It’s no secret Chris Stapleton holds Waylon Jennings in high esteem. Chris is quick to cite Waylon as one of his seminal influences, and critics are fond of drawing comparisons between the two artists famous for their powerful voices and gritty lyrics.
“[Waylon is] in a lot of what I do, whether I am trying or not, just like a lot of other guys and heroes,” says Chris to Nash Country Daily. “If you listen to someone enough, you don’t necessarily have to try to emulate them, they will wind up in what you do. Hopefully it will make people feel like there’s a connection there.”
If you’ve seen Chris perform live, there’s a good chance you’ve felt the aforementioned “connection” as he covered one of Waylon’s songs, perhaps “Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Amanda” or “Outlaw Bit.”
“There’s a lot of, a lot of honesty in Waylon Jennings’ music . . . he had his own sound, and I think that’s something that everybody that plays music is always looking to try to get to—whatever that may be—and sometimes you wind up having your own sound and you don’t know that you’re doing that, but I think they were just playing music and having fun and you can hear that. What you got on a recording was pretty much what you were gonna hear when you went to watch ’em play and that informs things that I do, you know? You try to keep it as straight ahead as you can and don’t go doing too many things that you can’t show up and play live for the people.”
Luke Bryan got his wife, Caroline, a big ol’ diamond ring for their 10th wedding anniversary on Dec. 8, 2016.
This year, Luke may have to get Caroline the matching necklace.
Today (Dec. 8), Luke released his sixth studio album, What Makes You Country—yup, his 11th wedding anniversary.
Luke is in New York City making the media rounds, including appearances on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallen and Ellen, which means he won’t be spending a romantic evening at home with the wifey.
“So I am very good about anniversaries and stuff like that, but when we were planning the album and putting it out, we were throwing all these dates around,” said Luke to Nash morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck. “I’m at the house, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, Baby, I’ll be up in New York and the album comes out the eighth.’ She looked at me and goes, ‘Hmm, interesting day for an album release.’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry, Baby.’ And then you try to spin it. ‘Well, Baby, just come to New York and we’ll eat great food and we’ll walk and go look at people at Rockefeller Plaza.’ She’s like, ‘You work 20 hours a days during album release [week] . . . but I’ll be there.’”
Produced by Jeff Stevens and Jody Stevens, What Makes You Country features 15 songs, seven of which were co-written by Luke, including the title track. The album’s lead single, “Light It Up,” is currently No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 15 weeks.
“My favorite part of making a new album is getting to collaborate with the songwriting community in this town,” said Luke. “It is important to me to continue to push myself to grow on all levels and I feel like we did that on this project. Making and performing music never gets old and I can honestly say I am having the time of my life. I will be forever grateful to every fan who sings along each night.”
What Makes You Country Track List & Songwriters
“What Makes You Country” – Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley
“Out of Nowhere” – Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley
“Light It Up” – Luke Bryan, Brad Tursi
“Most People Are Good” – David Frasier, Ed Hill, Josh Kear
“Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” – Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd, Chase McGill
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith has been named to the 2017 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Football Team, as announced by the conference office on Thursday.
The team was voted on by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Smith was named to the Coaches All-SEC Second Team on Tuesday and earned AP All-SEC Second Team honors on Monday.
Smith is Tennessee’s first offensive player to earn SEC All-Freshman honors since Chance Hall in 2015.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native was the only Tennessee offensive lineman to start all 12 games for the Vols in 2017. He had eight starts at right guard, three at left tackle and one at left guard. Smith led the Vols in pancakes and was UT’s second-highest rated offensive lineman behind only senior Jashon Robertson. Smith became the first Tennessee true freshman to start at left tackle in at least 30 years.
Smith made several highlight reels with his physical blocking style and showed the poise of a veteran player despite 2017 being his first year of college football. Smith’s blocking helped pave the way for career-best seasons by running backs John Kelly(778 rushing yards), Ty Chandler (305 yards) and Carlin Fils-aime (215 yards).
Smith, who is also a candidate for Freshman All-America honors, was the No. 1 overall rated player in the nation in 2017 recruiting according to ESPN.com.
The Nick Saban tree has found its way to Knoxville again.
The last two times, it didn’t end well. Derek Dooley was fired after three years as Tennessee’s coach and his demise was defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri, who spearheaded the worst defense in Tennessee history.
This time around, Tennessee has landed Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, news we broke last night. Pruitt, 43, was offered the job Wednesday, accepted it, then had his agent, Jimmy Sexton, finalize the details Friday morning.
After talking to other coaches and media that have covered Pruitt, there’s no doubt in my mind he is a much better hire than Dooley or Sunseri.
OK, call me Captain Obvious. But I talked to some of the same coaches who thought the Dooley and Sunseri hires would be a disaster and they don’t feel the same way about Pruitt.
In fact, many in the coaching fraternity highly endorse him.
One coach told me Pruitt has an excellent defensive mind, relates well to players, recruits at a top-notch level and sees the big picture.
Another coach said that Pruitt was able to get defensive players to play fast because they understand what he asked of them. His defenses are not so simple that they are easy to attack, but not so complicated that players didn’t know what to do.
It’s important that coaches know what their players know, and Pruitt has that ability.
Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, who covered Pruitt for two years, said Pruitt’s imprint on recruiting was all over the state of Georgia as he helped land linebacker Roquan Smith and receiver Micole Hardman.
Towers said it appears Pruitt was a “desperate hire’’ but could turn out to be a “great hire’’ for Tennessee.
Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News praised Pruitt’s ability to relate to players. He also said Pruitt is more of a gambler and blitzer on defense compared to former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, now Georgia’s head coach.
Scarbinsky is also convinced Pruitt will bring a toughness to the Tennessee program that has lacked for several years.
Scarbinsky said Pruitt is a “`man of few words’’ who has an “edge’’ to him.
Scarbinsky said Pruitt is very demanding of players but still relates well to them.
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport and Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer will hold a press conference Thursday at 6:05 p.m. ET in the Peyton Manning Locker Room to introduce Jeremy Pruitt as Tennessee’s next head football coach.
“Six days ago, I mentioned several attributes that I sought to find in the next leader of our football program, and Coach Pruitt meets all criteria” Fulmer said. “I’m certain he appreciates the unique opportunity to lead a program of Tennessee’s caliber. He’s driven to win at the highest level. He will honor our university’s values, operate with integrity and be a role model for our student-athletes.
“I know Coach Pruitt will hit the ground running and go to work restoring our program to a championship level.”
Pruitt becomes the 26th head coach in Tennessee football history. He takes the helm of the Volunteers program after cementing himself as the nation’s top defensive coordinator during stints at Alabama (2016-17), Georgia (2014-15) and Florida State (2013).
The Rainsville, Alabama, native was part of three national championships (2009, 2011, 2012) on the staff of the Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2012 and was the defensive coordinator during the Seminoles’ undefeated national championship season in 2013. He was a standout high school coach before joining the Alabama staff as the Director of Player Development in 2007. Pruitt played college football at Middle Tennessee and for the Crimson Tide.
The two-time Broyles Award finalist owns a 128-31 record as a collegiate assistant coach and was named the National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports in 2012.
He has coached 34 NFL Draft picks and 11 first-team All-Americans. The list of players coached by Pruitt reads like a who’s who of college football’s top defensive standouts this decade and includes Butkus Award (nation’s top LB) winner Reuben Foster, National Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan Allen, top 10 NFL draft picks Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Mark Barron and Dee Milliner, and current NFL stars Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Dre Kirkpatrick, Lamarcus Joyner and Telvin Smith.
Pruitt served as the defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach during his second stint with the Crimson Tide in 2016 and 2017, leading an Alabama team that topped the nation in scoring defense and advanced to the College Football Playoff both seasons.
Prior to his return to Alabama, Pruitt was the defensive coordinator/secondary coach for two seasons at Georgia, guiding the nation’s No. 1 pass defense in 2015 and leading a squad that finished in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense, pass defense and total defense in 2014.
