BIMINI, Bahamas – No. 11/11 Tennessee came from 12 points down in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime and seize a hard-fought victory over UAB, 73-69, on Saturday in the Junkanoo Division title game at the 2018 Women’s Junkanoo Jam.
Sophomore forward Rennia Davis, who was named the tournament MVP, led the Lady Vols (5-0) with 18 points, including three huge second-half three-pointers at Gateway Christian Academy Gymnasium. Sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook tossed in 16 points, followed by sophomore center Kasiyahna Kushkituah, who registered her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Senior Meme Jackson, who had 14 points in Thursday’s win over Clemson, had eight points and eight boards vs. UAB and joined Davis on the all-tournament team.
UAB, which led by 10 points entering the fourth period, fell to 4-1 with its first setback of the season. The Blazers were paced by junior forwards Katelynn Thomas and Rachael Childress, who tallied 19 points each. Junior guard Miyah Barnes chipped in 13, while senior guard Deanna Kuzmanic had 10.
The upset-minded Blazers upped their lead to 12 early in the fourth frame at 58-46 and had a 60-48 advantage with 8:08 to go. Davis, however, stared that deficit in the face and made some big plays, draining three-consecutive long-range threes that cut the gap to six, 63-57, with 5:20 to go. After a Kuzmanic layup with 5:07 remaining made it 65-57 Blazers, UT didn’t allow UAB another point in regulation.
A three by Westbrook started a game-closing 8-0 run, followed by a layup from Kushkituah, a free throw from Westbrook and a layup from Westbrook with 52 seconds to go that knotted it up at 65-all. After UAB’s Kuzmanic missed a pair of free throws that would have put her team up two with 28 seconds left, the Lady Vols had the final possession and two shots at the basket before settling for overtime.
In the extra frame, UAB struck first with Barnes hitting a jumper to put UAB up, 67-65, with 3:39 to go. UT responded with a three-point play by Kushkituah to move ahead, 68-67. A Westbrook driving layup with 2:54 to go and a free throw by the sophomore with 16 seconds left gave the Lady Vols a slight 71-67 cushion. Davis and Westbrook each hit one of two free throws inside the final 11 seconds to offset a Barnes jumper with six ticks left to close out the game.
The Lady Vols outscored UAB 19-9 in the fourth quarter and 8-4 in OT to claim a dramatic, come-from-behind victory. UT limited the Blazers to 3-of-13 shooting (23.1%) in the final stanza while hitting seven of 15 (46.7%). In overtime, both teams were two of eight from the field, but UT outscored UAB at the free throw line, 4-0, and out-rebounded the Blazers, seven to four.
The first quarter started off with everything going UAB’s way, as the Blazers led 17-6 with 3:10 to go in the period. Tennessee stormed back, though, stringing together a Jackson corner three and a Davis layup after a steal by Jazmine Massengill to make it 17-11 with 1:56 left in the period. Following three Blazer free throws, Kushkituah scored inside on a feed from Zaay Green to cut the gap to seven, 20-13, at the end of the first quarter.
Tennessee punched back in the second stanza, after UAB’s Angela Vendrell hit a shot with 9:45 to go. UT reeled off six straight points, with Zaay Green, Kushkituah and Cheridene Green tallying baskets to make it 23-19 Blazers. Following exchanges in buckets, UT surged to an 8-0 run, with back-to-back inside scores from Kushkituah and Davis pushing the Lady Vols into the lead for the first time, 27-26, with 3:50 to go.
UAB responded with a 12-2 run of its own, finishing the half on a 9-0 spree to go into the locker room on top, 38-29. Thomas and Childress did most of the damage for the Blazers, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively, during the opening 20 minutes. UAB ended the half eight of 11 from the free throw line, while UT hit three in only seven trips.
The Lady Vols were led by Jackson’s eight points, while Davis and Kushkituah had six each. UT forced seven UAB turnovers but suffered 11 miscues of its own and shot only 36 percent (12-of-33) in the opening half. Tennessee also was whistled for 11 fouls to UAB’s six, with Zaay Green and Davis going into intermission with three apiece.
Tennessee cut the gap to five early in the third quarter but seemingly could get no closer. The Lady Vols later found themselves down by 12 at two junctures of the third frame and battled back to within eight on a jumpers from Mimi Collins and Zaay Green before UAB ended the period up 56-46 after outscoring the Big Orange for the third straight period.
LADY VOL NOTES
Up Next: Tennessee will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at 4 p.m. ET next Saturday. The game will be carried on FS1, UT’s first linear TV broadcast of the season.
Second-Half Sophomores: Davis, Westbrook and Kushkituah combined for 33 of UT’s 44 second -alf points after scoring just 14 in the first half. Additionally, Davis hit three fourth-quarter threes, while Kushkituah pulled down 11 boards in the second half.
Kasi’s Career Day: Kushkituah logged her first career double-double, scoring a career-high-tying 13 points while pulling down a career-high 13 boards vs. the Blazers.
Warlick’s Junkanoo Jam Success: This is Head Coach Holly Warlick‘s second Junkanoo Jam Championship, having also won the Lucaya Division in 2013. The win moves her record to 4-0 at the Junkanoo Jam tournament while advancing her record in international games to 10-0.
UT in OT: The overtime win over UAB moves Tennessee’s all-time record in OT to 32-20 and improves Warlick’s OT record as a head coach to 5-4. UT also went to overtime during last year’s holiday tournament, defeating No. 20 Marquette, 101-99, in its opening game at the Cancun Challenge.
-UT Athletics
