Hoops Preview: Lady Vols vs. LSU

Hoops Preview: Lady Vols vs. LSU

Posted on January 26, 2019
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee (12-7, 1-5 SEC) is back in action on Sunday in its third of four straight home games, as LSU (12-6, 3-3 SEC) comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for the annual “Live Pink, Bleed Orange” game.

The contest’s visibility will be used to raise awareness toward the fight against breast cancer. UT head coach Holly Warlick and LSU’s Nikki Fargas have been active participants in that fight with their fundraising organization Champions for a Cause.

Tip-off is slated for 1:02 p.m. ET, with the game being carried by the SEC Network and the Lady Vol Radio Network. Sunday’s game is UT’s third game in seven days, with both Arkansas and LSU having open dates prior to facing the Lady Vols and getting an entire week to prepare.

A youthful Lady Vol team has endured some tough lessons in SEC play, falling in five straight contests. Four of those five setbacks, however, came by a combined total of nine points.

UT stepped outside of league play on Thursday night and lost its sixth straight contest, but the Lady Vols played well in leading No. 1/1 Notre Dame through the first two quarters before eventually falling to an experienced and defending NCAA champion Fighting Irish squad, 77-62.

LSU played last Sunday at Alabama and secured a 62-56 victory in Coleman Coliseum to even its SEC record. The win snapped a two-game losing skid, as the Lady Tigers had fallen in home games against South Carolina (76-53) and Kentucky (64-60). LSU’s contests have been mostly low-scoring efforts on both sides, as the team averages 57.2 points per game in league play and allows 58.7 ppg. The Lady Tigers’ highest point total has been 63 vs. Texas A&M, while only South Carolina (76) has scored more than 64 vs. LSU.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will describe the action for the SEC Network.
  • Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
  • For UT home games, the Lady Vol Network has a low-power transmitter that makes the game available on the radio at 99.3 FM.

“LIVE PINK, BLEED ORANGE” GAME

  • Sunday is UT’s Live Pink, Bleed Orange game. Join us for a pink-themed game in Thompson-Boling Arena as we increase awareness in the fight against breast cancer.
  • Arrive early to get your 2019 Live Pink, Bleed Orange T-Shirt, one per person while supplies last.
  • UT Medical Center’s Mobile Mammography unit will be providing 3D Tomo screenings from 11 a.m.- 12:45 p.m. outside the arena on Phillip Fulmer Way. For more info. or to schedule an appointment, call the UT Breast Health Outreach Program at 865-305-9753.

OTHER PROMOTIONS

  • Enjoy the pre-game Kids’ Corner at Gate F. It opens one hour prior to tip-off. Fun includes free face painting, the Big Orange prize wheel, visits from Smokey and cheerleaders, dog crafts, cookie decorating and more at the Kids’ Corner.
  • Post-game Lay-ups: Kids 12 & younger can shoot a lay-up on the court after the game!
  • High-Five Tunnel: Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame High-Five Tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
  • Help us Spark the Summitt during introductions at the arena! Download our new free light-up app, courtesy of Coca-Cola. Once downloaded, simply open your Hoops Hype app when the lights go out, and let your phone do the rest.
  • Tickets are available for as low as $15 at AllVols.com.
  • Free parking & shuttle service will be available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off.

UT-LSU SERIES NOTES

  • UT enters the 64th meeting in the series with a 48-15 edge, including a 21-3 record in Knoxville, 15-8 slate in Baton Rouge and a 12-4 mark at neutral sites.
  • Tennessee has won 11 of the last 14 meetings, but LSU has taken two of the past three.
  • Holly Warlick owns a 5-3 record against Nikki Fargas as a head coach. Fargas is the only former Lady Vol player to ever hand Warlick a loss as a head coach.
  • The Lady Vols are 1-1 vs. LSU in overtime games. The last time the two teams went to OT was on March 1, 1997. Tennessee won the game 100-99 to advance to the semifinals of the SEC tournament.
  • The last time these programs met with both teams ranked was on Jan. 2, 2014, when #16 LSU upset #5 Tennessee in Knoxville, 80-77.
  • UT has scored 77 points vs. LSU in two of the past three meetings in Knoxville and had 75 in the middle tilt of that trio of games.

