KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee women's basketball team overcame a slow first quarter to run away from host Portland State and win 88-61 Saturday, completing a two-game road trip on the West Coast.
The 23rd-ranked Lady Volunteers (9-2) are now on Christmas break and will host Howard (8-4) at 2 p.m. next Sunday before starting Southeastern Conference play Jan. 2 against Missouri in Knoxville.
Here are three observations from Saturday's win:
1. Taking the good with the bad: In Wednesday's loss to top-ranked Stanford, the ball just didn't move when it was in Tennessee's possession. The Lady Vols had only seven assists as the Cardinal were content just sagging off and allowing the visitors to fire away from deep. Without the shooters to combat that, Tennessee's offense floundered. The Lady Vols were aggressive offensively against Portland State, though, and while Tennessee's 17 turnovers against the Vikings were a lot, they occurred in part because of an effort to share the ball - maybe too much. The 23 assists, though, are Tennessee's second most in a game this season - behind the 25 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff - and if the Lady Vols can find ways to create offense, they'll be competitive, because they should have a solid defense.
2. Good Rae: Sophomore Rae Burrell will never be considered a bashful player on the court - it's probably her greatest gift and possibly, at times, her biggest detriment. The performance she had at Portland State was the type that is ideal for her, though, as she provided an efficient 21 points in 23 minutes on 10-of-13 shooting. She also grabbed nine rebounds, four of them coming on the offensive end in what was quite possibly her best game of the season. As first-year Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper continues to try to find combinations she believes can work as she mixes and matches lineups, Burrell's ability to create will be something Harper undoubtedly figures out how to use.
3. More of the same: Yes, teams like Portland State understand the best way to remain competitive against the taller Lady Vols is to change the math and shoot a lot of 3s. It worked early in the contest, when the Vikings were 5-for-10 from 3-point range. But in the second and third quarters - when Tennessee outscored its hosts 47-16 - Portland State missed eight of nine 3-point attempts. It won't be the last time the Lady Vols see an opponent attempt such a strategy, but luckily for them, it also wasn't the first and they were prepared.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.