KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kamiko Williams made the most of a rare opportunity.
Williams made her first start of the season Thursday night in place of injured center Isabelle Harrison and produced 10 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals as No. 9 Tennessee breezed to an 88-45 victory over Mississippi State.
Williams produced career highs in rebounds, assists and steals. The 5-11 senior guard now wants to start producing those totals on a more consistent basis.
“Now that Isabelle’s out, it’s going to have to happen,” Williams said. “We all have to step up. This game, I tried to focus on defense and rebounding.Everything else just played out for us.”
Harrison will undergo surgery Friday after re-injuring her left knee Monday in a 77-67 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame. The 6-3 sophomore averages 10.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. The Lady Vols don’t know whether she can return this season.
“I hope she is back, but I think until they go and figure out what’s going on with her knee, I don’t know,” Tennessee Coach Holly Warlick said. “I guess it’s 50-50. That’s me guessing.”
Tennessee (17-4, 8-0 SEC) didn’t need Harrison against Mississippi State (9-12, 1-7), which has never beaten the Lady Volunteers in 34 attempts. The Lady Vols won for the ninth time in their past 10 games by dominating the over matched Bulldogs, who had snapped a six-game losing streak Sunday with a 72-57 victory over Mississippi.
Meighan Simmons scored 21 points, Taber Spani added 15 points and Bashaara Graves had 10 points as the Lady Vols led from start to finish. Martha Alwal led Mississippi State with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The one-sided nature of the game allowed the injury riddled Lady Vols to play everyone. Sophomore forward Cierra Burdick returned to action Thursday after missing eight games with a broken right hand, but the Lady Vols still have only nine healthy players.
All nine of Tennessee’s available players entered the game before halftime Thursday and scored at least four points. Tennessee typically has used a seven-player rotation against SEC competition. Burdick, normally a starter, had four points and five rebounds off the bench.
“When basketball is your life since you were 5 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.”
Williams got the Lady Vols off to a fast start with six points, eight rebounds and four assists in the first half. Warlick had said Wednesday she planned to have freshman forward Jasmine Jones start in place of Harrison, but Williams got the nod instead. Williams had made six previous starts in her career, though they all came in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Warlick said Jones, a freshman, feels more comfortable coming off the bench.
Williams learned she would start about a half-hour before the opening tip.
“It’s one of [Williams] best games since she’s been here,” Warlick said. “That’s our expectation for her.”
Tennessee already led 25-10 by the time Burdick took the floor to a standing ovation with 6:53 left in the half. Reserve guard Jasmine Phillips made a rare first-half appearance and scored eight points, doubling her previous career high.
Freshman center Nia Moore had played in only one of Tennessee’s previous five games, but she scored eight points in 12 minutes off the bench Thursday. Harrison’s injury puts pressure on Burdick, Moore and Jones to help starting forward Bashaara Graves handle the post duties.
“We need to have Izzy’s back,” Burdick said. “We’re so big on being a family, and when one of our family members goes down, it’s important for us to have each other’s back. Nia and I were just trying to get back in the groove of things and step up for Izzy.”
Tennessee’s defense handled a Mississippi State team that ranks last in the SEC in turnover margin and assist turnover ratio. The Bulldogs shot just 21.2 percent (7 of 33) in the first half and 31.6 percent (18 of 57) overall while committing 26 turnovers.
Mississippi State starting guards Katia May and Kendra Grant went a combined 6 of 32.
NO. 13 GEORGIA 65, ALABAMA 59
ATHENS, Ga. - Khaalidah Miller scored 11 points off the bench as No. 13 Georgia held off Alabama.
Jasmine Hassell added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (18-3, 6-2), who won for the 850th time in program history, becoming just the 10th Division I school to reach the mark.
The Crimson Tide (12-9, 2-6 SEC) went scoreless for the first 3 1/2 minutes, and after the teams exchanged baskets for the ensuing 10 minutes, Georgia went on an 8-0 run to take a 20-11 lead.
Hassell’s jumper and Griffin’s three pointer in the final minute put Georgia ahead 32-25 at halftime.
The victory was Georgia’s 23rd consecutive against Alabama dating back to 1998, and marked the 895th victory for Georgia Coach Andy Landers.
Freshman Merritt Hempe made her first SEC start for Georgia and had nine points, three rebounds and a steal.
NO. 16 TEXAS A&M 60, VANDERBILT 52
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Courtney Walker scored 20 points to lead Texas A&M past Vanderbilt.
Walker, a freshman, was 10 for 13 from the field in matching her season high in points as the Aggies (17-5, 7-1 SEC) tied No. 8 Kentucky for second place in the conference.
Texas A&M trailed 27-24 at halftime, but had two 10-0 runs in the second half to win its fifth consecutive game overall and 11th in a row at home.
Kelsey Bone added 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists for the Aggies.
Christina Foggie had 17 points to lead Vanderbilt, and Tiffany Clarke had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Commodores (14-7, 4-4).
The teams met for the first time since 1997.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Arkansas 77, Mississippi 66 Georgia 65, Alabama 59 LSU 59, Auburn 55 Tennessee 88, Mississippi State 45 Missouri 69, Florida 64 Texas A&M 60, Vanderbilt 52
Sports, Pages 24 on 02/01/2013