Pruitt’s first defensive coordinator job came at Florida State in 2013 where he also coached the defensive backs. The Seminoles led the nation in scoring defense (12.1 ppg), pass defense (156.6) and interceptions (26) en route to a 14-0 record and the BCS National Championship in his lone season with the Garnet and Gold.
Pruitt served as the defensive backs coach at Alabama from 2010 to 2012, helping the Crimson Tide win back-to-back BCS National Championships in 2011 and 2012.
Dierks Bentley is a good human, as evidenced by the many humanitarian efforts he has been a part of, including Miles & Music for Kids, a motorcycle ride/concert that has raised more than $4 million for charities over the years.
In recognition of his philanthropic endeavors, Dierks is being honored by the Country Radio Broadcasters as the recipient of the CRS 2018 Artist Humanitarian Award, which was created in 1990 by the organization’s board to honor country music artists who have exhibited exceptional humanitarian efforts during their career. Past recipients of the annual award have included Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Randy Owen, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Reba, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks and Charlie Daniels, among others.
In addition to spearheading Miles and Music for Kids for 10 years, Dierks has helped raise more than $500,000 for the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and he has helped shine a spotlight on local Nashville nonprofit organizations such as Safe Haven Family Shelter.
Dierks will receive the Artist Humanitarian Award at the opening ceremonies of Country Radio Seminar 2018 in Nashville on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018.
Keith Urban gave fans the first taste of his upcoming—and as of yet unannounced—10th studio album when he released his new single, “Female,” in November. While the empowering tune came together at the speed of sound—penned by Nicolle Galyon, Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally on Oct. 10 and recorded by Keith on Oct. 31—Keith normally likes to take his sweet time making new music.
“I got in the studio to start working on the new album in January of this year,” says Keith to Nash Country Daily. “Pretty much as soon as that Ripcord Tour finished, I was in the studio because it takes me the better part of a year-plus working in the studio to make a new album.”
Keith expects his 10th studio album to be ready at some point in 2018, but there’s no rush—he’s letting the songs steer him, just like he did with his critically acclaimed 2016 album, Ripcord.
“I’m working on [the songs] now, I’m writing, I’m recording. I’ve recorded a lot. I don’t know which ones are going to be on the album yet. The songs tend to tell me that. They did with Ripcord. I recorded maybe 25 songs for Ripcord and the ones that spoke to me were the ones that made the record. I have a particular vision in mind. I wish there was an audible version of ‘vision.’ People always say they can ‘visualize’ an album, I say I can ‘audio-lize’ it. I can hear it before it’s finished. So what I try to do is just bring it to life the way I already hear it in my head. But what I also do is stay extremely open to it moving into some other direction. It’s a real balancing act between, is it wandering off this cliff because it’s not being guided by me, or is that where it’s supposed to go in that direction. For me, the most valuable thing in making records is time—time to live with the decision, time to live with a song, and to keep feeling good about it before it goes out. Because once it goes out, that’s it. There’s no pulling it back after that.”
Evina Westbrook – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Knoxville, Tenn. – Senior Jaime Nared scored 27 points and freshman Evina Westbrook dished out a career-high 12 assists to lead No. 11/13 Tennessee to a 131-69 victory over Troy on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (9-0) used a balanced offensive effort to put away the Trojans (4-2), as seven players reached double figures in points. Defensively, UT was able to hold the nation’s fifth highest scoring offense to 22 points below its average of 91.8 per game.
Tennessee was ready from the tip again, racing out to a 12-0 lead for the second consecutive game. UT’s All-SEC duo of Nared and classmate Mercedes Russell led the way offensively through the first quarter, with Nared going 5-for-7 from the field for 14 points and Russell scoring nine points on 3-for-3 shooting. The Lady Vols led 34-15 at the end of the frame.
UT maintained a strong advantage on the glass, hauling in 31 rebounds in the first half and tallying 73 for the game, a total that ranks No. 3 in school history. Freshman forward Rennia Davis recorded seven of those boards in addition to 10 points and four assists to lead Tennessee into the break ahead, 61-30. All nine active Lady Vols recorded at least a basket in the half, with Nared leading all scorers with 20 at the intermission.
