University of Tennessee Athletics
Carter, Graves Step Up For Lady Vols
December 12, 2015 | Women's Basketball
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
WICHITA, Kan. -- Once again it was not easy for the Lady Vols, but when crunch time came against Wichita State, a pair of veteran leaders took over the game to propel Tennessee to a 58-51 win over the Shockers.
Andraya Carter and Bashaara Graves combined for the final 16 points for UT as the Lady Volunteers pulled away down the stretch. For the game, Tennessee’s first on the road in the 2015-16 season, the pair had 32 of Tennessee’s 58 points.
“It was giving all of our effort and just playing hard,” Graves said. “We didn’t want to lose and that started with just playing hard.”
Graves’ effort was evident in more than just the scoring column. She pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds, 11 of those of the offensive end. The rebounding fueled her scoring in the paint.
“I just wanted to come out and play as hard as I can for my team,” she said. “I knew they [Wichita State] emphasize going to the boards on offense and I took advantage of that.”
Her taking advantage was exactly what head coach Holly Warlick had drawn up for her senior.
“I think Graves is the glue to our offense,” Warlick said. “I thought she came up with huge rebounds for us, 11 offensive rebounds. She fought hard and hit big free throws at the end. She was a tough kid tonight.”
Tennessee needed every bit of that toughness. After the Shockers took a 44-42 lead with 7:51 to play, Graves was fouled trying to put back a Tennessee miss. But she missed the pair of free throws that would have tied the game. The misses would prove to be a turning point for her and for Tennessee.
“I was definitely angry after missing those free throws,” Graves said. “I wanted to get the ball back for my team. I saw I could get the steal and I went for it.”
Graves stepped in front of a Diamond Lockhart pass and drove straight for the basket to tie the game at 44-44.
“I think she just got mad missing the free throws,” Warlick said. “It was a huge steal for her. One thing you see that has gotten better about Bashaara’s game is that she has extended her game. She got a steal, went down like a guard and scored a layup. I don’t know that two years ago she would have done that, but she’s put a lot of work in to stretching the defense.”
Tennessee then got back-to-back stops on defense, each of them leading to Carter nailing a wide-open jumper from the baseline to complete a 6-0 run that turned a deficit into a Lady Vol lead.
“We just found a spot and they gave it to me twice,” Carter said. “You have to take what they give you. Our threes haven’t been falling, so we’ve been emphasizing getting mid-range jumpers, attacking the pass and getting into the shot when you’re open and shooting with confidence. They were there both times and Jordan [Reynolds] found me both times and I just had to knock them down.”
From that point, Graves and Carter took turns driving the lane, scoring the final 10 points on layups and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
“The coaches were looking to us to step up as leaders and it trickled down to our teammates,” Carter said. “They were behind us the whole time. Every offensive rebound Bashaara got, they were screaming for her. That keeps you going. I hit those two jumpers and I could hear Alexa [Middleton], Jamie [Nared] and Kortney [Dunbar]. You hear those things. As we picked it up, they picked it up.”
Earning another hard-fought victory was exactly what the Lady Vols needed ahead of a west coast road swing that will see games at Stanford and Oregon State.
“Confidence is something you have to work with, you can’t force it,” Carter said. “You have to let it come to you. We just keep working, keep sticking with it, you can’t lose faith.”