ABOUT TENNESSEE

  • E FOR 20!: Evina Westbrook is just the fourth Lady Vol (and first sophomore) in the past decade to have nine or more 20-point games in a season. Other Lady Vols to achieve that feat are Jaime Nared (11, 2017-18), Diamond DeShields (10, 2015-16 & 11, 2016-17) and Meighan Simmons, (10, 2012-13 & 2013-14).
  • ZAAY LEADS THE WAY: Zaay Green became the first player other than UT’s trio of Rennia Davis, Meme Jackson and Evina Westbrook to lead the team in scoring when she fired in a career-best 19 vs. No. 1/1 Notre Dame. She has raised her overall scoring average to 10.6 ppg. and ranks as the No. 2 freshman in scoring in league games at 11.3 ppg. In all games, she is second among rookies in scoring (10.6 ppg), T2nd in rebounding (4.4 rpg) and T3rd in assists (2.4 apg).
  • LONDON CALLING: Cheridene has been on a roll of late, posting double-figure rebounding totals in five of her past six games. She is averaging 10.5 rpg. the past six contests.
  • IN SEARCH OF THE TRIO: In its 12 wins, UT’s Rennia Davis (15.6), Meme Jackson (14.7) and Evina Westbrook (14.3) are all averaging double figures in scoring. Zaay Green and Cheridene Green provide 9.3 and 8.3 ppg. In its six losses, Westbrook is averaging 21.0, Zaay Green 13.0, Davis 9.0, Cheridene Green 8.4 and Jackson 7.0.
  • SECOND CHANCES: Tennessee’s rebounding has been a strength this season, especially on the offensive glass. UT is ranked No. 5 with 17.7 offensive boards per game, and the Lady Vols have won the second chance points battle in 15 of 19 games by an average of 14.6 to 9.6.
  • YOUNGSTERS CONTRIBUTING: In addition to a young starting lineup, UT has youth coming off the bench as well. UT has impressively won the bench points battle in 13 of 19 games, outscoring foes 16.9 to  12.1.
  • GETTING TO THE LINE: UT is ranked No. 19 in free throw attempts this season. Despite Notre Dame having 28 trips to UT’s eight Thursday night (their fewest all season), the Lady Vols have shot more free throws than their opponents in 13 of 19 games.

 

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LADY VOLS

  • Freshman guard Zaay Green scored 15 points in the first half to put UT up 34-31 at the break, but No. 1/1 Notre Dame rallied in the second half to grab a 77-62 win Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
  • Green finished the game with a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook was Tennessee’s second highest scorer with 16 points, while senior forward Cheridene Green pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds for her seventh double-digit rebound game of the season.
  • Despite a four-point first-half performance, Arike Ogunbowale finished as the leading scorer for the Irish (19-1, 6-0 ACC) with 28 points, while three other Notre Dame players posted double-digit points. Jackie Young recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and only two turnovers.

ABOUT LSU

  • The Tigers are in the eighth year under head coach Nikki Fargas.
  • Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection Ayana Mitchell, along with returning starters Faustine Aifuwa, Jaelyn Richard-Harris and Khayla Pointer highlight the team.
  • Mitchell leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg).
  • LSU is 1-3 against ranked opponents this year, defeating then-No. 21 Texas A&M (63-52), but losing to No. 21 South Carolina (53-76) and No. 16 Kentucky (60-64).
  • LSU finished 19-19 overall (11-5 SEC) last season.
  • The Tigers lost senior Raigyne Louis, who was named the team’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. During last season, she scored 466 points, 169 rebounds and 67 steals while dishing out a team-leading 112 assists.

LSU’S LAST GAME

  • The LSU women’s basketball team bounced back after two tough losses to defeat Alabama on Jan. 20 by a score of 62-56.
  • Khayla Pointer led the Lady Tigers with a career-high 26 points while adding six rebounds and three steals.
  • Faustine Aifuwa had another productive game, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight boards. Ayana Mitchell scored in dou-ble-digits with 10 points and had six rebounds.

THE LAST TIME WE MET

  • Mercedes Russell scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds, but No. 10 Tennessee could not overcome a 44-point second half by LSU in a 70-59 loss in Baton Rouge on Jan. 28, 2018. Russell also tallied her ninth double-double of the season and 39th of her career with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Meme Jackson recorded 13 points and three 3-pointers, while Evina Westbrook dished out seven assists to go along with 10 points for UT.
  • Jackson scored an SEC career-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, marking her sixth double-figure scoring game of the season and ninth of her career. Jackson shot 3-of-6 from the 3-point line.
  • An 8-0 LSU run, highlighted by six points from Chloe Jackson, gave the Lady Tigers their first 10-point advantage during the game.