The Lady Vols continued their offensive barrage into the second half, shooting 64 percent from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range in the third quarter. Their 44 points were the most scored in a single quarter in program history.
Tennessee’s unselfishness was on full display throughout the game, as the team finished with 38 assists on 54 baskets. The assist total ranked second in school history, while the number of field goals made ranked fourth.
Davis and Meme Jackson recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds each, while Cheridene Green picked up a double-double of her own, scoring a career-high 16 points and bringing down 13 boards in just 20 minutes of play. It was Davis’ fourth of the season and the first of Jackson’s and Green’s careers.
Freshman point guard Anastasia Hayes also tossed in 12 points and notched career highs with nine assists and seven rebounds. Kortney Dunbar shot 6-for-7 from the floor in the second half to finish with 17 points, and Kasiyahna Kushkituah added six points and five boards. Shatterika O’Neal finished with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting to lead Troy offensively.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will be back at Thompson-Boling on Sunday, as No. 2/4 Texas (7-0) comes to town for a 3 p.m. showdown. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Nared Starting Hot: Senior Jaime Nared came out with the hot hand, knocking down 14 points in the first quarter to help Tennessee to a 34-15 lead. She went on to score a season-high 27 points on the night, going 10-of-14 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Fast Starts: For the second straight game Tennessee scored more than 30 points in the first quarter, logging 34 while holding Troy to 15. On the season the Lady Vols have outscored opponents 216-114 in the first quarter.
Big Quarters Against Troy: Tennessee’s 44 third-quarter points against Troy were the most ever scored in any quarter by a Lady Vol team. The 34 points they logged in the first quarter ranked fourth. UT’s second and third highest quarter point totals also came against Troy in 2016 when they had 38 points in the fourth quarter and 35 in the first.
Assists All Around: The Lady Vols dished out 38 assists on the night, second most in program history. The only time a Tennessee team logged more assists was on Dec. 20, 1985, at Hawaii Pacific when they finished with 41. Freshman Evina Westbrook had 12 assists on the evening, tying her with the likes of Shekinna Stricklen and Michelle Marciniak for the seventh-most assists tallied in a single game.
Back-To-Back 100+: Tennessee’s wins over Alabama State and Troy are the first back-to-back 100+ point games since the 2000-01 season when Tennessee defeated Mississippi 119-52 and then went on to beat Florida 103-73 in the following game. Tennessee’s 131 points against Troy are the third most in program history and the second most ever scored in a home game.
The UT-TU game is the sixth of seven home tilts in UT’s first 10 scheduled contests. It also is the third phase of a four-game home stand.
The Lady Vols remain undefeated after romping past Alabama State, 104-51, on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville. The triumph was Tennessee’s fifth at home this season and marked the sixth time in eight games in 2017-18 that the Lady Vols have limited an opponent to 60 or fewer points.
Troy, meanwhile, brings a two-game winning streak into Wednesday’s contest. After dropping a close one at Ole Miss, 96-93, on Nov. 21, Troy won at Tennessee State, 95-66, on Nov. 27 and triumphed at home vs. Jacksonville, 89-88, on Dec. 1. GAME PROMOTIONS
There will be a post-game autograph session with Kasiyahna Kushkituah at section 116 on the concourse.
There will be a high-five tunnel for the first 50 kids every game! Pick up a wristband for the tunnel at section 113 on the concourse.
Free parking & shuttle service from UT’s Ag Campus.
Halftime performance by Austin-East H.S. African Drum and Dance
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Bob Kesling (PxP), Madison Blevins (Analyst) and Maddy Glab(Reporter) will describe the action for the Tennessee-Troy online broadcast on SEC Network+ (SECN+) and WatchESPN.
Mickey Dearstone will handle the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network is generally 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
HOME SWEET HOME
This is the 31st season that the Tennessee women’s and men’s basketball teams have called Thompson-Boling Arena home, and the Lady Vols own a 433-35 mark (.925) in the venue.
UT is 80-12 (.870) there during Holly Warlick‘s sixth season at the helm and has won seven straight at T-BA, dating back to last season.
