Vanderbilt womens basketball recruit Autumn Newby is a tower of strength and skill at 6 feet, 2 inches. But there was a time when being small saved her life.Autumn, the youngest of three siblings, was just 6 years old when she, her sister, Madison, her brother, Jaylen, and some other kids were playing in the Newby familys backyard in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Autumn was sitting in a tire swing that hung from a large oak tree while other kids climbed the branches.Suddenly, there was a sickening thud ... and screams.The tree had broken apart, and a large chunk of it came hurtling toward little Autumn.This was not a small tree, and it was decaying, said her mother, Peaches. Fortunately, Autumn was inside the tire. The tree fell on the tire and not on her.It took three men -- Autumns father and uncles -- to free Autumn, who was rushed to a hospital and was fine other than a scratch on her face.It was like a miracle, Autumn said. When the tree snapped, all the kids jumped off. But I couldnt move because I was inside the tire. That tree could have crushed my entire body.Peaches said her daughter was blessed that day ... and every day since.Things could have gone a different way, Peaches said. But Im a person of faith, and I believe there is a special plan for Autumn. I believe she will be a special person, and she will be able to tell her kids that story one day.Autumn is turning her mother into a prophet.She has earned straight As throughout high school and plans on becoming a pediatrician. On the court, Newby is one of the stars for Archer High (Lawrenceville, Georgia), and she is the No. 28 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 for the 2017 class.Newby, who averaged 13.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals last season as a junior, burst onto the Georgia high school basketball scene as a freshman, helping Archer reach the Class 6A state final.But despite her excellent play, Archer has gone backward the past two seasons in terms of playoff runs, losing in the state semifinals her sophomore year and in the round of 16 last season. All three years, Archer was eliminated by eventual state champion McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia).This season, Archer has a new coach, Bob Westbrook, who led Etowah (Woodstock, Georgia) to the Class 4A state title in 2005.Westbrook said the presence of Newby played into the equation when he decided to go for the opening at Archer. But it was more than that, Westbrook said.They only lost one player from a team that won 25 games last season, Westbrook said.As for Newby, Westbrook said it hasnt taken long for her to live up to the hype. And, keep in mind, practice just started on Monday.Autumn is just so fluid, Westbrook said. She does things effortlessly that usually require a great deal of effort. She still needs work on her mid-range jumper, although she has made tremendous strides there, and her ballhandling.Amy Krach, a fourth-year assistant coach at Archer and a former college assistant at Georgia Southern, said she is not surprised by what Newby has accomplished.She had good footwork, a good motor and good floor sense, Krach said when asked about her first impression of Newby as a freshman. I knew right away she was going to be a big-time player.Its interesting to note that Newby got a rather late start in organized basketball. She didnt play in her first league until she was 9, and she didnt join an AAU team until seventh grade. But theres no denying there is athleticism in the family. Former NFL safety Ryan Clark, who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is Autumns cousin on her mothers side.Newbys sister, Madison, is a 5-8 sophomore guard at Georgia State. She was the Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year in 2015-16, averaging 8.6 points and leading the league in assists (5.0).Autumn, though, is taller than anyone in her family -- her dad is 5-11 and her mom is 5-7 -- and shes probably more talented, too, although she and Madison made a great team. Madison and Autumn combined on those two Archer runs to the Georgia final four in 2014 and 2015.But with Madison off to Georgia State, it was Autumns turn to look for her future school. Early on, she had been visited by coaches from Georgia, LSU, Penn State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Florida State, Duke and Stanford.But then things changed. Stephanie White, who took the Indiana Fever to the WNBA Finals in 2015, was hired as Vanderbilts coach on May 24. By early June, Newby had been contacted by Vanderbilt, which had not previously recruited her. And by August, Newby had committed to Vanderbilt.[White] wants athletic players who can get up and down the court, Newby said. Thats why she recruited me, and it was a great fit for me.Vanderbilt combines great basketball with great academics. With [White] being a [former] WNBA coach, she and her amazing coaching staff are going to push me on the court. And with Vanderbilt being a great school, thats going to push me on the academic side, too. Dallas Cowboys Store . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. 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METAIRIE, La. -- Fully one third of all of sacks and interceptions the New Orleans Saints defense has produced this season happened in one game -- the last game.Middle linebacker Craig Robertson and defensive end Paul Kruger are among the Saints defenders who said theyd like to think the spike in big plays is something that can carry forward -- not simply the result of favorable matchups on a particular week.This Thursday night, the Saints play the Carolina Panthers and veteran, dynamic quarterback Cam Newton. Last week, it was Denver rookie Trevor Siemian, whose teams struggling running game has only increased pressure on him.Kruger said he sees the Saints defense starting to play well together, starting to understand each other as individuals and as a group.The Saints had six sacks against Denver, bringing their total for all nine games this season to 17. New Orleans two interceptions raised its total in that category to six.Kruger said a variety of factors play into a defenses ability to create pressure on a quarterback, including an opposing offenses scheme, play-calling and how quickly the quarterback is able to consistently make throws.In some of those earlier games, we were rushing the passer well. We just werent able to get there as often, Kruger said. Sometimes the stats dont tell the full story.The Saints are also getting healthier at key positions. Two games ago, top cornerback Delvin Breaux played for the first time since fracturing his fibula in Week 1. Also in Week 9, the Saints first-round draft choice, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, made his NFL debut after recovering from his own fractured fibula during training camp. And against Denver, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe played for only the second time this season.Both Rankins and Ellerbe had sacks, and Ellerbe blitzed frequently. While Breaux did not have an interception -- those were made by cornerback Sterling Moore and safety Kenny Vaccaro -- linebacker Craig Robertson said Breauxs coverage skills can sometimes force quarterbacks to hold the ball longer, leading to sacks or less accurate throws under duress.With the type of talent we added back, it was destined to happen, Robertson said, referring to his units spike in big plays. But at the same time, our coaches put together a great plan. ... We executed that plan as bbest as we possibly could.ddddddddddddSaints coach Sean Payton said his defense played one of its best games this season last Sunday and that having players return from injury certainly helped.Fortunately, weve been able to get some of those guys back in and playing, he said.Panthers tight end Greg Olsen also noted that the Saints defense appears healthier than when New Orleans defeated the Panthers 41-38 in the Superdome in Week 6.Last week against Denver they really played well. Theyre playing fast, Olsen said. Getting those (previously injured) guys back into the mix always helps.The Saints also have tried a variety of defensive formations to keep offenses guessing. Last week, they decided to take advantage of Krugers ability to cover short passes, lining up five defensive linemen in some running situations.Its basically just getting a lot of big guys on the field, Kruger said. Its worked well for us in the short amount of time weve had it here.Whether New Orleans defense is all of a sudden an above-average defense remains to be seen. Currently, the Saints still rank 29th out of 32 teams in yards allowed per game with 400.6. The Saints are dead last in yards passing allowed with 292.7 per game.But their recently demonstrated ability to get more pressure on quarterbacks gives them hope of playing better down the stretch, and they know they dont have to be dominant with prolific quarterback Drew Brees running New Orleans league-leading offense.Weve got to trust who we can be and just know who we want to be, Robertson said.---Game notes Three Saints players did not practice on Tuesday: LT Terron Armstead (knee and quadriceps), CB Delvin Breaux and RB Daniel Lasco (hamstring). ... Five players were listed as limited: RB Travaris Cadet (toe), LB Stephone Anthony (hamstring), DT David Onyemata (knee), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quadriceps), P Thomas Morstead (ankle). ... Special teams regular and reserve LB Mike Mauti, who was placed on the non-football illness list on Monday, said hes been told by doctors he surgery for colitis (an ulcer) and does not expect to return to football until next season.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '