Pepperdine University
Tennessee
Waves Fall in Season Opener at No. 3 Tennessee
11/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2011
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Pepperdine women's basketball team opened the 2011-12 season with an 89-57 loss on the road to No. 3 Tennessee Sunday afternoon. Despite forcing 22 turnovers in the game, the Waves were unable to keep up with the three-point shooting and depth of the Lady Vols. The Waves was led by senior guard Jazmine Jackson with 17 points, the only Waves to score in double figures.
Telecast regionally on FSN South and FSN Prime Ticket, the game proved to be a tough one for the Waves, but they were able to hang with the Lady Vols for the first 14 minutes of play, and at the 13:20 mark cut the deficit to two. However, the Waves were never able to take the lead, and the depth of the Lady Vols proved to be too much in the second half.
Both teams started slowly in the first regular season game, as the first score didn't come until the 17:40 mark when the Lady Vols took a 2-0 lead. They extended that lead to 4-0 on a layup by Ariel Massengale. Jackson (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral HS) gave the Waves their first basket of the day at the 17:03 mark on a layup to make the score 4-2. The Lady Vols would extend their lead to 8-2 in the next minute, but the Waves would pull to within two off baskets from freshman Tessa Emerson (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) and senior Katie Menton (Coarsegold, Calif./Yosemite HS) with 13:20 left in the half.
The Lady Vols would go on an eight-point run, to push the score to 20-9 with 10 minutes left in the half. The Waves would cut into the lead, and at the 7:58 mark with the score at 24-13, senior Skye Barnett (Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola HS) would drain two free throws and put down a layup to put the score at 24-17. Around the five minute mark the Lady Vols would start to pull away as they went on a 7-0 run until Jackson hit a jumper at the 2:27 mark to put the score at 34-21. The Lady Vols would hit two free throws at the end of the half and set the score at 36-21 going into halftime.
At the half, the Waves were close with the Lady Vols in points in the paint at 12-10, but Tennessee had 20 points from its bench in the half. The Waves led with four second chance points to the Lady Vols' two.
In the second half, the Waves cut the Lady Vols' lead down to 14 off a layup from Barnett and a three-pointer from Lauren Bell (San Leandro, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral HS), but that was as close as they would get, as Tennessee went on an 18-0 run until the 13:48 mark before T'Keyah Shealy (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit HS) hit one of two free throws to put the score at 58-27. The Lady Vols' depth and outside shooting proved to be too much for the Waves, as they shot 8-for-10 from behind the arc in the second half to push their lead.
In the second half, the Waves bench added 15 points to the Lady Vols' 18, and their pressure defense forced 11 turnovers that turned into 12 points for the Waves. Senior point guard Bell finished with eight points and three steals. In the rebounds category, the Waves were led by Shealy who pulled down six.
Up next, the squad will return to California, but stay on the road as it travels to Cal State Fullerton for a midweek game on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The Waves' home opener is set for Friday, Nov. 18 as they host Fresno State at 7 p.m.
