Charlie Daniels Band & Marshall Tucker Band Join Forces for “Fire on the Mountain Tour”

Charlie Daniels Band & Marshall Tucker Band Join Forces for “Fire on the Mountain Tour”

Posted on January 13, 2020

Charlie Daniels Band and Marshall Tucker Band will join forces for the upcoming Fire on the Mountain Tour. The tour’s moniker is a nod to Marshall Tucker Band’s 1978 hit song, “Fire on the Mountain,” as well as Charlie Daniels Band’s 1974 album of the same name.

The 21-date tour will kick off on April 23 in Enid, Okla., making additional stops in Cincinnati, Deadwood, St. Augustine and more. Scooter Brown Band will serve as support.

“We have played more shows with the MTB through the years than any other band and have worked together for over 40 years,” said Charlie. “We have so much history and so many memories and the music is so compatible that when we get together, the audience, CDB and MTB have a big ole southern-style good time.”

Fire on the Mountain Tour

  • April 23 | Enid, OK | Stride Bank Center (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • April 24 | Salina, KS | Tony’s Pizza Event Center (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • April 30 | Moon, PA | UPMC Events Center
  • May 1 | Washington, D.C. | Warner Theater
  • May 2 | Huber Heights, OH | Rose Music Center at The Heights
  • May 3 | Evansville, IN | Victory Theatre
  • May 7 | Waterbury, CT | Palace Theatre
  • May 8 | Morristown, NJ | Mayo Performing Arts Center
  • May 9 | Westbury, NY | Theatre at Westbury
  • May 14 | Jackson, TN | Carl Perkins Civic Center
  • May 23 | Cherokee, NC | Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Aug 14 | Cincinnati, OH | PNC Pavilion (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Aug 28 | Lancaster, PA | American Music Theatre (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Aug 30 | Webster, MA | Indian Ranch (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Sept. 4 | Huron, SD | South Dakota State Fair
  • Sept. 5 | Deadwood, SD | Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center
  • Sept. 11 | Joliet, IL | Rialto Square Theatre
  • Sept. 19 | St. Charles, MO | The Family Arena (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Sept. 24 | Meridian, MS | Riley Center for the Performing Arts
  • Nov. 6 | St. Augustine, FL | St. Augustine Amphitheatre (w/ Scooter Brown Band)
  • Nov. 7 | Clearwater, FL | Ruth Eckerd Hall (w/ Scooter Brown Band)

photo by NCD

Scotty McCreery & Wife Gabi Complete Disney Half-Marathon

Scotty McCreery & Wife Gabi Complete Disney Half-Marathon

Posted on January 13, 2020

Scotty McCreery hit the ground running in 2020.

Scotty and wife Gabi completed the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 11. The newlyweds, who were married in June 2018, donned t-shirts with Buzz Lightyear and Forky from Toy Story 4 for the 13.1-mile race. Scotty and Gabi received Finisher Medals after the race at Walt Disney World Resort.

“Being in this half marathon was something that Gabi and I decided to do several months ago when we were setting goals for 2020,” said Scotty. “We are both huge Disney fans, especially Gabi. This seemed like the perfect half marathon for us to do together.”

photo courtesy Triple 8 Management

No. 23/24 UT Takes Down Georgia, 73-56

No. 23/24 UT Takes Down Georgia, 73-56

Posted on January 12, 2020
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 23/24 Lady Vols picked up their third SEC win on Sunday, defeating Georgia at Thompson-Boling Arena, 73-56, in front of a season-high crowd of 10,036.

UT (13-3, 3-1 SEC) was led by junior Rennia Davis with 17 points and six rebounds. Senior Lou Brown and freshmen Tamari Key and Jordan Horston were also in double figures with 12, 13 and 14, respectively.

Junior Maya Caldwell paced Georgia (10-7, 1-3 SEC) in scoring with 13 points. Gabby Connally chipped in 11 points, and Que Morrison finished with 10.

Horston led Tennessee team in assists, collecting a career-high seven. Sophomore Jazmine Massengill recorded a team-high seven rebounds, while UT out-rebounded UGA 35-29 and out-scored UGA in the paint, 36-22, with 20 of those coming in the second half.

Key got things going for the Lady Vols, scoring the first four points and making it a 4-3 lead for the home team early in the first quarter.

With back-to-back three pointers from Davis and Massengill, the Lady Vols went on an 8-0 run over a one-minute, 45-second span to extend the lead to 12-5 on the Lady Bulldogs.

Georgia followed that up with an 8-0 run of its own, providing UGA a 20-19 lead after the first ten minutes of play. UT finished the first quarter with a 58.3 shooting percentage and a perfect two-for-two accuracy from beyond the arc, while the Lady Bulldogs shot at a 69.2 percent clip.

With 2:56 left in the second quarter, Horston brought some life to the Lady Vols by tying the game at 27-27 after making a jumper. The freshman followed it up with a three-pointer to give UT the lead back at 30-27.

Davis continued the scoring run for the Big Orange with a jumper, followed by a three-point bucket from sophomore Rae Burrell to give Tennessee a 35-29 advantage going into the locker room. That lead came courtesy of a 14-4 UT run over the last five minutes. Defensively, Tennessee held Georgia to an icy 17.6 shooting percentage in the second quarter.

At the half, six different players had scored points for the Lady Vols, led by Davis with 11. UT also out-rebounded UGA, 16-14, and hits shots at a 54.2 percent rate compared to Georgia’s 40 percent.

Massengill opened up scoring for the Big Orange in the third quarter with a three-pointer. Brown responded with a lay-up on the next possession, propelling UT a 40-34 lead.

Tennessee went on a 12-2 run in the middle of the third and held Georgia scoreless for over three minutes, pushing the lead to 47-34. After the scoring spree, Horston made a jumper that was followed by points from Davis and Brown at the end of the quarter, providing Tennessee a 53-43 advantage.

The Lady Vols put together a 10-0 run to help seal their victory in the fourth quarter, going five-for-five from the field during that stretch. Key started the run with a lay-in, which was followed closely by three pointers from Davis and Brown. Brown finished the streak with another lay-in, giving UT a 65-47 advantage.

Junior Kasiyahna Kushkituah finished the game with a last-second lay-in under the basket to close the scoring at 73-56.

Up Next: The Lady Vols will hit the road, traveling to Gainesville for a 6 p.m. tilt on Thursday with the Gators. The game will be available for streaming on SECN+.

Balanced Attack: Coming off a game against Ole Miss that saw seven Lady Vols score eight or more points and three tally more than 10, UT had four players make their way into double digits against Georgia. Tennessee has now had three or more players in double figures in 11 of 16 contests.

Block Party: Freshman Tamari Key blocked four shots against Georgia, moving her season total to 41. Her average of 2.6 bpg. ranks third in the SEC, but she is first in league games at 4.5 per contest.

Horston Dishing: Freshman Jordan Horston headed into the match-up with Georgia tied with Tyasha Harris (South Carolina) for first in the SEC in assists per game at 4.9 apg. Today she doled out seven assists against Georgia, moving her season average to 5.1 apg. If the season ended today, that average would rank first among Lady Vol freshmen all-time.

Double-Figure Streaks: Rennia Davis scored in double figures for the 14th straight game. She now has hit 10 or more points in 14 of 15 games this season and in 28 of her past 29 contests. Jordan Horston, meanwhile, has developed consistency in scoring as well, hitting double figures in her sixth-consecutive game and for the 10th occasion in 2019-20.

Sharing The Ball: Tennessee recorded 20 assists in the win over UGA, marking the sixth time this season the Lady Vols have had 20 or more dimes in a contest. They were coming off a game at Ole Miss where they dished out 24 assists.

Sharp Shooters: The Lady Vols shot a scorching 51.9 percent from the floor against Georgia and hit a season-high 66.7 percent of shots from behind the arc. Tennessee has now hit at least half of its shots in seven games this season. During the 2018-19 season, that occurred only three times.

 

UT Athletics

Vols Hold On to Beat South Carolina, 56-55

Vols Hold On to Beat South Carolina, 56-55

Posted on January 11, 2020
Vols F John Fulkerson / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A strong defensive effort and a drawn charge by John Fulkerson in the closing seconds propelled Tennessee to a 56-55 win over South Carolina Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

With Tennessee leading by one with six seconds remaining, South Carolina guard A.J. Lawson grabbed the rebound off a UT missed 3-pointer and raced the length of the court to attempt a go-ahead shot. As Lawson drove down the lane, Fulkerson stepped in front and drew a charge with 1.4 seconds remaining, giving the Vols possession and securing the win.

Fulkerson led the Vols in scoring with 15 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds, achieving the second double-double of his career and first of the season. Freshmen Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James also scored in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively.

Defensively, Tennessee (10-5, 2-1 SEC) held its opponent to less than 60 points for the seventh time this season and recorded a season-high 11 blocked shots.

Maik Kotsar had 17 points and Jermaine Couisnard had 15 to pace South Carolina (8-7, 0-2).

After coming out of halftime with a one-point lead, South Carolina opened the second half on a 13-6 run, as Tennessee converted on just two of its first nine attempts from the field.

With the Gamecocks holding their largest lead of the game at 39-31, the Vols came alive on the offensive end with a 20-5 run, capped by back-to-back threes from the freshman duo of Drew Pember and James. The run put Tennessee in front, 51-44, a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game despite South Carolina threatening on multiple occasions.

Over the course of the run, Tennessee held South Carolina without a field goal for more than six minutes, as the Gamecocks missed 10 consecutive shots.

South Carolina took a 26-25 lead into halftime in a first half marred by scoring droughts and shooting struggles. The Vols shot just 7-for-27 (.259) from the field during the game’s opening period.

After jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead during the game’s first minute and a half, Tennessee went more than 10 minutes of game time without making a field goal. As a result of Tennessee’s scoring drought, South Carolina seized a 16-10 lead that the Vols responded to with a 9-0 run to go back in front.

From there, the lead changed hands once more as the Gamecocks executed an 8-2 run over the course of the half’s final four and a half minutes to take the slight advantage into the break.

FROM THE LINE: The Vols gained some separation in the second half at the free-throw line, shooting 14-for-16 from the charity stripe. Tennessee’s 22 made free throws were its second-most of the season.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: South Carolina’s stretch of more than six minutes without a field goal during the second half marked the eighth time this season that Tennessee has held an opponent without a field goal for more than five minutes.

YVES’ STREAK CONTINUES: Yves Pons’ five-block performance was his third straight game with three or more blocks, marking the first time a Vol has accomplished that feat since Kyle Alexander in December 2017. Pons has eight games this season in which he has recorded three or more blocks.

Pons has also now blocked at least one shot in all 15 of Tennessee’s games this season.

UP NEXT: The Vols hit the road and head down to Athens, Georgia, for a Wednesday night tilt with Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPNU.

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  PHOTOS  |  QUOTES  |  FULKERSON POSTGAME ON SEC NETWORK  |  BARNES POSTGAME PRESSER

-UT Athletics

Jimmy’s blog: Vols find victory despite poor shooting

Jimmy’s blog: Vols find victory despite poor shooting

Posted on January 11, 2020

By Jimmy Hyams

Tennessee found a unique formula for success.

Shoot a bunch of bricks, play rock-solid defense, then make several plays down the stretch.

That was enough to win a hard-fought yet ugly SEC game against South Carolina 56-55 Saturday afternoon before an impressive crowd of 19,603 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Junior power forward John Fulkerson downed a dunk, blocked a shot and took a charge to spark the victory. Fulkerson finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and was one of the few Vols who had a decent shooting percentage (5 for 7).

“If he can give us a double double every night,’’ Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Fulkerson, “that’s what we need from him.’’

In the final 3:30 of the game, Fulkerson had a put-back dunk, then a block, then made as big as play as there was in the game – he draw a charge from a charging A.J. Lawson with 1.4 seconds left on the clock.

Barnes was asked if Fulkerson drawing a charge at that moment was a risky play.

“If he hadn’t,’’ Barnes said, “he (Lawson) would have probably dunked the ball.’’

South Carolina coach Frank Martin was impressed with Fulkerson’s moxy.

“Give their guy credit more than our guy getting fault,’’ Martin said.

Tennessee (10-5, 1-1 SEC) won despite horrific shooting. The Vols hit 25.9% from the field (14 of 54) and – after making 24 of 50 from 3-point range in the last two games – went 6 of 31 from beyond the arc (19.4%).

Senior Jordan Bowden, who has scored more points than any Vol this season, was a frigid 1 of 17 from the field, 1 of 12 on 3s. Many of his misses were open looks.

Bowden, who was 3 of 25 shooting against Wisconsin and LSU but bounced back against Missouri, seemed to be pressing again as he tries to carry a larger scoring burden with the absences of the injured Lamonte Turner.

“Bowden missed another point blank layup,’’ said an irritated Barnes.

“If he’s not playing well, we’re not going to leave him out there.’’

Tennessee led 56-52 with 1:20 left after a pair of Santiago Vescovi free throws.

South Carolina made three free throws sandwiched around Vescovi’s seventh turnover of the game to cut the margin to 56-55 with 36.5 seconds left.

Bowden missed a forced 3 with eight seconds left on the shot clock but the Gamecocks knocked the ball out of bounds with 10.4 seconds left.

UT’s inbounds passed sailed past the half-court line where Vescovi retrieved it and throw it toward UT’s basket.

South Carolina then set sail for UT’s basket but Lawson was called for the charge.

“That was a heady play by that young man,’’ Martin said of Vescovi, “to save the ball and throw it toward their basket.

“As he adjusts to how we defend (in the United States) I think he’ll be a real good player in this league.’’

Barnes liked the fact his team won despite a horrendous shooting outing. The two teams actually combined for more turnovers (38) than made field goals (34).

“I thought our guys played as hard as they could play,’’ Barnes said.

Barnes also thanked the boisterous crowd. Barnes said he told his team “if you want the fans to be with you, they appreciate playing hard.’’

Tennessee did play hard, just not very well.

But they did get a spark off the bench from freshman Drew Pember, a Knoxville product who hit a key 3 and scored five points with two rebounds in 10 minutes.

“I thought his presence out there was good,’’ Barnes said.

Arguably the difference in the game came at the foul line. Tennessee was 22 of 28, SC 13 of 22.

“Against South Carolina,’’ Barnes said, “you’ve got to try to get the line 25-plus times. If not, they’ll manhandle you.’’

Barnes did credit SC’s defense: “There’s not a better defensive team in the country.’’

But he also bemoaned the fact UT missed a bunch of open shots.

And he knows that will catch up with the Vols against other teams.

“We’ve got guys that can make shots,’’ Barnes said. “We’ve got to do it when the lights come on.’’

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