KNOXVILLE— The Lady Vols never trailed on their way to an 88-45 victory over outmatched Mississippi State. More encouraging than the win was Cierra Burdick’s return to the court. The sophomore forward broke her hand December 31st, and wasn’t expected to return until Sunday when the Lady Vols travel to Missouri. Burdick scored four points, grabbed five boards, and dished out three assists in 16 minutes of play.

Burdick scored 4 points in her return.
Photo by Randy Sartin

Tennessee led 42-18 at the break and held the Bulldogs to just 21% shooting in the first half. Mississippi State never threatened the Tennessee lead and fell to 0-34 all-time against the Lady Vols.

Offense: Tennessee won with a balanced attack tonight as four Lady Vols scored in double-figures; Meighan Simmons (21 points to lead all scorers), Taber Spani (15 points on 6-14 shooting), Kamiko Williams (10 points, 13 rebounds), and Bashaara Graves (10 points, seven rebounds). Williams grabbed her second career double-double to go along with six steals and six assists. With Harrison’s injury, Warlick is forced to play a small lineup and Williams will see her minutes increase moving forward. Her play will be key as Tennessee battles Kentucky for the SEC regular season title.

The Lady Vols shot 47.9% for the game.

Defense: A smothering Tennessee defense forced the Bulldogs to commit 26 turnovers, a season-high in SEC play for a Lady Vol opponent. Sophomore center Martha Alwal led Mississippi State in scoring with 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Without Harrison, Tennessee didn’t have anyone long enough to defend Alwal. The Lady Vols played excellent defense on the Bulldogs’ leading scorer Kendra Grant. She entered the contest averaging 12.6 points per game, yet scored just 10 on 4-19 shooting (21%). Tennessee outrebounded the Bulldogs 49-32 on the evening, and the Lady Vol guards did an excellent job of crashing the boards.

As a team, the visitors shot 31.6%.

Final Take: The Lady Vols took care of business against a team they were supposed to beat handily. By far, the story of the night was Cierra Burdick’s return to the court. “I was all smiles. Smiling from ear to ear. When basketball is your life since you were five years old and it gets taken away from you for a month, when you get to come back, all you can do is smile,” Burdick said. “I was so energized on the bench trying to be positive for my teammates, but there’s nothing like stepping in between those lines and having the ball in your hand. Our fans are great. The acknowledgement that they showed me was awesome.”

Up Next: The Lady Vols hit the road in a matchup with Missouri, Sunday at 2 p.m. TV: CSS.