University of Louisville
TENNESSEE
Women's Basketball Falls To No. 4 Tennessee, 63-50
November 12, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Postgame interview with Jeff Walz
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Freshman Meighan Simmons scored 22 points and a record crowd saw No. 4 Tennessee beat Louisville 63-50 on Friday night in the first regular-season game at the new KFC Yum! Center.
The game set a BIG EAST women's attendance mark of 22,124. That topped the 19,123 that then-No. 1 Connecticut drew in a visit to Freedom Hall on Jan. 12, 2008.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 14 points for Tennessee, which improved to 34-3 in season openers.
Monique Reid had 19 points for Louisville in a loss that snapped a five-game winning streak in openers for the Cardinals.
It was a sloppy game as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball or find the basket. Louisville led 8-2 before Tennessee took the lead for good at 11-10 on a layup by Glory Johnson.
This opener pitted experience versus youth.
Tennessee is junior laden with nearly every player back from a team that went 32-3 last season. The Lady Vols won the championship in 2008, but have made earlier-than-expected exits from the last two NCAA tournaments.
Louisville's roster is stocked with the highest recruited group of freshmen in school history. That includes Shoni Schimmel, the highest-ranked player ever to sign with the Cardinals.
But it was tough to tell who had more freshmen as both teams traded turnovers and bad shots throughout.
The Lady Vols wound up with 29 turnovers, their highest total since committing 30 on Jan. 4, 1986, at West Virginia. Louisville, with the excuse of so many freshmen, had 22.
Early on, it looked as if the Lady Vols didn't realize this game counted. They missed their first seven shots, including a jumper from Stricklen that never came near the rim as it flew over, and they couldn't control the ball either.
Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, starting her 37th season, tried to take advantage of having her two top post players healthy by playing 6-foot-6 Kelley Cain and 6-4 Vicki Baugh early. It didn't help as both picked up two quick fouls.
Meanwhile, Schimmel had seven of the Cards' 15 turnovers in the first half despite playing only nine minutes.
Simmons got going in her own debut, hitting a jumper to cap a 10-0 spurt for a 15-5 lead midway through the first half.
Louisville didn't go away, not with that crowd ramping up the energy every time the Cardinals hit a big basket.
Each time the Cardinals scored to trim the lead, Tennessee answered. Reid's fastbreak layup pulled the Cardinals within 32-31 in the opening minutes of the second half, and Cain scored six straight buckets underneath for Tennessee.
Becky Burke hit a three that pulled Louisville within 40-36 with 12:40 left.
Simmons took over. She got the rebound of her own miss and scored. She then hit back-to-back threes before Stricklen's layup gave Tennessee a 55-44 lead with 5:11 to go.
