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Lady Vols Knock Off #17/20 Iowa In Big Apple, 78-68

Posted on December 8, 2024

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | December 07, 2024

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Tennessee picked up its first ranked win of the season and improved to 7-0, knocking off No. 17/20 Iowa, 78-68, at the Barclays Center in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic on Saturday night.

The Lady Vols, who only shot 39 percent for the game, rode 53.3-percent fourth-quarter shooting to victory, including three-of-five marksmanship beyond the arc, to outscore the Hawkeyes (8-1), 23-16, in the closing period and hand them their first loss on the season. UT forced UI into seven of its 30 turnovers for the game in the final stanza, generating 12 of the Lady Vols’ 42 total points off those miscues in that period.

Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, who played less than five minutes and had only four points in the first half due to foul trouble, made up for it after halftime. She tallied 19 of her team-high 23 points to fuel the Tennessee attack over the final 20 minutes. Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn chipped in 16 points, while senior guard Samara Spencer and fifth-year guard/forward Tess Darby added 11 each, with Darby nailing two three-pointers in as many tries during the decisive quarter. Cooper and senior forward Jillian Hollingshead grabbed six rebounds each to pace UT, and Cooper added a team-high three assists and blocked shots as well.

Iowa was led by Lucy Olsen with 23 points, while Addison O’Grady produced a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Tennessee exploded to an 8-0 start, getting pairs of buckets by Cooper off Iowa turnovers. An Alyssa Latham steal and score for UT’s fifth made field goal in as many attempts boosted the lead to 10-2 with 7:23 to go, before the Hawkeyes reeled off eight straight to tie it up at 10-all by the 4:17 media timeout. The Lady Vols pushed back ahead four times the rest of the opening stanza, taking an 18-15 edge with 2:02 left on a Darby layup before UI put together a 7-0 run to close out the first frame.

Iowa extended its run to 10-0 and its lead to 25-18 after the quarter break, but Whitehorn stemmed the tide and cut the gap to 25-21 by nailing a trey with 9:15 to go. A layup and three by Spencer pulled the Lady Vols to within one, 27-26, with 7:50 remaining. A 7-2 Iowa burst, though, propelled the Hawkeyes into the 3:27 media timeout with a 34-28 advantage. Out of that break, Latham hit one of two free throws, and then Whitehorn put together a 6-0 personal run on a jumper and pair of layups to increase her point total to 13 and help her team forge a 35-all tie at the intermission.

Spencer hit a pair of free throws to put her team on the board first in the second half, 37-35, before Iowa equaled it at 37. A 5-0 Hawkeyes burst put them in front, 42-37, with 7:06 to go in the period, but the Lady Vols used threes by Sara Puckett and Darby to fight back to within one, 44-43, by the 4:59 media break. Cooper instigated a 12-8 burst by the Big Orange to close out the third, finishing with nine points in the frame. She gave the Lady Vols a 47-44 lead at the 3:56 mark on a layup and another three-point edge, 55-52, with 25 seconds left to close out the third with an old-fashioned three-point play.

After Iowa had taken a one-point lead in the final frame, a Darby three put Tennessee back on top, 58-56, with 8:29 remaining. Iowa moved ahead 62-59 on a 6-1 surge, though, forcing a UT timeout with 5:52 to go. After Whitehorn tied it up, the Hawkeyes moved in front, 66-62, with 4:38 left on a Kylie Feuerbach layup, but two Cooper jumpers sandwiching a layup by her pushed the Lady Vols in front, 68-67, with 3:04 on the clock. UT closed out the contest on a 10-1 blitz, getting a Darby three to make it 71-67 with 2:25 to go and a pair of Cooper scores to make it 75-68 with 39 ticks on the clock. A free throw by Spencer and two more by Zee Spearman in the final seconds accounted for the final result.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will be back in action at Food City Center next Saturday, as North Carolina Central pays a visit. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET, with the contest being broadcast on SECN+ and the Lady Vol Network via radio stations statewide and via live stream at UTSports.com.