The Lady Vols have a 586-59 (.909) home record in contests played at Thompson-Boling Arena, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym.
UT finished 13-3 at home in 2016-17.
Capacity at Thompson-Boling Arena is 21,678.
UT has led the nation in attendance 19 times in the past 26 years, finishing second the past three years after an 11-season run at No. 1.
Tennessee ranked second in the nation in home attendance last season with an average of 9,184 through 16 dates and currently ranks fourth at 7,911 per contest.
COMING UP FOR UT
The Lady Vols will welcome the highest ranked team to Knoxville since the 2013-14 season, when No. 2/4 Texas comes to Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday.
The match-up will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.
Following the Texas contest, UT will head west and play its first two true road games of the season at Long Beach State on Dec. 17 (5 p.m. ET/2 PT) and at #18/18 Stanford on Dec. 21 (9 p.m. ET/6 PT).
Sunday’s game vs. the Longhorns is being billed as an ORANGE OUT, with fans being asked to show up in true Tennessee Orange to counter the burnt orange of Texas.
2000 fans will receive a Lady Vol Flag.
First 350 fans receive nachos, next 250 fans receive Petros “hint of orange” tea.
There will be a halftime recognition, as UT welcomes back to Rocky Top Lady Vol National Champions spanning three different decades – the 1987 National Champions, the 1997 National Champions and the 2007 National Champions.
It’s Kids’ Day. Every Sunday home game is Kids’ Day! Check out the fun at Kids’ Corner at Gate F!
Post-game lay-ups for kids every Sunday home game!
High-five tunnel for the first 50 kids every game! Pick up a wristband for the tunnel at section 113 on the concourse.
Free parking & shuttle service from UT’s Ag Campus
TENNESSEE RESET
Tennessee is one of only two SEC schools and 15 total teams remaining unbeaten this season as of Dec. 5. League schools UT and Mississippi State stand at 8-0.
The Lady Vols are off to their best start since the 2013-14 squad began the year 10-0 en route to a 29-6 overall record.
Tennessee will try to improve to 9-0 on the season on Wednesday. If UT accomplishes that feat, it would mark the 11th time in program history that has occurred.
The Big Orange women have won seven of eight games by double-digit margins, including by 43 vs. Central Arkansas and 53 vs. Alabama State in their last two games.
The last time Tennessee opened a season with a starting five and utilized the same quintet this long was in 2007-08, when the lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle reported for the opening tip the first 11 games of that campaign. UT went 10-1 in that span and went on to win the NCAA title with a 34-3 record and the SEC title with a 14-0 mark.
Russell has led Tennessee in scoring five times, while Nared has done so twice and Davis and Hayes tied for honors on one occasion.
Russell has scored in double figures in every game, while Hayes and Davis have done so seven times and Nared has hit 10 or more in six games.
Holly Warlick‘s squad has led at the half of all eight games, including a double-digit margin in six of those.
UT STATISTICAL NUGGETS
The Big Orange women have won the battle of the boards in every game, forging a +11.3 advantage on the glass thus far.
Tennessee leads the SEC and ranks 10th nationally, pulling down 47.2 rebounds per game, with Jaime Nared (9.3), Mercedes Russell (8.5) and Rennia Davis (8.1) leading the way.
The team is fourth nationally in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 32.
The squad from Rocky Top has shot a higher percentage than seven of eight opponents and stands at 48.2 for the season. That rate ranks Tennessee No. 13 nationally and second in the SEC.
Mercedes Russell continues to shoot at an extremely high percentage, connecting on 69.3 percent of her shots (61 of 88). She leads the SEC with that accuracy and ranks No. 3 nationally.
Junior Meme Jackson scored in double figures in back-to-back games for only the second time in her career. The wing from Murfreesboro hit for 11 vs. Central Arkansas and then was one shy of her career high with 20 vs. Alabama State.
Nared became the 45th Lady Vol to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, netting 21 vs. Oklahoma State and moving her total to 1,004 in her 100th career game. She now stands 43rd at 1,036
Russell passed 1,000 points last season and currently ranks 30th with 1,237. She is 23 behind Latina Davis (1,260).
The Lady Vols are fourth in the NCAA in free throws attempted (221) and fifth in free throws made (152).
1,000/1,000 WATCH FOR RUSSELL
Mercedes Russell is on track to become only the sixth player in Lady Vol history to reach the 1,000-mark in both scoring and rebounding.
Russell currently has 1,237 points and 850 rebounds through eight games.
The other five players and their totals include Chamique Holdsclaw (3,025/1,295), Tamika Catchings (2,113/1,004), Sheila Frost (1,790/1,043), Glory Johnson (1,643/1,218) and Bashaara Graves (1,509/1,044).
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
Tennessee ranks 15th nationally and second in the SEC in field goal percentage defense at .336.
The Lady Vols are 17th nationally and first in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage defense at .235.
On the season, Holly Warlick‘s squad has held opponents to an average of 58.4 points per game (62nd nationally), with six of eight foes failing to score more than 60.
Tennessee set a school record for fewest points allowed in a second half, giving up only 10 to Central Arkansas on Nov. 30.
All 10 of those points came in the third quarter, as the Lady Vols shut out the Sugar Bears in the final stanza, marking the first time UT had “pitched a shutout” in a quarter.
UCA finished with 34 points for the game, marking the 10th-lowest total ever scored by a Tennessee foe.
UT’s two games have resulted in opponents committing 24 and 23 turnovers, respectively, and the Lady Vols grabbing 13 and 14 steals, respectively, vs. Central Arkansas and Alabama State. Those totals are (or were) the highest this season.
Over the past three games, Tennessee has given up only six points on fast breaks and 16 second-chance points.
GETTING OFF TO A GREAT START
Tennessee has made a habit of getting off to great starts lately. A 182-99 first quarter tally over opponents proves it.
UT started the game 12-0 vs. Alabama State en route to a 30-12 first quarter, followed by a 31-14 second stanza on Dec. 3. The 31 is the fourth-highest point total in a quarter in school history.
The Big Orange posted a 22-8 first quarter vs. Central Arkansas.
UT went up 10-0 to open the Marquette game.
The Lady Vols were up 6-0 on Oklahoma State en route to a 24-10 first quarter lead.
The Big Orange burst out to a 7-0 advantage over South Dakota on the way to a 24-9 first quarter.
UT LAST TIME OUT (UT 104, ASU 51)
No. 12/13 Tennessee came alive on offense, with six players scoring in double digits as the Lady Vols beat Alabama State, 104-51, Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 8,004 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee (8-0) relied on offense in the paint and winning the turnover battle convincingly to produce the team’s best offensive showing since scoring 110 versus Troy last year. Senior center Mercedes Russell led the charge vs. Alabama State (1-7), scoring 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. She now is hitting 69.3 percent (61-of-88) for the season.
Junior guard Meme Jackson fired in 19, coming up a point shy of her career best. Freshman forward Rennia Davisfilled the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Senior forward Jaime Nared and freshmen guards Anastasia Hayes and Evina Westbrook also hit double figures, contributing 14, 13 and 11 points, respectively. Redshirt junior forward Cheridene Green grabbed 10 boards, continuing her strong interior play.
Tennessee relied on suffocating defense to get its offense going at a breakneck pace in the first quarter. A quick steal and score by Westbrook helped get Tennessee off to a 12-0 start. All seven Lady Vols that played during the quarter scored on the way to an impressive 30-12 lead.
The Tennessee offensive explosion continued in the second stanza of the game, as Russell completely took over, scoring 16 of UT’s 31 points. The Lady Vols outscored Alabama State 36-10 in the paint and had zero turnovers to the Hornets’ 14 at the half, taking full advantage of a clear advantage in team length and athleticism. The teams entered the half with the Lady Vols in command, 61-26.
DOMINATING THE FIRST STANZA
Tennessee’s 30 first-quarter points against Alabama State tied for the fourth most points ever scored in any quarter by a Lady Vols team. UT bettered that in the second frame, scoring 31 to improve the fourth-best all-time total.
