 11 players attempting at least 10. Why was that such an important test for Tennessee? The Lady Vols will encounter teams that have players in the frontcourt who can shoot the 3, and they’re going to have to be able to defend it, either with their posts or by communicating to prevent open looks. They did a good job Wednesday, but it won’t be the last time they face an opponent presenting that sort of challenge.