University of Tennessee Athletics
@LadyVol_Hoops Report (1/14/15)
January 14, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Head coach Holly Warlick, senior guard Ariel Massengale and freshman guard Alexa Middleton visited with the media before practice on Wednesday about #6/6 Tennessee's Thursday SEC road game at Auburn at 7 p.m. CT/8 ET.
SportSouth will have the live telecast between the Lady Volunteers (14-2/4-0 SEC) and Tigers (9-8/0-4 SEC) from Auburn Arena. The game also will be carried online on ESPN3, but it will be blacked out within the SEC footprint.
The Lady Vols enter the contest riding a 10-game winning streak and have won the last 11 games they've played against SEC foes. Their 14-2 start is the best by the program since 2010-11.
This will mark the 50th meeting between UT and AU, with Tennessee holding a 39-10 overall record vs. its opponent. The Lady Vols have won seven straight vs. the Tigers and are 12-5 when playing on The Plains.
BALL SECURITY KEY AGAINST AUBURN
While Auburn enters the game on a five-game losing skid and possesses a record that suggests the Tigers might not be competitive Thursday night, Warlick knows otherwise.
AU led #20/19 Georgia by as many as 11 on Sunday before the Bulldogs staved off the Tiger upset. Auburn also lost by only six to a St. John's squad that has been in and out of the top 25 this season.
She cited the abilities of 6-foot-1 senior guard Husina Muhammad and 6-3 junior forward/center Tra'Cee Tanner as two reasons why the Lady Vols shouldn't sleep on the Tigers.
"I think Muhammad is just outstanding," Warlick said. "That kid can get a shot off and make a shot anytime she wants. She's extremely athletic.
"(They're) a great pressing team. Terri's (AU head coach Terri Williams Flournoy) been known to press for 40 minutes. They're athletic, play hard. Tanner is big inside. I think she does a lot of good things.
"We've got our work cut out for us, I think, handling the ball. Our key is taking care of the basketball. If we can take care of the basketball and have the opportunity to score in the half-court game and not turn it over, it will be big for us."
MASSENGALE COMES OFF THE BENCH SHOOTING
Senior guard Ariel Massengale leads the team in shots beyond the arc and has five games with three or more treys. Her success on the floor comes in a new role for her this season - off the bench.
"I think she's comfortable with it," head coach Holly Warlick said. "She's getting just as much playing time, if not more. I think she's been really positive. I think she likes it. She's able to sit and see how the game flows, then come in and try to make a difference. I think she's handled it really, really well. We've needed her to do that. If she's going to keep playing the way she's playing, we're going to keep bringing her off the bench."
Massengale has contributed 178 of her 184 points as a reserve in 2014-15, including 96 points coming via three-point shots. The 5-foot-7 guard from Bolingbrook, Ill., who started 73 games over three seasons prior to her senior campaign, credits confidence and extra shooting for her success.
"I don't know what it is, honestly," Massengale said. "Extra shots in the gym always help. I definitely think my confidence is at an all-time high when it comes to shooting the three-ball."
"It's amazing. It brings so much energy to us on the offensive end when you're making shots. It makes it that much harder on the defense, and it can change a game like it did at Arkansas. I didn't even know the score at one point. I knew we were losing, and next thing I knew we were up 42-40 and they were calling a timeout that quick. It's a lot of fun."
Freshman Alexa Middleton views the senior's play as a jump-start for the offense, especially with her ability from beyond the arc.
"She does show leadership," Middleton said. "She'll come in at point guard and tell us where to go, give us advice. She comes in and hits that three. Everybody knows when it goes up it is going to go in. Those kinds of shots get us `hype,' get us going, so it's great to play with Ariel."
Warlick has no problem letting Massengale take as many three point attempts as she wants. Massengale currently is second in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (.423) and is tied for second in makes per game (2.2).
"I always think when she shoots a three, it's going in," Warlick said. "Always. I just think she takes makeable shots for her. She doesn't take a lot of ill-advised shots. She's accurate in that. I don't have a problem with her taking threes."
"If her threes ignite our energy, that's great. We'll take it."
WARLICK LIKES THREE-GUARD LINEUP
Size has always been a staple in the Lady Vol basketball program. That size has led to Tennessee's national reputation of owning the paint, most notably on the glass. While that may still ring true, Warlick has another weapon in her arsenal that she's been employing this season with success-a three-guard system.
Warlick wants to see her Lady Vols play an up-tempo style in order to find baskets in transition. She feels that playing three guards simultaneously results in a faster game that benefits her team.
"I like it," Warlick said. "We can all handle the ball, so it's not one person having to bring up the ball. We can rebound. We can outlet. We can get the ball down the floor, obviously a lot quicker with three guards that can handle the ball. I've enjoyed it."
Ariel Massengale trusts in the system as well, knowing that three guards on the floor can be difficult for the opposing team to guard.
"It definitely helps and makes us that much better," Massengale said "It's kind of like, `Who do you guard?' because everyone on the court can handle the ball and knock down shots and make plays."
Through four SEC games, a trio of guards--Andraya Carter, Ariel Massengale and Jordan Reynolds--have scored a little more than half of Tennessee's points, averaging 33.8 of the team's 65.6 points per game.
While Warlick acknowledges that the three-guard system typically provides the opponent with a height advantage, she is not worried.
"When we play aggressively on the ball, it allows you to probably play some smaller people," Warlick said. "It has hurt us a couple of times, but not to where we've needed to hurry up and get them out of the game."
Massengale believes that the three-guard lineup not only helps with Tennessee's transition offense, but also her ability to knock down shots beyond the arc.
"They do a great job of penetrating," Massengale said. "I just have my feet set so when they kick it to me, then I have to make those shots."
Through four SEC games, she has made 11 triples in 27 attempts for a 40.7 shooting percentage. For the season, she's hit 33-of-78 long balls for 42.3% and is averaging a team-leading 12.3 points per contest.
WARLICK PROVIDES UPDATES ON GRAVES, JONES
As the Lady Vols prepare to take on Auburn, Warlick gave a brief update on two Lady Vols and their health.
In the last two games, junior Bashaara Graves has played the fewest minutes she has all season due to feeling under the weather.
"She's better," Warlick said. "She had a little bug. I think she's gotten that straightened out and will be 100 percent. She just didn't have any energy. Just had some stuff going on, what's been going on with the cold."
Jasmine Jones has not played since the Stanford game on Dec. 20 after suffering a head injury. Warlick is in no rush to bring the junior forward back on the court without approval from doctors and until Jones is feeling well enough. There is no timetable for her return.
"It's kind of a 50/50 thing," Warlick said. "She's trying to work out. If she gets even a twinge of a headache, we shut it down. Concerned? Yes. I'd love to have her back, but we just can't push anything that involves her health. We continue to take it day by day. We just have to play it by ear."