LAST TIME WE HOSTED LSU

  • No. 25 Tennessee led for nearly the entire game and used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from an upset-minded LSU squad for a 77-58 win at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 2, 2017.
  • Jaime Nared and Diamond DeShields both posted double-doubles and four UT players scored in double figures, as the Lady Vols (15-7, 6-3 SEC) won their fourth straight game. Tennessee shot a blistering 53 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Tigers, 42-28.
  • DeShields, Nared and Mercedes Russell came up big, combining for 59 of the team’s 77 points on the night.

COMING UP FOR UT AND LSU

  • UT plays its fourth straight home game on Thursday, as Florida visits The Summitt for a 7 p.m. ET contest (SECN+).
  • LSU, meanwhile, hosts #7/6 Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.

UT Athletics

Hoops Preview: #1 Tennessee vs. West Virginia

Hoops Preview: #1 Tennessee vs. West Virginia

Posted on January 26, 2019
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Top-ranked Tennessee and West Virginia are set to meet on the hardwood Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena in front of a sold-out crowd as part of ESPN’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The game will tip at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN and can also be viewed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.

In its sixth year, Tennessee (17-1) holds a 3-1 record when competing in the cross-conference showcase, including a 68-45 win at Iowa State last season. The Vols and Mountaineers (9-10) are meeting for the first time since Nov. 23, 2007, when seventh-ranked UT defeated West Virginia, 74-72, at the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.

The Big Orange enters the game after a dominant performance by Grant Williams on Wednesday night to lift the Vols over in-state rival Vanderbilt on the road. The junior forward finished with a career-high 43 points. It was the most points scored in a game by a Vol since all-time leading scorer Allan Houston also dropped 43 against LSU on Feb. 10, 1990. Williams’ effort also tied for the fifth-most points in a single game in school history. Williams was 10-of-15 from the field and a program-record 23-of-23 from the free-throw line. That mark broke the Tennessee records for most free throws in a game and consecutive free throws in a single game, surpassing Bill Justus’ 22 total makes and 18 consecutive free throw makes vs. Ohio on March 17, 1969.

West Virginia lost its best player, junior forward Sagaba Konate (13.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg), to injury in December. However, junior guard James Bolden and senior forward Esa Ahmad have stepped up in his absence. Bolden leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), assists (2.6 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). He is second on the team in 3-pointers with 29 makes on the year. Ahmad is an all-around player, leading the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and ranking second in scoring (12.3 ppg), assists (1.8 apg), steals (0.9 spg) and blocks (0.7 bpg).

The anticipation by the fans for this exciting season was felt early on when the West Virginia and Kentucky games sold out shortly after single-game tickets went on sale. Now, all Saturday home games are sold out and limited tickets are left for the remainder of Tennessee’s home slate. Visit AllVols.com soon if you’re interested in buying tickets for one of our remaining conference games.

“Without question, this is the best fanbase I have ever been around,” said head coach Rick Barnes. “You talk about 21,000 fans for Tennessee Tech and almost 20,000 for Wake Forest both around the holidays. We already have some games sold out. I can tell you this is the best fanbase I have been around. I can tell you we appreciate it as a program. I know our players love it too.”

THE SERIES
• Tennessee trails the all-time series with West Virginia, 3-5, dating to 1958. This is the 196th meeting.
• The Mountaineers have a 2-1 edge when the series is played in Knoxville.
• Tennessee is 13-18 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference.

A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s win streak to 14 games. That would be UT’s longest win streak since the 1922-23 campaign, when the Vols opened the season with 14 straight victories from Jan. 8 through Feb. 20.
• Stretch the Vols’ home win streak to 20 games, dating to last season (this is the longest home win streak of the Barnes era).
• Give UT an 11-game win streak in regular-season SEC games.
• Give Tennessee a 4-1 record in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

STORYLINES
• Tennessee is aiming for its third straight win in the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
• This is Tennessee’s best start to SEC play since it won its first eight league games in 1981-82.
• The Volunteers received 48 of 64 first-place votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. This is the second week in history that Tennessee has been ranked No. 1.
• Wednesday at Vanderbilt, Grant Williams’ 23-of-23 effort at the free-throw line  marked the most makes without a miss in a Division I game since Oklahoma State’s Arlen Clark went 24-for-24 60 years ago on March 7, 1959.
• This is Rick Barnes‘ longest win streak since he led Texas to a 17-0 start to open the 2009-10 season.
• The Vols have shot 50 percent or better in 13 games this season (and 10 of their last 13).
• Tennessee has yet to face a double-digit deficit this season.

LAYUPS
• Grant Williams leads the SEC in scoring (20.3 ppg), ranks second in field-goal percentage (.569), ninth in assists (3.6 apg) and eighth in rebounding (7.5 rpg).
• Admiral Schofield is the SEC’s fifth-leading scorer (16.7 ppg), and is shooting .420 from 3-point range.
• Williams and Schofield both earned a spot on the 25-man Wooden Award Midseason Watch List.
• Point guard Jordan Bone owns the sixth-best assist/turnover ratio (3.83) in Division I and ranks 17th in the country in assists per game (6.4 apg).
• Kyle Alexander is the SEC’s third-leading rebounder during conference play, as he averages 9.2 rebounds per game.
• During league play, SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jordan Bowden ranks second on the team and eighth in the SEC with 16.3 points per game.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA
• Tennessee is competing in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge for the fifth time, hosting West Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 26, to cap off its 2018-19 regular-season non-conference slate.
• All-time, the Vols are 3-5 against West Virginia, including a 1-2 mark in Knoxville. The programs haven’t met since Nov. 23, 2007, when the seventh-ranked Vols defeated the Mountaineers, 74-72, at the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.
• The matchup between the Vols and Mountaineers (9-10, 1-6 Big 12) pits two of the top active coaches in Division I in terms of career victories. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins ranks fourth with 782 wins, while Rick Barnes ranks seventh with 678 triumphs during his career.
• West Virginia lost its best player, junior forward Sagaba Konate (13.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg), to injury in December. However, junior guard James Bolden and senior forward Esa Ahmad have stepped up in his absence.
• Bolden leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), assists (2.6 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). He is second on the team in 3-pointers with 29 makes on the year.
• Ahmad is an all-around player, leading the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and ranking second in scoring (12.3 ppg), assists (1.8 apg), steals (0.9 spg) and blocks (0.7 bpg).
• Derek Culver (10.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) missed the first part of the season before returning to the hardwood in December. The freshman forward also has helped to fill the missing role of Konate in the post while shooting at a 53-percent clip from the floor.

LAST MEETING VS. WEST VIRGINIA
•  Tennessee survived several West Virginia attacks in a 74-72 semifinal win on Nov. 23, 2007, at the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.
•  The Vols took a 7-6 lead with just over 15 minutes left in the first half and maintained a lead that grew to as many as seven points before taking a 33-28 advantage at the half.
•  UT held the lead until the Mountaineers went on a 9-0 run to take a 41-39 advantage with 14:48 left.
•  A three-point play by Ramar Smith and a pair of 3-pointers from JaJuan Smith keyed a 9-2 run that gave the Vols a 48-44 lead. Tennessee never trailed again but had to withstand several late pushes by WVU.
•  Alex Ruoff’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds left cut UT’s lead to 71-70 but JaJuan Smith sealed the win with three free throws in the final 13 seconds.
•  Chris Lofton led the Vols with 19 points. JaJuan Smith added 17 points despite being saddled with foul trouble for much of the second half. Wayne Chism led the Vols with seven rebounds while adding 15 points.
•  Da’Sean Butler led the Mountaineers with 16 points. WVU’s second-leading scorer with 12.5 ppg entering the contest, Jamie Smalligan was held scoreless
•  Tennessee had 10 steals off 19 West Virginia turnovers.

SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE HISTORY
• The Big SEC/Big 12 Challenge is in its sixth year. Tennessee is 3-1 in the event, as the Vols did not take part in the inaugural challenge.
• Through five years, the SEC trails the challenge, 21-29.
• Last season, UT posted a convincing 68-45 road win at State (1/28/17).
• Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 13-18. Fourth-year UT head coach Rick Barnes—who spent 17 seasons coaching in the Big 12 before transitioning to Knoxville prior to the 2015-16 campaign—owns a 159-95 record against current Big 12 teams and is 8-4 in his career against West Virginia.

COACHES vs. CANCER SUITS & SNEAKERS WEEK
• This year’s Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week runs Jan. 21-27. Tennessee’s staff is wearing sneakers for UT’s games against Vanderbilt (W) and West Virginia.
• Tennessee owns a 15-5 record in Coaches vs. Cancer “Suits and Sneakers” games, dating to the NABC/American Cancer Society initiative’s launch in February 2004.
• The Vols are 9-2 at home and 6-3 on the road when the coaching staff breaks out its fresh kicks.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer mission is to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living among students, faculty, school staff, fans and the community at large, through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.