SEVEN STRAIGHT WITH A NEW FIVE: Tennessee has started the season 7-0 with seven different starting lineups and eight different players appearing in the first five. Ruby Whitehorn, Samara Spencer, Zee Spearman, Alyssa Latham and Talaysia Cooper opened the contest on Saturday night against the Hawkeyes. The trio of Cooper, Spencer and Whitehorn lead the squad with six starts a piece. Latham earned her first start of the season, while Spearman tallied her third of the season.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE HAWKEYES: Tennessee improves its all-time series record to 3-1 against the Hawkeyes, boasting a 1-0 stint at a neutral site, including a 1-0 record at home and 1-1 on the road. Before Saturday’s 78-68 showdown, in the three previous games in this series, the winning team needed no more than 74 points to claim victory. The programs had not met since 1993. Tennessee is 110-29 all-time vs. programs who are currently members of the Big Ten Conference.

CAPITALIZING IN ALL AREAS: The Lady Vols forced Iowa to turn the ball over 30 times during Saturday’s win, posting a 42-4 advantage on points off turnovers. Five of Tennessee’s foes thus far have committed at least 20 miscues: Samford (37), Western Carolina (37), UT Martin (31), Liberty (25) and Iowa (30). Tennessee also collected 44 points from the paint, outscoring the Hawkeyes by ten points during Saturday’s victory. Additionally, the Lady Vols notched 17 points from fast breaks and 11 points from second-chance opportunities.

FIRST TOP-25 WIN FOR CALDWELL: Head coach Kim Caldwell earned her first NCAA Division I victory over a top-25 opponent in No. 17 Iowa. The Lady Vols moved to 496-244 when facing top-25 foes. Previously, Caldwell’s only encounter against a ranked DI team was in 2024, against No. 13/12 Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, ending in a 92-49 setback. The first-year head coach also has her second-best career start with a 7-0 record. Top honors go to her 2021-22 GSU squad that started 29-0 on its way to 35-1 and an NCAA DII national title.

FOUR STRAIGHT 20+ GAMES FOR COOP: Redshirt sophomore Talaysia Cooper eclipsed her sixth double-digit season performance, including her fifth consecutive, tallying 23 points versus Iowa. The Turbeville, South Carolina, native’s other double-digit games came against MTSU (18), Samford (19), Western Carolina (20), Liberty (33) and Florida State (22), now giving her four consecutive games of 20+ scoring.

Courtesy / UT Athletics

VFL Eric Berry To Be Recognized As SEC Legend In Atlanta

Posted on December 7, 2024

ATLANTA – Two-time unanimous first-team All-America defensive back and College Football Hall of Famer Eric Berry will be recognized on the 2024 SEC Football Legends Class in Atlanta surrounding SEC Championship weekend.

The 2024 Football Legends class includes 16 former stars who excelled on the gridiron and helped write the rich history of the sport at their respective institutions.Berry will be honored at the SEC Legends Celebration presented by T-Mobile on Friday night at the College Football Hall of Fame. He will also be recognized prior to the SEC Football Championship Game on Saturday, which airs at 4 p.m. on ABC.

Berry is the only player in school history to earn unanimous All-America honors twice. In 2009, he became the first player in school history to claim the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back after being a finalist in 2008. A finalist for the 2009 Nagurski Trophy, he also twice claimed the Jack Tatum Award as the nation’s top defensive back. A three-time All-SEC selection, Berry was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 after leading the conference with seven interceptions.

Berry’s tenure in Rocky Top established him as the SEC’s all-time leader in career interception return yards (494) and single-season interception return yards (265 in 2008). He also holds the Vol record for career yards (35.3) per interception. His 14 career interceptions ranks tied for fifth in UT career annals.

The two-year team captain out of Fairburn, Georgia, culminated his career with 245 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, 14 interceptions, 31 passes defended, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Berry became the highest drafted Vol defensive player since Reggie White (1984) when he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Kansas City. Berry played with the Chiefs until 2018, making five Pro Bowl appearances and earning first team All-Pro honors three times. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, he was named the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

In December 2023, Berry was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 26th Vol to do so.

