Lady Vols Earn SEC Tie for Third in Heart-Stopper at Auburn, 56-55

Lady Vols Earn SEC Tie for Third in Heart-Stopper at Auburn, 56-55

Posted on March 2, 2020

Box Score (PDF) ​| SEC Bracket (PDF) ​| Harper Presser ​| Highlights

Credit: UT Athletics

Auburn, Ala. – Junior Rennia Davis tallied a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Jordan Horston hit a runner in the lane with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to lift Tennessee to a crucial 56-55 win at Auburn to close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

The victory improved the Lady Vols’ record to 20-9 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, earning them a four-way tie for third place in the SEC regular season with Texas A&M, Kentucky and Arkansas. Based on the tie-breaking format, UT earns the No. 6 seed for next week’s SEC Tournament and will play at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. The Lady Vols will meet the winner of Wednesday’s contest between No. 11 Missouri and No. 14 Ole Miss.

The double-double was the 29th of Davis’ career (11th this season), tying Bashaara Graves for 10th all-time among Lady Vols. Redshirt senior Lou Brown was Tennessee’s next highest scorer, posting nine points off three-of-six shooting from behind the arc.

Auburn (10-17, 4-12 SEC) was paced by senior Daisa Alexander, who finished with 15 points, followed by sophomore Robyn Benton who had 11.

Lou Brown scored the first points of the game, knocking down a baseline three just under two minutes into the first quarter. Benton answered for Auburn, hitting a jumper on the other end to pull the score to 3-2, but Davis and Rae Burrell combined for six unanswered points to give UT a 9-2 lead by the 6:21 mark. After an AU timeout, Jazmine Massengill stretched UT’s cushion to nine before Unique Thompson converted on a pair of free throws to set off a 7-0 Tigers run that put them within two with two and a half minutes left in the frame.  Brown, Davis and Jessie Rennie combined for four-straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes, building UT’s lead to nine before Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu hit two free throws just before the quarter’s end to close within 23-16 to start the second period.

Benton hit a free throw to pull AU within six at the start of the second, but Kamera Harris put in a layup on the other end, sparking a 7-0 UT run that stretched the lead to 30-17 with six minutes to go in the quarter.  UT went cold offensively following the break, while AU rallied within five points off a 10-2 run to trail just 32-27 at the half.

Tamari Key scored her first points of the game at the start of the second half, hitting a layup off a Davis assist to stretch UT’s lead to seven. Davis then added three quick points herself to put the Lady Vols up 37-27 three minutes in. Auburn’s full-court press began causing problems for UT, though, and the Tigers converted Tennessee turnovers into points, pulling within three off a pair of layups and a Benton 3-pointer before Davis stopped the surge with a layup of her own. The five-point deficit held until the 3:00 mark when Benton hit a free throw to pull AU within four.  UT responded, closing out the period with a 6-0 run fueled by Jaiden McCoy, Horston and Davis to give the Lady Vols a 48-38 lead heading into the final stanza.

Auburn came out swinging on its first possession of the fourth, cutting UT’s lead to seven off an Alexander trey. Alexander struck again on the next play, hitting a layup to pull AU within six. The deficit remained at six points until Annie Hughes hit a baseline jumper with 6:37 to play that pulled the score to 50-47.  Burrell hit the second of a pair of free throws to lift UT back up by four, but Hughes hit another jumper to cut it to two with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Auburn then forced a shot clock violation, and Thompson hit two free throws on the other end to tie the game at 51-all with three minutes left. Kasiyanah Kushkituah responded with a layup on the other end, and UT came up with a pair of defensive stops before Horston hit a free throw with 13 seconds left in the game to stretch the Lady Vols’ lead to three. With 3.8 seconds remaining Alexander was fouled by Horston behind the arc, and in her last game in Auburn Arena, the senior hit all three shots to tie the game at 54-all. But Horston would redeem herself on the next possession, driving through the lane to score on a six-foot runner to give UT a two-point lead with .6 second left in the game. Before the ball was inbounded, a foul was called on UT to send Alexander to the line. She knocked down her first one, but her second free throw came up short and Tennessee escaped with a 56-55 victory.

Up Next: The Lady Vols will travel to the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C., beginning play on Thursday. They will face the winner of the No. 11 vs. No. 14 match-up at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and on Lady Vol Network radio stations.

Keeping Thompson In Check: Auburn junior Unique Thompson entered the game averaging 16.6 ppg. and 11.6 rpg. and was fresh off recording her 41st career double-double against Missouri. Tennessee managed to hold her to just six points and five rebounds on the day.

20+ Davis: With 22 points against Auburn, Rennia Davis recorded her sixth 20+ game of the season and the 13th of her career, putting her at ninth all-time among Lady Vols.

Dominating The Boards: The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Tigers by a commanding 50-26 margin. UT has now out-rebounded 21 of 29 opponents on the season and boasts a +11.4 rebounding margin.

20-Win Season: With the victory over Auburn, UT claimed its 20th win of the season. Tennessee has now posted 20-win seasons in 43 of the last 44 years.

Team Effort: Every Tennessee player who saw action against AU contributed at least two points to the victory, and UT’s bench outscored Auburn’s 15-9.

 

UT Athletics

Vols Rebound from Early Deficit to Secure Series Win Over George Washington

Vols Rebound from Early Deficit to Secure Series Win Over George Washington

Posted on March 1, 2020
Vols LHP Redmond Walsh / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee had to dig itself out of an early hole to earn a hard-fought 7-3 win over George Washington on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Vols (11-0) fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning and found themselves trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third before freshman center fielder Drew Gilbert sparked the offense with a solo home run.

Gilbert went 4-for-5 on the day, adding a double and three runs while batting leadoff for the Big Orange. Alerick Soularie and Pete Derkay also had two hits each on the day to chip in offensively.

It was Derkay’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning that tied the game at three before Luc Lipcius drove in Soularie with an RBI groundout to give the Vols a 4-3 lead.

Soularie led off the seventh with a solo homer – his second of the year – to give UT a little breathing room.

Redmond Walsh earned his first win of the year after tossing five shutout innings in relief of starter Chase Wallace, who was able to rebound from a rocky start to strike out four batters in four innings of work.

Tyler Hix, Domenic Boselli and Noah Levin all drove in runs for the Colonials (6-4) to give them an early advantage but starting pitcher Justin Solt and the bullpen were unable to contain the Tennessee bats later in the game.

The Vols will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Fans can also watch the game on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

Notable
Rally Vols
Entering this weekend’s series, Tennessee had scored first in every game this season and had trailed just once. However, George Washington has jumped out to leads in both games this weekend and the Vols have had to rally for wins. From the fifth inning on, the Big Orange have outscored the Colonials 13-0 in the series.

Gilbert Providing a Spark
In both games this weekend, Gilbert has provided the Vols with a spark offensively. The freshman from Minnesota had a pair of hits and scored two runs – including the game-winning run – in yesterday’s victory and topped that performance with a career day on Saturday.

Gilbert set career highs with four hits and three runs scored. He also hit his first-career home run to get the Vols on the board in the third inning. For the series, Gilbert is batting .750 with six hits and five runs.

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

-UT Athletics

Tennessee Takes Down Florida, 63-58

Tennessee Takes Down Florida, 63-58

Posted on March 1, 2020
Vols F John Fulkerson / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A game-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting from John Fulkerson led the way as Tennessee defeated Florida for the fourth consecutive time. The win also marks the Vols’ 50th regular-season SEC victory under fifth-year head coach Rick Barnes.

Vols freshman Josiah-Jordan James stuffed the stat sheet, recording 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes.

The Vols began the contest red hot from the floor, connecting on eight of 14 field goals and forcing the Gators into six turnovers by the 8:00 media timeout.

James connected on his first two 3-point attempts and led the Vols with eight points through the game’s opening 10 minutes.

At the six-minute mark of the first half, UT senior Jordan Bowden nailed a 3-point shot, his first of 10 points on the afternoon. Then, a block by James on the defensive end, followed by a made triple by Santiago Vescovi extended the Tennessee lead to 26-14 and forced a Florida timeout .

The Vols’ defense was suffocating in the opening stanza, holding the Gators to zero made field goals in the final 9:48 of the first half.

Freshman Davonte Gaines got in on the defensive action, maintaining Tennessee’s momentum with a big block in the half’s final minute.

Tennessee held a 32-17 advantage at halftime, shooting at a 48 percent clip (14-29) in the opening 20 minutes, with James leading all scorers with 10 points at the break.

The Vols also dished out nine assists and forced 11 Florida turnovers in the first half. The Gators’ 17 points were their season-low for any half this season, with their previous low being 20 points in the first half against UConn.

The Florida field-goal drought extended to 10:42 to start the second half.

An alley-oop from Vescovi to Fulkerson snapped a quick 5-0 Florida run. Then, with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game, Fulkerson threw down a two-handed slam to increase the Vols’ run to 8-0 and give them a 48-29 advantage.

A 14-2 run by the Gators narrowed their deficit to just seven points with under eight minutes to go.

Fulkerson made a much-needed jumper with the shot clock winding down, before Vescovi blocked a 3-point attempt with just under six minutes to go.

Leading 55-54 with under 2:30 left in the contest, the Vols in-bounded the ball with two seconds remaining on the shot clock, before Fulkerson buried his first career 3-point field goal. The momentum from that sequence carried Tennessee to victory.

To seal the win, Fulkerson grabbed an offensive rebound and authoritatively made another dunk, further energizing a Thompson-Boling Arena packed with 19,743 fans.

Moving Up: Jordan Bowden’s two made triples moved him to seventh on Tennessee’s all-time 3-point makes list, with 184 career made 3-pointers. He is tied with VFL and current Washington Wizards rookie, Admiral Schofield.

Leap Day for Air Pons: SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Yves Pons finished the afternoon with two blocks. He increased his season total to 70 blocks and is now just four rejections away from breaking UT’s single season blocks record with two regular-season games left to play.

Homecourt Advantage: The five-point win marked Tennessee’s 13th home victory over Florida over the past 16 meetings between the two foes in Knoxville, dating to 2003.

Up Next: The Vols travel north to Lexington as they face the Kentucky Wildcats in their final road game of the season. Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  QUOTES  |  RICK BARNES POSTGAME PRESSER  |  SANTIAGO VESCOVI FAMILY SURPRISE

-UT Athletics

Video: Santiago Vescovi’s family comes in from Uruguay and surprises him

Video: Santiago Vescovi’s family comes in from Uruguay and surprises him

Posted on February 29, 2020

Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi was surprised by his family in the pregame, who traveled from Uruguay to see him. See the video of the surprise and then the family speaking to the media afterwards.

Santiago Vescovi and his family / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Jimmy blog: Heroics by Vescovi, Fulkerson vault Vols past Gators

Jimmy blog: Heroics by Vescovi, Fulkerson vault Vols past Gators

Posted on February 29, 2020

By Jimmy Hyams 

Tennessee isn’t likely to make the NCAA Tournament.

But that doesn’t mean the Vols haven’t played like an NCAA tourney team in spurts this season.

They did in taking a 17-point lead against Auburn in the second half.

They did during an 11-0 run at Arkansas to cut a huge deficit to two.

And they did Saturday against Florida, a likely NCAA Tournament team.

John Fulkerson’s follow dunk and improbable 3, and two clutch free throws by Santiago Vescovi helped the Vols (16-13, 8-8 SEC) hold on to a 19-point second half lead for a 63-58 victory over Florida (18-11, 10-6) – UT’s fourth in a row over the Gators and fifth in six tries.

There was reason to wonder if Tennessee could cash in on 48-29 lead with less than 12 minutes to play.

After all, this was a team that blew a 17-point second-half lead at Auburn and blew a 7-point lead in the final minutes against South Carolina.

The difference this time: Tennessee was at home and the Vols made key plays at crunch time.

As expected, Florida made a second half run to cut UT’s lead to 55-54 with 2:55 left.

A nervous crowd of 19,743 was biting its collective finger nails, sensing another collapse from a fragile team that had folded before.

But this time, Tennessee managed to flip the script.

With the shot clock winding down and UT in-bounding the ball with 2 seconds left on the shot clock, John Fulkerson, who had never made a 3-pointer in his college career, heaved the ball toward the goal.

“It felt good,’’ he would say later.

It went in. The crowd erupted.

Tennessee led 58-54 with 2:24 remaining.

There was still work to be done, but Fulkerson, who missed the front end of two 1-and-1s late, made what Florida coach Mike White called “a huge play.’’

After a Florida field goal, Fulkerson then scored on a follow dunk with 46 seconds left for a 60-56 lead.

Florida answered with two free throws 19 seconds later.

With Tennessee inbounding, coach Rick Barnes had one demand, and it was aimed at his freshman point guard Vescovi: “Whatever you have to do, go get the ball.’’

That’s how much faith Barnes has in Vescovi at the line late in a game.

Vescovi rewarded his coach’s confidence by hitting two free throws with 23.2 seconds left.

After an Yves Pons block, UT eventually got the ball and Josiah-Jordan James made one of two free throws to seal the deal.

Vescovi’s heroics were witnessed by his parents and sister, who surprised him by flying in from Uruguay to watch him play for the first time at Tennessee.

Fulkerson’s heroics were more surprising: he was 0-for-1 from beyond the arc as a Vol.

Vescovi said Fulkerson, now hitting 50% from long range, should shoot more 3s.

Vescovi was joking.

White wasn’t when he praised Tennessee’s junior forward.

“I told our guys, I think he has the best motor in the league,’’ White said. “I’m not sure anyone plays harder than he does. He plays with a ton of energy and intensity.’’

Another Vol also played with more energy: James.

In two of his previous three games, James went scoreless. Counting four games he missed with a groin injury, he had scored 20 points in UT’s last 10 games.

Barnes said James needed to be more aggressive.

Message delivered.

James had eight points in the first 9:30. He had 10 points (two of 3 on 3s) and four rebounds in the first half.

“James played the way we want to see him play,’’ Barnes said. “We’re a different team (when he’s engaged).’’

Tennessee’s last two regular-season games are against the SEC’s two best teams: at Kentucky and at home against Auburn.

Tennessee might not win either game.

But at least the Vols have shown they can play like an NCAA Tournament team.

And that gives them a puncher’s chance.

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

Country News

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner