Player of the Week
Shekinna Stricklen • Tennessee
Junior • Forward • Morrilton, Arkansas
• Leading the Lady Vols to three tough wins last week, Shekinna Stricken averaged 17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.7 spg.
• At #15/18-ranked Kentucky, she recorded her eighth double double of the season and 14th of her career with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
• Continued her dominant stretch with 17 points, including 12 in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting, and grabbed six boards.
• Against Vanderbilt, Stricklen scored 14 points (12 in the second half) on 4-of-8 shooting and grabbed nine boards. She also dished three assists. It’s her seventh straight double figure game.
Freshman of the Week
Meighan Simmons • Tennessee
Guard • Cibolo, Texas
• Against #15/18 Kentucky on the road, rookie Meighan Simmons stayed tough and focused, scoring 15 points and making some big shots down the stretch. Simmons’ three with 4:25 left in the game put UT up 65-61. She also increased Tennessee’s cushion to 71-67 with two clutch free throws with 15 seconds left in the contest.
• Against Vanderbilt on the road, Meighan Simmons’ three-pointer with 5:54 left in the game gave UT a 44-42 advantage - its first lead since being up 5-2 at the 16:01 mark in the first half. She followed that with a key steal and a fastbreak bucket two minutes later.
• In three games, she averaged 9.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg while hitting clutch shots in two come from behind wins on the road.