2024 SEC Football Legends Class
Alabama – Barrett Jones, Offensive Lineman, 2009-12
Arkansas – Ken Hamlin, Free Safety, 2000-02
Auburn – Marcus McNeill, Offensive Tackle, 2002-05
Florida – Rex Grossman, Quarterback, 2000-02
Georgia – Terrence Edwards, Receiver, 1999-2002
Kentucky – Dicky Lyons Sr., Tailback/Receiver/All-Purpose, 1966-68
LSU – Andrew Whitworth, Offensive Tackle, 2002-05
Ole Miss – Dexter McCluster, Running Back, 2006-09
Mississippi State – Fletcher Cox, Defensive Lineman, 2009-11
Missouri – Chase Daniel, Quarterback, 2005-08
Oklahoma – Barry Switzer, Head Coach, 1973-88
South Carolina – Corey Miller, Defensive End, 1987-90
Tennessee – Eric Berry, Defensive Back, 2007-09
Texas – Vince Young, Quarterback, 2002-05
Texas A&M – Luke Joeckel, Offensive Tackle, 2010-12
Vanderbilt – Ricky Anderson, Punter/Kicker, 1981-84

Special Education Teacher Arrested for Assault in Jefferson County, Police Say

Posted on December 6, 2024

White Pine, TN (WOKI) A teacher in Jefferson County is arrested Friday for allegedly hitting a student with an electronic device.

Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office say a school resource officer at White Pine School was told that 31-year-old Joseph Drake Lee, a special education teacher at the school, struck a student with an iPad on Thursday.

Lee was arrested at the school following an investigation by the SRO and an investigator with the Criminal Investigation Division.

He was charged with assault and child abuse and taken to the Jefferson County Detention Center.

The student was checked by the nurse following the incident.

*The teacher hit a 7-year-old student with an iPad, according to police*. (*Courtesy*: *JCSO*)

UTPD: Former Police Officer Arrested

Posted on December 6, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The University of Tennessee Police Department served active arrest warrants Wednesday on one of their own.

UTPD officials say Anthony Rizo, who had been employed by the University of Tennessee Police Department for just over seven months, was terminated from his employment for alleged actions taken while off-duty and in the state of Georgia.

He was taken into custody on two active arrest warrants out of Paulding County, Georgia for charges of Peeping Tom and Stalking.

“We have high expectations for the behavior of our officers both on and off duty,” said UTPD Chief Sean Patterson. “His alleged behavior does not reflect the values of our agency, and he is no longer employed by our agency.”

Rizo was turned over to Knox County Sheriff’s Deputies for transport to the Knox County Jail where he will await extradition to Georgia.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Deadly Fire in Madisonville

Posted on December 6, 2024

Madisonville, TN (WOKI) An investigation into a house fire involving a fatality is underway in Monroe County.

Officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office say multiple fire agencies along with MCSO’s Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene in the 6200 block of Highway 411 in Madisonville around 1:00 p.m. Friday afternoon.

MCSO says the name of the individual who perished in the fire is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Additional details about the fire have not been released.

*The fire happened in the 6200 Block of Highway 411 on Friday*. (*Frankly Media*)

Rural Metro

An Investigation is Underway After Three People are Injured in an Early Morning Fire in Halls

Posted on December 6, 2024

An investigation is underway following an early morning (Friday) house fire in Halls that seriously injures three.

Firefighters with Rural Metro called to the home in the 100 block of Keith Way Lane and found a single-wide mobile home with smoke showing and people still inside.

Firefighters rescued one person, and two others were all taken to the hospital with what appeared to be serious conditions.

Your Chance to be Dolly in Her Broadway Musical, “The Search for Dolly”

Posted on December 6, 2024

An upcoming Dolly Parton Broadway musical is prompting “The Search for Dolly,” meaning performers of all ages could play the country star on stage.

Dolly put out the call, asking for people to take a minute-long video of themselves singing a Dolly Parton song, then upload it to social media with the hashtag “#SearchForDolly.”

Here’s the video requirements:

One minute performance of the Dolly song of your choice.

The video should start with you introducing yourself and where you’re from.
Name, location and contact information will be collected as part of the application.
For Under 18s, date of birth and parental/guardian permission is required.
Submissions must be received by 11:59PM ET on January 12, 2025.

Anyone of any age is eligible to enter but 18 and younger will need parental permission, submit your video here: https://dollymusical.com/the-search-for-dolly/.

Second Harvest Food Bank Receives Enough Donations to Provide Almost 5 Million meals during Double Your Donation Event

Posted on December 6, 2024

MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee thanks East
Tennessee for their overwhelming generosity during the food bank’s 14
th annual Double Your Donation (DYD) event on December 5th. Thanks to $750,000 in matching
gifts from our sponsors, and the tremendous support from our community, the match
was successfully met, resulting in a total of $1,649,550 in donations.

Second Harvest Food Bank Thanks Community for Support – Second Harvest received enough donations to provide 4,948,650 meals during DYD

“We’re beyond thankful for the incredible support from our community during our
14th Annual Double Your Donation event,” said Elaine Streno, Executive Director of
Second Harvest. “Thanks to this day of giving, we’re able to provide 4,948,650 meals
to families across the 18 counties we serve.”

Second Harvest would like to thank Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union, Republic
Plastics, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Kroger, Commercial Bank, SouthEast Bank,
Enrichment Federal Credit Union, UnitedHealthcare, and Bush Brothers for their
generosity and support.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, a member of Feeding America, has worked to compassionately feed East Tennesseans experiencing hunger since 1982. Last year, Second Harvest distributed more than 24 million pounds of food across an 18-county service area through multiple hunger-relief programs and 630+
community partners.

UT Sports

Bru McCoy Named To SEC Community Service Team

Posted on December 5, 2024

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference announced Wednesday that Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy was named to the 2024 SEC Football Community Service Team.

The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21-league sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.

One of Tennessee football’s most active community servants, McCoy is helping to make sudden cardiac arrest prevention, awareness and treatment a priority this season as he co-created Huddle for Hearts. Through Huddle For Hearts, his work provides AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) to youth sports organizations – focusing primarily on underserved communities.

McCoy has helped facilitate multiple CPR training and demo seminars in the Knoxville community, and four AED machines have been donated to inner-city youth. He also hosted a charity golf tournament during the summer of 2024 to benefit the organization.

The redshirt senior earned his undergraduate degree in communication studies in August 2024 and is rounding out his third season with the Vols and sixth at the collegiate level this fall. He is a semifinalist for the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award and Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year and served as Tennessee’s nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy and AFCA Good Works Team.

McCoy started every game during Tennessee’s 10-2 regular season and led the Vols with 35 receptions, totaling 432 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

2024 Tennessee Postseason Award Honors as of Dec. 4

DC Tim Banks
Broyles Award Semifinalist

DB Will Brooks
Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist

QB Nico Iamaleava
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Semifinalist

WR Bru McCoy
Witten Award Semifinalist
Comeback Player of the Year Semifinalist
SEC Community Service Team

DB Jermod McCoy
Thorpe Award Semifinalist

DE James Pearce Jr.
Bednarik Award Semifinalist
Lombardi Award Semifinalist
Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalist

LB Keenan Pili
NFF Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

RB Dylan Sampson
Maxwell Award Semifinalist
Doak Walker Award Semifinalist

Offensive Line
Joe Moore Award Semifinalist

UT Sports

Culture and Confidence Drive Hot Start for Vol Hoops

Posted on December 5, 2024

Rick Barnes‘ Tennessee Volunteers are off to their first 8-0 start in 24 years, going back to the 2000-01 campaign, which they started 9-0. UT’s 96-70 home victory over Syracuse in the SEC/ACC Challenge Tuesday night was yet another illustration of its thriving team culture, led by Barnes, in his 10th season at the helm on Rocky Top.

As of Thursday, Tennessee is ranked third in the national polls, with a chance to rise in the Monday releases. It also ranks first in the NCAA NET rankings and second in the KenPom ratings, respectively. In addition, the Volunteers are graded second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (89.1) by KenPom, behind only Duke (87.4), and ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency, making them one of two squads to be rated inside the top 10 on both ends of the court.

Tennessee and Kansas are the only two teams to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25). Only two others, Arizona and Purdue, entered 2024-25 with a three-year streak.

Overall, the Volunteers are in the AP top 15 for the 38th time in the last 41 releases, dating to Nov. 28, 2022. Tennessee now has 60 AP top-10 rankings in Barnes’ 10-year tenure, including 28 in the top five, the latter mark 11 more than the program’s full total before his 2015 arrival in Knoxville.