Through eight games UT has outscored opponents in the first quarter, 182-99.
THE SERIES VS. TROY
Tennessee and Troy are meeting for the third time in women’s basketball.
The teams first played on Dec. 14, 2013, when the #3/3 Lady Vols won, 103-64, in Knoxville.
Last season, UT won in a track meet-style game over the Trojans, 110-84, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 21
The Trojans are members of the Sun Belt Conference, and the Lady Vols are 7-6 all-time vs. that league.
Second-year Tennessee assistant coach Sharrona (Alexander) Reaves began her coaching career at Troy and helped the school to a 50-35 record during her stint there from 1995-98.
While at Troy, Reaves coached a player named Heather Lenoir (now Heather Ervin), who would later become her co-worker at Tennessee in 2016-17.
Ervin (at Troy from 1997-99) serves as Tennessee women’s basketball’s director of recruiting operations and player personnel and is originally from Sweetwater, Tenn.
LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT & TU
Alexa Middleton scored a career-high 29 points and Jaime Nared, Mercedes Russell and Jordan Reynolds posted double-doubles to lead Tennessee to a 110-84 win over Troy on Dec. 21, 2016, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols’ (7-4) 110 points in the win were their most since a 111-44 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 3, 2014. UT shot 51.3 percent from the floor and limited Troy (6-4) to just 34.3 percent shooting.
Tennessee played without its second-leading scorer, Diamond DeShields, who was held out due to injury. UT finished the game strong, scoring a program-record 38 points in the fourth quarter.
Middleton scored 15 of her 29 points in the first half and was 7-of-10 on 3-pointers, tying for the fourth-most by a Lady Vol in a single game. Nared scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half and finished with a career-high 14 rebounds. Russell had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Reynolds scored 12 points, dished out a career-high 13 assists and had eight boards. Meme Jackson posted career bests with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Schaquilla Nunn added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Claresa Banks led Troy with 19 points. Jayla Chills had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans.
TROY RESET
Troy returns one starter and has six total letterwinners back from last year’s 22-11 squad that finished third in the Sun Belt with a 12-6 record but won the league tournament to earn a first round bout opposite eventual NCAA runner-up Mississippi State. The Bulldogs won that tilt by a score of 110-69.
The Trojans are led by diminutive senior guard Amanda Mendoza, who averages 14.3 points per contest and has hit 12 threes to pace TU.
Roughly 78 percent (35-45) of Mendoza’s shots have come from behind the arc. Mendoza ranks second in the Sun Belt and 43rd nationally with 3.0 threes per game.
Troy has four more players averaging double figures in points and regularly plays 13 players.
Troy has played at least 12 players in 39 consecutive games dating back to the 2015-16 season. This year, the Trojans’ bench is outscoring its counterparts, 44.6-22.6, on average.
Sky’Lynn Holmes, a 6-1 junior forward, averages a double-double of 10.6 points and 10.8 rebounds.
Troy ranks second in the NCAA, forcing 29.4 turnovers per game. The Trojans have forced 20-plus turnovers in every game this season including a program-record 48 at Tennessee State.
Troy is ranked in the top eight nationally in five categories: turnovers forced (2nd), offensive rebounds/game (3rd), scoring offense (5th), steals/game (8th), turnover margin (8th).
The Trojans have scored at least 89 points in all five games this season. Troy scored 90-plus points in five of its first six games last year.
TROY LAST TIME OUT (TU 89, JU 88)
Amber Rivers scored on a layup off an inbound play with just 0.2 left on the clock to upend Jacksonville 89-88 in the Trojans last game on Friday.
After Jacksonville’s Jasmyn Brown drilled a deep three to give the Dolphins an 88-87 lead, Troy called a timeout with 1.7 seconds on the clock advancing the ball to the offensive timeline. Kayla Robinson inbounded the ball to a wide open Rivers, who calmly banked in a layup for her only points of the contest and what proved to be the deciding basket.
Four Trojans scored in double digits, paced by Sky’Lynn Holmes with 17.
“What Makes You Country” – Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley
