Tennessee Falls to #17 Auburn on Senior Day, 85-63

Tennessee Falls to #17 Auburn on Senior Day, 85-63

Posted on March 7, 2020
Vols G Jordan Bowden / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A 19-point outing from Vols junior John Fulkerson led the way for Tennessee on Saturday, as UT fell to Auburn, 85-63.

Tennessee is locked in as the No. 8 seed at next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. The Vols tipoff Thursday at 1 p.m. ET / noon CT against the TBD No. 9 seed.

Seniors Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner took part in a pregame Senior Day ceremony Saturday. Turner’s UT career ended prematurely in December due to injury. Bowden finished with 17 points and a game-high four assists.

Fulkerson added seven rebounds and one block to his stat line while going 9-for-13 from the free-throw line. The All-SEC candidate has now scored 15 or more points in six of the past seven games.

Freshman Santiago Vescovi scored 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. The true freshman scored in double figures in all but one SEC home game this season.

The Tigers’ 3-point shooting helped them combat the momentum the Vols built during a stretch run of the second half.

Fulkerson picked up where he left off from Tuesday’s win at Kentucky in Rupp Arena. The Kingsport, Tennessee, native scored 13 of the Vols’ first 23 points. His hot start consisted of making four of his five field-goal attempts in the first half.

Tennessee opened the game with feisty defense, as the fast-paced contest began in back-and-forth fashion. With the Vols trailing by seven points, Jalen Johnson connected on a key 3-point attempt. Bowden later knocked down a triple to beat the halftime buzzer and cut the Tennessee deficit to 11 heading into the break, 42-31.

Auburn used an 8-0 run to increase its lead to 17 early in the second half, but Tennessee’s response came quickly and furiously. The Big Orange proceeded to outscore the Tigers 14-3 over the ensuing 1:49, with Vescovi accounting for two 3-point makes during the run.

The Vols battled the Tigers down the stretch, cutting the deficit to 10 with just under five minutes remaining, but could not take the lead.

Four Vols played at least 36 minutes, as Tennessee fell to 17-14 (9-9 SEC).

Samir Doughty led the way for Auburn with 32 points behind eight made 3-pointers.

Senior Day: Knoxville native Jordan Bowden had an efficient performance in his final regular-season home game and 99th career start in a Vol uniform. He recorded 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in 37 minutes of play.

Air France: SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Yves Pons finished the regular season with at least one block in each game, swatting away two shots on Saturday. He enters the SEC Tournament with 73 blocks on the year, which ties the program single-season record set by C.J. Black in 1997-98.

Up Next: Tennessee travels west on I-40 to Nashville to compete in the 2020 SEC Tournament. As the No. 8 seed, the Vols tipoff against the No. 9 seed Thursday at 1 p.m. ET / noon CT.

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  PHOTOS  |  QUOTES  |  RICK BARNES POSTGAME PRESSER

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols Win Seesaw Extra-Inning Affair Over Toledo, 10-9

Lady Vols Win Seesaw Extra-Inning Affair Over Toledo, 10-9

Posted on March 7, 2020
Amanda Ayala – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Playing their first extra-inning game of the season, the Lady Vols won a back-and-forth affair over Toledo, 10-9 Saturday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

With the game tied at 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth, junior Amanda Ayala stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning hit – a sacrifice fly to left field – to drive home freshman Josie Willingham from third. Willingham drew a leadoff walk to start the inning before advancing to third on a single from Chelsea Seggern.

Ayala went 3-for-5 on Saturday with four RBIs, two doubles and two runs scored.

The win moved Tennessee to 12-8 on the year.

Toledo (9-7) scored first in the fourth with two runs before adding another score in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. However, Tennessee raked its way back with two away in the bottom of the fifth and the bases loaded. Sophomore Ally Shipman (2-for-3) drove a payoff pitch to left center field for a bases clearing and game-tying double.

After the Rockets scored in the top half of the sixth, the Lady Vols responded with a two-out double from Ayala in the bottom half of the inning, bringing in a pair to take a 5-4 lead.

Down to its final out in the top of the seventh, Taylor Weekly, the granddaughter of UT’s co-head coach Ralph Weekly, scored for Toledo on a wild pitch before Raquel Emery singled home Leah Munson as the Rockets regained the lead, 6-5.

The closely-contested battle continued with Ashley Morgan (2-for-3) singling home Shipman with one out to tie the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh.

Toledo and Tennessee traded a pair of three-run halves in the eighth before the Lady Vols held the Rockets scoreless in the ninth.

Anna Hazelwood threw just one inning for UT but picked up her first-career win. Samantha Bender got the start and tossed 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and striking out one. Callie Turner came on in relief, throwing 2.1 innings, and allowed three runs on three hits while striking out four batters.

Erin Hunt went the distance for Toledo, taking the loss and falling to 7-2 on the year. Hunt threw 183 pitches in defeat, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits.

Next Up
Tennessee will be back in action Saturday evening against ETSU. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be streamed on SECN+.

Box Score

-UT Athletics

Jimmy’s blog: Auburn fires on all cylinders, routs Tennessee

Jimmy’s blog: Auburn fires on all cylinders, routs Tennessee

Posted on March 7, 2020

By Jimmy Hyams

Turnabout is fair play – except someone forgot to tell Auburn.

Auburn rallied from a 17-point deficit at home to beat Tennessee 73-66 two weeks ago.

Tennessee rallied from a 17-point deficit at home Saturday to cut Auburn’s lead to five points. But the Tigers refused to fold.

Point guard J’Von McCormick had seven points and a steal to jack the lead back to 72-57.

Tennessee never threatened after that, losing on Senior Day 85-63 – the worst home defeat since losing 83-60 to Ole Miss five years ago.

Bruce Pearl has now beaten Tennessee five in a row – a record for Auburn. Two were by at least 20 points.

Samir Doughty torched Tennessee for 32 points (he hit 8 of 13 treys) and Auburn outrebounded UT 42-26.

“That’s as good as we can play,’’ said Pearl, the former Tennessee coach. “Our offense controlled the game. We got open looks. And Samir Doughty showed why he should be first-team all-conference.’’

Pearl said his team’s performance reminded him of last year’s Final Four team.

“We haven’t played like that this year,’’ Pearl said.

Pearl said one reason he’s had success against Tennessee is the way the Tigers defend UT in the post – they front, rather than play behind UT’s big man.

Pearl also said Chuma Okeke outplayed the Vols’ two-time player of the year Grant Williams twice last year.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes wasn’t pleased with his team, but gave credit to the visitors.

“I thought it was the best we’ve seen them play all year,’’ Barnes said. “They played like a team playing for the No. 2 seed (in the SEC Tournament).’’

Barnes’ team – after big wins against Florida and Kentucky – played like a team destined for the NIT.

Barnes was bothered by the way his team practiced on Thursday – two days after a near miraculous rally from a 17-point deficit to win at Kentucky.

He said players didn’t have focus and those without focus played like it Saturday.

“We know what goes into winning and losing,’’ Barnes said, “and preparation is a key.’’

Barnes was impressed with Doughty.

“He plays with poise, confidence and swagger,’’ Barnes said. “He’s a terrific player. He’s given us as hard a time as anyone in the league.’’

Doughty was frequently open for 3s against UT’s defense.

“Strictly breakdowns from the scouting report,’’ Barnes said.

Auburn, coming off a hard-to-explain home loss to Texas A&M, was sharp from the get go. The Tigers, averaging 7.9 treys per game, hit 14 of 32 from beyond the arc against UT and seized a 42-28 lead late in the first half.

Each time the Vols made a run, Auburn had an answer, whether it was a Doughty 3 or a McCormick basket, or a key rebound and putback, or a steal.

Auburn, which lost its three best players off last year’s team, is 25-6, 12-6 in the SEC, thanks to a terrific coaching job by Pearl and the emergence of Doughty, McCormick and freshman Issac Okoro.

Pearl wasn’t sure what he could get out of McCormick, who averaged 4.1 points and 12 minutes per game last year. But since McCormick did everything right on and off the court last year, Pearl went with the second-year junior college transfer.

“I felt like he earned the keys to the car,’’ Pearl said, “so I didn’t recruit over him.’’

Pearl has clearly had Tennessee’s number. Not only has he won five in a row over the Vols, the Tigers have outscored UT by a staggering 46 points in the last 54 minutes, 30 seconds of game action: 22 on Saturday, 24 in the last 14:30 of the game at Auburn.

Meanwhile, Tennessee (17-14, 9-9 SEC) must regroup.

The Vols have shown flashes of being outstanding, and flashes of being below average.

Tennessee’s only path to the NCAA Tournament is to win the SEC tourney – UT has reached the finals each of the last two years.

Would Barnes accept a bid to the NIT?

“No doubt,’’ he said. “This team needs to play as much as it possibly can.’’

Tennessee will be a No. 8 seed and play Thursday at 1 pm (ET) in Nashville.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all 

6-seed Lady Vols lose to 3-seed Kentucky 86-65 at SECT

6-seed Lady Vols lose to 3-seed Kentucky 86-65 at SECT

Posted on March 7, 2020
Jordan Horston -Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Freshman Jordan Horston poured in a career-high 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to fend off a hot-handed #16/18 Kentucky team that shot 51 percent from the floor to seize an 86-65 victory in a No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed match-up in the SEC Tournament Third Round on Friday night .

Junior Rennia Davis and senior Lou Brown were also in double figures for Tennessee (21-10), posting 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Kentucky (22-7) was led by Rhyne Howard who finished with 24 points, Tatyana Wyatt with 14 and Sabrina Haines with 12.

Kentucky jumped out to a four-point lead before Rae Burrell drove the baseline for a layup to get UT on the board. Brown then knocked down back-to-back threes to tie the score at eight-all by the 6:37 mark. Howard answered with a three-pointer of her own, but Brown put in a layup on the other end to make the score 11-10 UK at the media break. Kentucky pulled away to 15-10 following the timeout before a Horston trey cut Kentucky’s lead to 15-13 with 30 seconds left in the period. Howard drew a foul on the opposite end and hit both free throws to push the score to 17-13 at the end of the first period.

Horston struck again at the start of the second stanza to once again pull UT within two, but the Wildcats came back with an 8-0 run to lead 25-15 just over three minutes in. The teams traded threes following a Tennessee timeout, but UT struggled to score while UK poured in four more points, stretching the lead to 32-18 with 4:30 left in the half. Horston broke the drought for UT with a layup, and Brown followed it up with another to inch within 10 points. The teams traded baskets until Howard knocked down a three and Blair Green scored a layup on a fast break to put Kentucky up 41-26 with 1:15 remaining. Davis knocked down a jumper on the other end, but Howard hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to stretch the UK halftime lead to 44-28.

Tamari Key hit two free throws to start the second half, but Howard immediately answered with a trey on the other end, setting off a 7-0 UK run. Tennessee scrapped back within 17, but Kentucky got hot offensively, going eight of eight from the floor over a five-minute span to lead 71-46 with 1:25 remaining in the quarter. Horston put in a trey in the final minute to send the game into the last stanza with the score at 71-49.

The fourth quarter was a more even affair, but Tennessee couldn’t gain any ground on UK. Horston hit two free throws to move the Lady Vols within 20 to start the period, but despite her and Davis pouring in six points apiece, UT couldn’t close the gap, falling 86-65.

Up Next: The Lady Vols will await the reveal of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket on Monday, March 16.

All Around Brown: Redshirt senior Lou Brown pitched in 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Kentucky. Additionally, she took her 14th charge of the season, making her season total greater than the entire team’s total from the 2019-20 season.

Hot-Handed Horston: Freshman Jordan Horston scored a career-high 24 points against Kentucky, besting her previous high of 20 points at Portland State on Dec. 21. Her previous high score against an SEC opponent was 19 in the match-up with Alabama on Jan. 20.

Box Score (PDF) ​| Highlights ​| UT Postgame Presser | ​UT Postgame Quotes (PDF) | Media Photos

-UT Athletics

No. 11 Vols Drop First Game of the Year in 5-4 Loss to Wright State

No. 11 Vols Drop First Game of the Year in 5-4 Loss to Wright State

Posted on March 7, 2020
Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 11 Tennessee was unable to overcome a slow start in a 5-4 loss to open its weekend series against Wright State on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The loss was the Vols’ first of the 2020 season after starting the year 13-0.

Sophomore infielder Jake Rucker led Tennessee (13-1) at the plate with three hits, a run and an RBI while Alerick Soularie was the only other Vol with multiple hits, finishing the day 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

Chad Dallas got the start but was chased after 4.1 innings after allowing three runs on seven hits. Sean Hunley was effective in his 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.

Redmond Walsh was the hard-luck loser for the Vols, falling to 1-1 on the year after giving up an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning.

Jake Schrand got the win for Wright State (4-8) after striking out five in three innings of relief. Raiders’ starting pitcher Daniel Kreuzer did well to keep UT’s hitters off balance during his five innings of work, allowing just two runs on four hits to the nation’s highest-scoring offense.

Connor Pavolony gave UT a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run to straightaway center field. It was the fourth of the year for the Vols’ sophomore catcher, who is now tied for the team lead in homers.

However, the Raiders were able to hold Tennessee’s potent lineup in check after Pavolony’s homer and scored the game’s next three runs to take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Jay Luikart doubled in a run to tie the game in the third before Zane Harris hit a 2-run single into center field to put Wright State ahead in the fifth.

UT responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to one, but the Raiders regained their two-run advantage on an RBI groundout by Alex Alders in the seventh.

It looked like the Big Orange would earn their third comeback win of the year after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at four, but UT ended up leaving the bases loaded to end the inning. Soularie and Luc Lipcius both drove in runs for the Orange and White in the inning to tie the game.

Wright State took advantage of a UT error and scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth as Alders singled to center field to drive in Gehrig Anglin for what turned out to be the game-winning run. The Vols went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Tennessee will look to bounce back tomorrow in game two of the series. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

Notable
Win Streak Ends at 13
Tennessee’s 13-game win streak to start the year was snapped on Friday. This was the second straight year that the Vols started the season with a double-digit win streak after going 15-0 to start 2019.

Home Run Streak Continues
One streak did continue on Friday thanks to Pavolony’s solo home run in the second inning. Tennessee has hit at least one homer in all 11 of its home games this season.

Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF) | VIDEO: Vitello Postgame | VIDEO: Rucker Postgame

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols Split Day One of Tennessee Invitational

Lady Vols Split Day One of Tennessee Invitational

Posted on March 7, 2020
Lady Vols softball / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – At day one of the Tennessee Invitational, the Tennessee softball team found revenge in a dominant victory over in-state foe ETSU, before falling to Stanford in the night cap.

The results moved the Lady Vols to 11-8 on the still-young season.

Tennessee 10 ETSU 1 
An explosive seven spot in the third inning propelled the Lady Vols to their 11th victory of the year.

Redshirt sophomore Samantha Bender was dominant in the circle, striking out four hitters, conceding just three hits and one run, while retiring ETSU’s final seven batters.

Sophomore catcher Ally Shipman had a complete performance, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate with two singles and a double, scoring two runs.

Bender settled in nicely after the Bucs scored the games first run in the opening inning, but the Lady Vols defense held them to the lone score.

The seven runs in the third frame were the most runs the Orange & White have scored in a single inning so far this season.

A two-run homer from freshman KK McCrary (1-for-3) put the wheels in motion for UT giving the Lady Vols a 4-1 advantage.

After junior Ashley Morgan (2-for-2) pushed across another run and Kaitlin Parsons (0-for-1) walked to load the bases, Cailin Hannon (1-for-2) rifled a double into the gap in right center to clear the bases, providing UT with a commanding 8-1 lead. Hannon finished with a game-high three RBIs.

Two more runs in the fourth cemented the contest’s final score in less than two hours of game action.

Tennessee 2 Stanford 7

In the Big Orange’s second contest of the day, Stanford took control in the late innings as the afternoon transitioned to the evening, dropping the Lady Vols to 11-8 on the year.

The squads battled pitch-for-pitch through the first five innings—holding a 2-2 score line—before the Cardinal broke things open with three runs in the sixth and two runs in the seventh.

With the bases loaded in the sixth, a three-RBI triple from shortstop Emily Young put Stanford out in front for good.

In the seventh, the red-clad Cardinal added two insurance runs using a station to station approach on the base paths.

Despite giving up seven runs, freshman pitcher Callie Turner struck out five batters and was dominant through stretches in the game’s middle innings.

Next Up
Tennessee is back in action tomorrow when it takes on Toledo in the final game of pool play. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. ET from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and will be broadcast on SECN+.

Box Score vs ETSU | Box Score vs Stanford | Season Cumes 

-UT Athletics

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