Postgame Notes: UT 77, Pitt 67

March 23, 2015

Tennessee Notes:
THE SERIES

This was the fifth meeting between the two programs.

Tennessee now has a 5-0 record in the series with the Panthers.

The teams last met in the 2007 NCAA Second Round in Pittsburgh.

UT has is 107-22 vs. current teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Tennessee is 17-4 vs. teams in the ACC during the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the Lady Vols are 20-1 vs. unranked teams, having only lost to Chattanooga. UTC lost to Pitt in the first game of the regional.

The Lady Vols have a 1,276-284 all-time record in their 70th season,

Under Holly Warlick, the Lady Vols are 7-2 in NCAA tourney play.

Tennessee's 29 wins ties for the most victories in a season under Holly Warlick and are the most by UT since the 2010-11 season.

IN THE NCAA TOURNEY

The Lady Vols are marking their 34th appearance in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Tennessee is the only program to appear in all 34 tournaments.

Tennessee is 119-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.

UT is 54-1 record in the first two rounds of the tournament.

The Lady Vols are 27-0 all-time in the NCAA Second Round.

Tennessee is 44-0 at home in NCAA First/Second Round play.

This is the third-straight season, and the fifth time in six years, that UT has hosted the first and second rounds.

UT is now 56-0 all-time in home NCAA Tournament games.

SUCCESS AT HOME

The Lady Vols are 18-0 at home this season and have won 22 in a row in Thompson-Boling Arena, dating to a Feb. 20, 2014, in a win vs. Auburn.

UT has logged its first undefeated home season since 2010-11 (17-0).

With the win over Pitt, the Lady Vols break the record for most wins at Thompson-Boling Arena (18).

The 18 home wins are the most ever by the team at the arena and a school record.

FOR STARTERS

Today's starters: Bashaara Graves, Cierra Burdick, Jordan Reynolds, Andraya Carter and Ariel Massengale.

Entering the game, this unit had played a combined 37 NCAA Tournament games.

Not one single Lady Vol has started every game this season. Reynolds has started in all but one game.

With today's starting lineup, Tennessee is 6-2 this season.

The jump ball was controlled by Tennessee.

The first Tennessee points were scored by Cierra Burdick on a jumper.

OFF THE BENCH

Jaime Nared was one of the first Lady Vols off the bench for her fourth straight game, checking in with 15:15 left in the first half. It marked her 12th time being the first off the bench.

Nia Moore and Alexa Middleton came into the game with 13:02 left in the first half.

A-MASS MOVES INTO RECORD BOOK FOR TREYS

With two 3-point shots against Pitt, senior Ariel Massengale moved up in the record books for most treys made in a single season.

Massengale has a total of 59 made 3-point field goals this season, which moves her into the No. 8 position, joining Meighan Simmons (2012-13) and Shannon Bobbitt (2006-07).

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING

Four Lady Vols scored in double digits: Bashaara Graves, Cierra Burdick, Ariel Massengale and Andraya Carter.

The Lady Vols went on their 32nd run of 10-0 or more in 34 games during the first half when they went 10-0.

Jordan Reynolds earned a personal NCAA-high nine points.

Carter also scored a personal NCAA tourney-high 10 points.

Graves scored back-to-back in double digits for the first time since Alabama (2/19) and S. Carolina (2/23). She tallied 21 points and had 24 vs. Boise St.

Graves carded her eighth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Lady Vols were unselfish, with 17 assists, including four from Jordan Reynolds and Ariel Massengale.

With the win, UT earned its ninth wire-to-wire win and its first since the regular season finale vs. Vandy.

THE BEAST CAME TO PLAY

Bashaara Graves logged back-to-back games with double-digit scoring for the first time since Alabama (2/19) and S. Carolina (2/23). She tallied 21 points and had 24 Saturday vs. Boise State.

Graves carded her eighth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

For the first time in her career, Graves scored 20-plus points in consecutive games.

Graves grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, which was also a NCAA tourney high.

REBOUNDING WINS GAMES

Jordan Reynolds grabbed a personal NCAA tourney high six rebounds.

Bashaara Graves tallied a season-high 14 rebounds.

The Lady Vols outrebounded the Panthers, 46-29.

In the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Vols have grabbed 92 total rebounds compared to their opponents' 57, bringing UT's rebounding margin to +35.

Tennessee collected 40 or more rebounds for the fourth time in five games.

UT-PITT CONNECTIONS

Pitt freshman Aysia Bugg is a product of Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School, which is where both Ariel Massengale and Nia Moore attended.

AT THE HALF

The Lady Vols led the Panthers, 35-23 and held Pitt scoreless for the final 4:55.

Tennessee shot 45.5 percent (15-33) while Pitt shot 30.8 percent (8-26).

Tennessee outrebounded UP, 23-11.

UT led in points in the paint (16-10), second chance points (7-2) and fast break points

NEXT UP

The Lady Vols will face 11th-seeded Gonzaga in the NCAA Third Round on Saturday, March 28, for the chance to reach the Elite Eight.

Pittsburgh Notes:

In four all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, Pitt now owns a 6-4 record. The Panthers have logged at least one win in all four of their tourney appearances.

Senior point guard Brianna Kiesel's team-high 32 points were the most ever by a Panther in an NCAA Tournament game. The previous record was 31, set by Shavonte Zellous

in first-round win over Montana on March 21, 2009. With her two assists, Kiesel tied Jania Sims (2006-11) for fifth place on Pitt's all-time career list. Both players' four-year assists total stand at 433.

Freshman forward Yacine Diop came one rebound short of logging a double-double, as she finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

NCAA Tournament Notes:

Due to an administrative technical foul (Pitt's starting lineup was not input in the official scorebook by the 10-minute mark on the pregame clock), Tennessee senior Ariel Massengale shot two free throws before the opening tip. Both free throws were misses, and the game remained scoreless at tipoff, which was won by Tennessee.

Monday's meeting was the first between Tennessee and Pitt since the No. 1-seeded Lady Vols defeated the No. 8-seeded Panthers, 68-54, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2007, in Pittsburgh. Tennessee advanced and went on to win its seventh national championship.

Monday's contest was the final collegiate basketball game on the current Thompson-Boling Arena playing floor.

The total, three-game attendance for the 2015 Knoxville Regional was 12,151. That per-game average of 4,050 was the third-highest among first- and second-round sites (South Carolina averaged 10,565; Maryland averaged 7,871).

Monday's attendance marked the sixth-largest crowd thus far in the 2015 NCAA Tournament (through Monday's games).

University of Tennessee Athletics

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