No. 7 Tennessee beats Long Beach State 90-61 to reach 11-0 (Dec 17, 2017)
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) Tennessee made quick work of Long Beach State
Anastasia Hayes and Meme Jackson each scored 15 points and No. 7 Tennessee beat Long Beach State 90-61 to extend its season-opening winning streak to 11.
Evina Westbrook and Mercedes Russell added 14 points apiece to lead Tennessee to its fourth road victory of the season. Jaime Nared had 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Vols are 11-0 for the first since winning the first 18 in 2005-06.
''We're focused and we played hard,'' said Russell, who shot 5 of 9 and had 10 rebounds and three steals. ''We were locked in and everybody on the court was involved. A road win is always difficult because you're in a different environment but we showed a level of maturity.''
Jackson drilled five 3-pointers, had seven rebounds and four assists.
''Our preparation for every game has been excellent this season,'' Jackson said. ''Our coach said this was a shooters gym and I was definitely getting good looks from good locations.''
Ma'Qhi Berry led Long Beach State (2-8) with 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Naomi Hunt added 13 points, and Cecily Wilson had 10.
Tennessee outrebounded the 49ers 62-30, including 23 offensive boards.
''We've worked on it and we have athletes who can go up and get it,'' Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said. ''Our ability to play defense and rebound is outstanding. This team has very good chemistry and they are unselfish. They don't care who get the points any night, they just ant to win.''
Meme Jackson hit her fourth 3-pointer of the opening quarter to give Tennessee a 22-7 lead. The Vols led 27-16 after the first quarter and raced out to an 8-0 run to start the second period, upping the lead to 35-16 on Hayes' basket with 7:17 left in the half.
The 49ers' leading scorer, Shanaijah Davison, averaging 14.6 points per game, was held scoreless, going 0-for 12 from the field.
''There's going to be games like this,'' coach Jeff Cammon said. ''That's what a team like Tennessee can do to you, they take away a part of your game.''
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee: Nine of the 11 wins have come by double digits. The last time the Lady Vols and the 49ers played was December 1989, a game won by the 49ers. Tennessee has four players averaging in double digits in scoring this season (Jaime Nared/17.6, Russell/17.2, Davis 12.8 and Hayes 12.1).
Long Beach State: The 49ers have lost all four of their home games this season. Their only two wins came on the road at Arizona and Grand Canyon. The 49ers lead the Big West with an average of 10.9 steals per game and 20.22 forced turnovers per game.
UP NEXT
Tennessee: At Stanford on Thursday night. ''It's going to be a battle against Stanford,'' Warlick said. ''They're big and physical. It's going to be a tough game for us.''
Long Beach State: Host Illinois State on Wednesday night.