Despite losing four starters from its SEC championship-winning team a season ago, including a trio of fifth-year stars, Tennessee’s staff reloaded the roster with not only players that matched UT’s desired skillset, but those who fit seamlessly into its culture like perfect puzzle pieces.

That culture is attractive and has proven itself season after season, game after game, moment after moment. From defensive relentlessness and offensive discipline to the program’s “It’s Not About Me” mindset, an atmosphere of accountability has been forged.

“There are a lot of guys that can’t handle success,” Barnes said Tuesday. “We talk about getting better every day and the process. We believe in it. It’s human nature, but you can’t let down. I don’t think there are very many players that can afford to let down if they really want to be good. Part of the process is learning how to make yourself work even when you have success. I asked them recently if they knew anything about a proud peacock and what a proud peacock becomes. We know that it becomes a feather duster. So, I said, ‘If what you did today is big to you, that means you haven’t done anything to get better.”

Through eight games this year, the Volunteers have led for 303:50 and trailed for just 6:03 of a possible 320 minutes. Each of its eight victories thus far are by 15-plus points, with seven by at least 22 and three by at least 35. Tennessee has held a lead of 26-plus points in each of its eight contests this season and still has not faced a deficit larger than three.

Tennessee’s second regular season contest of the season, a wire-to-wire 77-55 triumph at Louisville on Nov. 14, served as the program’s third win by 20-plus in a non-conference true road game over the past 49 seasons, joining a 68-45 decision at Iowa State on Jan. 27, 2018, and a 76-50 victory at Pittsburgh on Dec. 4, 1999. The Volunteers held the Cardinals to a 16-of-60 (26.7 percent) ledger from the field, the eighth-lowest mark by a UT foe in Barnes’ tenure, including 10-of-39 (25.6 percent) from deep.

In its victory over Montana on Nov. 13, Tennessee shot 60.8 percent (31-of-51) from the floor, 42.9 percent (9-of-21) beyond the arc and 84.0 percent (21-of- 25) at the line. It marked first time the Volunteers had a 60/40/80 shooting line with five-plus makes in each area over the last 20 seasons (2005-25).

On Nov. 17 against Austin Peay, Tennessee opened the game 18-of-21 from the field and would eventually tie its second-highest point total under Barnes in the 103-68 triumph. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler became the second Vol in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) to notch 19 points, eight rebounds, three rebounds, one steal and one block, alongside Trae Golden (11/11/11). Zeigler also became the fifth Vol to eclipse 500 career assists in the win.

As the Volunteers cliched their Baha Mar Championship victory with a 77-62 win over No. 13/14 Baylor, fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier shot 7-of-8 from deep in the first half alone, good for the fifth-most ever by a UT player in a game.

Then, in its 43-point win over UT Martin the day prior to Thanksgiving, Tennessee held the Skyhawks to just 35 points, setting a record for the fewest scored by a Tennessee opponent in the shot-clock era (since 1985-86). It was the lowest total by a UT foe since Dec. 15, 1973, when Temple scored just six points against the Volunteers.

Lanier has scored 18-plus points in six of his first eight games as a Vol, including 25-plus on three occasions, with each of those efforts coming in the past four contests. The North Florida transfer has led UT in scoring six times already this year and has made at least four 3-point attempts in five games thus far.

Zeigler, who entered the top 10 on Tennessee’s all-time 3-point makes leaderboard in Tuesday’s 96-70 victory over Syracuse, with 184 for his career, has logged a season-high 19 points on two occasions this year. Dishing out nearly eight assists per game, Zeigler has posted eight-plus five times this season, including tallying nine assists in three games thus far. In addition, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year boasts six multi-steal performances through eight contests.

Having established itself as a force on both ends of the court through eight games, Tennessee looks to continue its red-hot start as it faces the Hurricanes of Miami in the Jimmy V Classic, set for Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN.

Tennessee’s statistical dominance stems from its internal standards, an unrelenting desire to improve upon each performance and the brotherhood inside the locker room.

The culture is here to stay. The grit will always remain. Excellence is the only option and Tennessee’s foundational principles will continue to be the pillars that raise the program to new heights.