VOLS OFF TO HOT SEC START
• Tennessee’s 6-0 start to SEC play is its best start in league play since it won its first eight conference games in 1981-82.
• Head coach Don DeVoe guided Dale Ellis and the Vols to a 13-5 league mark to tie for the SEC Championship that season. Tennessee finished 20-10 overall after falling to a Ralph Sampson-led Virginia squad in the NCAA Tournament.

MUSIC CITY LINE DANCE
• Grant Williams enjoyed a record-setting night at the free-throw line on Jan. 23 to lead the Vols to an overtime road win at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym.
• Williams was a perfect 23-of-23 at the line, setting an SEC record for most free-throw makes without a miss in a single game.
• It was the second-most makes ever in a single game by an SEC player and the third-most makes ever in an SEC intraconference game.
• It also was the most makes without a mess in a single game by a Division I player in 60 years (since Oklahoma State’s Arlen Clark went 24-of-24 on March 7, 1959.
• Williams drew an incredible 14 fouls in the win, and he attempted and made more free throws than Vanderbilt’s entire team (13 of 21).

 

UT Athletics

Watch Metallica Cover Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Lookin’ at Country” During Nashville Concert

Watch Metallica Cover Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Lookin’ at Country” During Nashville Concert

Posted on January 25, 2019

Metallica invaded Nashville on Jan. 24 to play before a packed house at Bridgestone Arena. As expected, the biggest metal band of all time performed a number of their crowd-favorite hits, including “The Unforgiven,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fuel,” “One” and more.

Metallica even had something in store for the country fans in the audience—a cover of Loretta Lynn’s 1971 hit, “You’re Lookin’ at Country.”

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (lead guitar) and Rob Trujillo (bass) were front and center during the performance, while James Hetfield (vocals/guitar) and Lars Ulrich (drums) took a break.

The Tennessean‘s Dave Paulson captured a clip of the performance, which you can watch below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Lady Vols fall to No. 1 Notre Dame, drop 6th straight

Lady Vols fall to No. 1 Notre Dame, drop 6th straight

Posted on January 24, 2019
Zaay Green – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman guard Zaay Green scored 15 points in the first half to put UT up 34-31 at the break, but No. 1/1 Notre Dame rallied in the second half to grab a 77-62 win Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Green finished the game with a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Freshman point guard Evina Westbrook was Tennessee’s (12-7, 1-5 SEC) second highest scorer with 16 points, while senior forward Cheridene Green pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds for her seventh double-digit rebound game of the season.

Despite a four-point first-half performance, Arike Ogunbowale finished as the leading scorer for the Irish (19-1, 6-0 ACC) with 28 points, while three other Notre Dame players posted double-digit points. Jackie Young recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and only two turnovers.

The Lady Vols dominated on both ends of the court early on, as they held Notre Dame without a field goal for over three minutes to start the game. Tennessee took an 8-4 lead over halfway through the quarter, thanks to second chance points that came courtesy of Kasiyahna Kushkituah and Cheridene Green’s eight combined rebounds.

The Lady Vols followed up with a 7-0 run and forced the Irish on another three-minute scoring drought late in the first quarter. Notre Dame, however, hit its final four shots of the quarter to cut the Tennessee lead to 17-14 after 10 minutes of play. Westbrook, Davis and Zaay Greenchipped in for 13 of the Lady Vols’ first-quarter points.

Tennessee continued its hot streak into the second quarter, with Zaay Green’s quick seven points giving the Lady Vols a 26-18 lead. The Irish bounced back, though, hitting their next six shots to cut the Tennessee lead to just one point with under four minutes remaining in the first half.

Notre Dame took its first lead of the game at the 3:12 mark of the second quarter on a layup from Brianna Turner. Once again, Zaay Green refused to let the Lady Vols falter, as a pair of layups from the true freshman put Tennessee back on top 34-31 going into the half.  Green racked up 15 points, five rebounds and four assists before halftime.

Ogunbowale found her rhythm and led the Irish on a 12-4 run to start the second half and regain a 41-38 lead with 6:29 left in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Lady Vols were held to a two-minute scoring drought, where they turned over the ball three times in the span. A Westbrook floater, however, knotted things back up at 44-all with four minutes left in the third quarter. Notre Dame exploded for an 11-2 run to end the frame, as Ogunbowale tallied 16 of the Irish’s 24 third-quarter points. Five different Lady Vols combined for just 12 points in the third quarter, as Notre Dame took a 55-46 lead into the final stanza.

Notre Dame opened up the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run, giving the Irish their largest lead of the contest.  Tennessee clawed back into the game by hitting its next three shots, but the Irish kept the Lady Vols at an arm’s reach from the charity stripe. Tennessee was held to just 16 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-19 shooting from the floor. The Lady Vols hit just three of their final 10 shots to end the game, while Notre Dame iced the game at the free throw line, finishing 18 of 28 there. UT made only eight trips to the charity stripe all night, making six of them.

Up Next: The Lady Vols play their third straight home game on Sunday, hosting LSU at 1 p.m. in the annual Live Pink, Bleed Orange game. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to get a 2019 Live Pink, Bleed Orange t-shirt, while supplies last. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.

Zaay Can Play: Zaay Green scored a career-high 19 points against Notre Dame while adding eight rebounds and four assists. The true freshman has had three straight double-digit performances and is averaging 16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 3.3 apg over the last three games.

First Half Lockdown: Tennessee held Notre Dame to a season-low 31 points at the half. The last time the Fighting Irish was held to less than 31 points in the first half was against Mississippi State in the National Championship game on April 1, 2018, with just 17 points. Notre Dame came back to win the title, 61-58.

-UT Athletics

Maren Morris Drops New “Girl” Video [Watch]

Maren Morris Drops New “Girl” Video [Watch]

Posted on January 24, 2019

One week after Maren Morris released her uplifting new single, “Girl,” she dropped a new video for the tune on Jan. 24.

The new song is the lead single from Maren’s upcoming album, which will follow her 2016 award-winning major-label debut album, Hero.

Penned by Maren, Sarah Aarons and Greg Kurstin, who also produced the song, “Girl” features the encouraging chorus: “Girl, don’t hang your head low / Don’t lose your halo / Everyone’s gonna be okay, baby, girl.”

“The story behind my single, ‘Girl,’ started as something I was saying to another woman, like, ‘We don’t need to be competitive with each other,’” says Maren. “And then I kind of realized that I was talking to myself, like, ‘I don’t need to be so competitive with myself, I am enough.’ And it just became a really powerful concept after that point. I’m so excited it’s out.”

Watch the new video for “Girl.”

photo by JPA / AFF-USA.com

Scotty McCreery Talks Recent Wedding, Top 5 Single, Songwriting, Super Bowl Prediction, New Puppy & More

Scotty McCreery Talks Recent Wedding, Top 5 Single, Songwriting, Super Bowl Prediction, New Puppy & More

Posted on January 24, 2019

Jim Casey talks with Scotty McCreery about:

  • getting married in June 2018
  • his Top 5 single, “This Is It”
  • the video for “This Is It,” which features footage from his wedding and has more than 30 million views
  • thinking about his next single
  • working to become a better songwriter
  • headlining his Seasons Change Tour with support from Jimmie Allen and Heather Morgan
  • upcoming shows at Billy Bob’s Texas and Stagecoach
  • his new puppy, Moose
  • rooting for the Patriots in the Super Bowl
  • watching “This Is It” continue to climb charts

Podcast Participants

  • Scotty McCreery
  • Jim Casey, editor in chief of Nash Country Daily

Randy Travis Readies New Book, “Forever and Ever, Amen”

Randy Travis Readies New Book, “Forever and Ever, Amen”

Posted on January 24, 2019

Randy Travis revealed that his new book, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life, will be released on May 14 via HarperCollins.

Randy, with the help of author Ken Abraham, shares stories of his working-class childhood, country music career, medical problems, broken marriage and more.

photo courtesy 117 Entertainment

“I didn’t really feel I had a book to write until I stood on the distant shore and looked back over the ripples my life has made—on myself and on others,” said Randy. “My songs were the stories of my life and I learned from those who listened, they were theirs too—my fans inspired me and continue to do so.”

Over the course of his career, Randy has recorded 18 No. 1 hits and sold more than 25 million albums. He suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2013, but with the help of wife Mary and physical therapy, he has made improvements in his speaking, walking and singing. He was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

“I learned a lot about myself going back through the chronicles of my past,” said Randy. “In my waning years of ability I have a clearer picture of the past. It’s an interesting game of patience to sit and wait for the clocks of time to expose so much. As the candle burns, it is time to share the history that made me who I am, tell the backstory to some of my songs, give insight to the challenges I faced, and reflect on the blessings through it all.”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

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