Postgame/Boxscore/Story: #17 Vols Shut Out Panthers to Sweep Series

Postgame/Boxscore/Story: #17 Vols Shut Out Panthers to Sweep Series

Posted on March 7, 2021
UT Baseball Team / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee completed its series sweep of Georgia State in dominant fashion with a 7-0 shutout win in Sunday’s series finale at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Five pitchers combined for the Vols’ first shutout of the year with junior right hander Elijah Pleasants earning his second victory this week after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.

Junior third baseman Jake Rucker capped his impressive series with another strong performance at the plate, going 2-for-4 and setting a new career high with four RBI.

Liam Spence and Drew Gilbert also had big days with two hits each. Spence set a career high with three runs scored while Gilbert hit his third home run of the season with a two-run blast that was part of a four-run third inning that put Tennessee firmly in the driver’s seat.

Sophomore right hander Mark McLaughlin made his first-career weekend start and was effective in 3.2 innings of work. The Georgia native did not allow a run and gave up just two hits while striking out three batters on the day.

Pleasants, Zander Sechrist, Camden Sewell and Gilbert combined to pitch the final 5.1 innings for UT, giving up just four hits while striking out seven batters in that stretch.

After Rucker gave the Big Orange an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first, the Vols (11-2) used the long ball to increase their lead to five runs in the third inning. A pair of two-run homers by Rucker and Gilbert helped Tennessee score four runs in frame.

UT added two more runs in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Rucker and a groundout off the bat of Jordan Beck to cap the scoring and give the Vols a commanding 7-0 lead.

Tennessee finished the day with a great relay throw from left field to cut down Blaine Marchman at home plate for the game’s final out to preserve the shutout.

Georgia State (4-9) starter Chad Treadway was the losing pitcher after getting tagged for four runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of work.

The Vols will hit the road once again for a Tuesday midweek contest at Charlotte before coming back home to host UNC Greensboro next weekend.

NOTABLE

RUCKER’S BIG WEEKEND: Veteran third baseman Jake Rucker had a huge weekend at the plate for the Vols. The junior from Greenbrier, Tennessee, batted .500 for the series and led the Vols with a homer and six RBI. Rucker has reached base is all 13 games this season and is currently on a nine-game hit streak after this weekend’s performances.

YOU’LL GET NOTHING AND LIKE IT: The Vols posted their first shutout of the season on Sunday and have now recorded 14 total shutouts since the start of the 2019 season, a span of 91 games. For comparison, UT had just 13 shutouts in its previous 269 games prior to 2019 (2014-18).

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS: With Sunday’s win, Tennessee recorded its second series sweep of the season and the ninth since Tony Vitello was named head coach in 2018. Both of UT’s sweeps this season have come against schools from the Peach State after opening the year with three victories at Georgia Southern.

Tennessee Series Sweeps by Year
2021: 2 // 2020: 2 // 2019: 3 // 2018: 2

Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF) | DOWNLOAD: Postgame Video (Vitello, Rucker, Pleasants) |

-UT Athletics

Highlights/Postgame/Boxscore/Story: Vols Battle Past Florida, 65-54, on Senior Day

Highlights/Postgame/Boxscore/Story: Vols Battle Past Florida, 65-54, on Senior Day

Posted on March 7, 2021
Vols F John Fulkerson / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A balanced offensive effort and a momentum-shifting, second-half run propelled the Tennessee basketball team past Florida, 65-54, on Senior Day inside Thompson-Boling Arena.

The win secured the No. 4 seed and first-round bye for the Volunteers at next week’s SEC Tournament.

The Vols (17-7, 10-7 SEC) punished the Gators (13-8, 9-7 SEC) on the boards, out-rebounding Florida 38-29 overall and 18-9 on the offensive glass.

Every Vol to record more than two minutes of playing time scored at least four points, with three scoring 14.

Tennessee was led in scoring by senior John Fulkerson, who scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, pulled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists with no turnovers.

Fellow senior Yves Pons chipped in five points, eight rebounds (including six offensive boards) and a pair of steals in his final game on Rocky Top.

Junior Victor Bailey Jr. was the second of three Vols to drop in 14 points, with eight coming in the second half.

Freshman standout Keon Johnson also finished with 14 points, scoring 10 in the second half and recording a pair of steals on the defensive end.

The programs went bucket for bucket in the early stages of the opening half, with Florida holding a slim, 18-15 lead at the midway point of the period.

The Gators opened things up with a 15-5 run to take a 33-20 lead with just under four minutes remaining.

The Vols responded with an 8-0 run of their own to close the opening half and trim the deficit to 33-28 heading into the locker room.

Out of the break, UT kept the momentum rolling. After the teams traded the opening few buckets of the half, the Vols used an afternoon-altering 15-2 run to take a 47-41 lead with close to 10 minutes remaining.

The Vols maintained their juice over the final stages of the afternoon, extending their lead to as many as 11 and coming up clutch at the foul line to end the regular season on a high note.

Up Next: Tennessee takes the court at the SEC Tournament on Friday with a quarterfinal matchup against either Florida, Vanderbilt or Texas A&M. Tipoff from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  QUOTES  |  BARNES POSTGAME  |  FULKERSON ON ESPNU  |  PONS POSTGAME  |  FULKERSON POSTGAME

-UT Athletics

Boxscore/Story: No. 25/19 UT Closes Weekend with Fourth Run-Rule

Boxscore/Story: No. 25/19 UT Closes Weekend with Fourth Run-Rule

Posted on March 7, 2021
Lady Vols Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In an effort to close an early day quickly and demonstrably, No. 25/19 Tennessee softball rallied in 10 runs in the first two innings capitalizing on miscues and stringing together big hits to keep things out of reach for Campbell on Sunday at the Reveille Classic.

A balanced effort with ace Ashley Rogers collecting her eighth win of the season pitching a perfect game through 3.0 innings of work, allowed the Lady Vols (17-1) to record its fourth run-rule of the five-game weekend in a 14-0 victory over the Camels (5-8).

Matching its season-high 15 hits, UT combined for a .535 batting average with all 14 available position players recording an at-bat.

Sophomore Kiki Milloy reached based on each of her plate appearances drawing two walks and going 2-for-2 as the clean up hitter. Milloy blasted a no-doubter straight through to lead off the second inning and give the Vols a 9-0 lead to add some insurance for a five-inning finish.

UT scored a run in the first four innings, before going down in order in the fifth, recording the program’s largest margin of victory since March 1, 2019 when UT downed New Mexico 15-1.

The contest was unkind to the Camels from the beginning after allowing the Lady Vols to load the bases quickly and bring in the first run of the day because of a wild pitch. Graduate senior Cailin Hannon (2-for-2) made her way home easily on the first before another costly miscue for the Camels.

The bases were jammed and Campbell’s Georgeanna Barefoot threw another wild pitch that allowed Chelsea Seggern (3-for-4), Milloy and Ivy Davis (1-for-2) to come home and move ahead 4-0 with just one out.

Back-to-back doubles from senior lead-off Amanda Ayala (1-for-2) and Hannon rounded out an eight-run half for the Lady Vols that provided an insurmountable lead for Campbell to try and overcome.

Extra base hits kept the Camels defense off balance with UT recording five doubles, which ties for fourth in program history. Ally Shipman (3-for-4) added a triple, the team’s sixth of the year, while Milloy’s 10th dinger this season has her on-pace to jump into the record books, just needing five more to enter the top 8.

Redshirt junior Samantha Bender came in, in relief and finished the final 2.0 innings, retiring four at the plate and giving up a late hit that prevented the combined no-hitter.

Up Next
The Lady Vols return to Sherri Parker Lee for a six-game homestand beginning with a midweek against Austin Peay State on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET. The Orange and White then open up SEC play with No. 12 LSU with a Friday-Sunday series (March 12-14). Game 2 of the series will be broadcast on the SEC Network, while the opening and closing games will be streamed on SECN+.

Before getting back on the road to take on No. 3 Alabama, UT will close its home stretch with a doubleheader against Bellarmine on March 16 (2 p.m. and 4 p.m.).

Box Score (PDF) | Season Cumes (PDF)

-UT Athletics

Highlights/Postgame/Boxscore/Story: No. 14/16 UT Falls To No. 7/7 Gamecocks In SEC Semis

Highlights/Postgame/Boxscore/Story: No. 14/16 UT Falls To No. 7/7 Gamecocks In SEC Semis

Posted on March 7, 2021
Jordan Walker – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. #14/16 Tennessee, the No. 3 seed, outscored second-seeded #7/7 South Carolina 13-8 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t overcome a 29-point first quarter by the No. 2 seed Gamecocks, falling 67-52 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday evening.

Redshirt-junior Jordan Walker and sophomore Jordan Horston were the high scorers for UT (16-7), each finishing with 11 points. Senior Rennia Davis and sophomore Tamari Key were the top rebounders for the Big Orange, grabbing six apiece.

South Carolina (21-4) was paced by Zia Cooke, who had a game-high 17 points and four rebounds. Aliyah Boston was close behind, posting a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Destanni Henderson put up 13 points.

The game started off as a back-and-forth affair with four different players for each team scoring in the first five minutes to tie the game at 8-all by the 5:37 mark. A Davis 3-pointer gave UT an 11-10 lead a minute later, but South Carolina answered with a 10-run that put the Gamecocks up by nine with 2:49 left in the first. Davis ended the skid for UT with a jumper, but USC finished the opening stanza strong with nine-straight points, taking a 29-13 lead into the second period.

The Gamecocks picked up where they left off in the second, with Henderson draining a three before Horston found her way into the paint for a layup to trim the deficit back to 17 with 7:34 left in the half. Walker then added two free throws, and Key converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to pull the Lady Vols within 12 by the 4:40 mark. Henderson answered with another trey, but Walker and Key again combined for buckets to cut USC’s lead to 11 at 35-24. Cooke closed out the half with four-straight points for the Gamecocks while her team held UT to a free throw to give USC a 39-25 lead at the second half.

South Carolina carried its momentum through to the third quarter, opening with a 5-0 run to lead by 19 only a minute and 20 seconds in. Key scored UT’s first points of the half, nailing a layup at the 7:22 mark and setting off a 7-2 run that pulled Tennessee within 13 with 5:11 to go in the third.  USC responded, though, closing out the quarter with a 13-6 run to enter the fourth up 59-39.

Davis opened the final period with a quick bucket in transition, but Henderson countered with her third trey of the game on the other end to put USC up by 21. Horston and Rae Burrell launched a 6-0 Tennessee run, while South Carolina stalled offensively, going scoreless for more than seven minutes to make the score 62-47 with 2:46 left in the game. But 15 points was as close as Tennessee would get, as South Carolina held on to claim a 67-52 victory and earn a spot in the SEC Championship game vs. Georgia on Sunday.

Up Next: The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be held at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, March 15, on ESPN. Currently, UT is projected by the two NCAA Selection Committee Top 16 reveals and by ESPN’s Charlie Creme to be a No. 4 seed. This year’s entire NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship will be held in the San Antonio, Texas, area and run March 21 through April 4.

Rennia Cracks Top 10: Senior Rennia Davis moved her career point total to 1,779, passing Tanya Haave (1,771 pts) to land at No. 10 on the all-time Lady Vol scoring list.

Box Score (PDF) ​| Highlights ​| Kellie Harper Presser ​| Jordan Walker Presser 

-UT Athletics

Boxscores/Stories: Lady Vols Dominate in the Circle, Grab Pair of Wins at Reveille Classic

Boxscores/Stories: Lady Vols Dominate in the Circle, Grab Pair of Wins at Reveille Classic

Posted on March 7, 2021
Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Two dominant pitching performances and productive days at the plate from senior Amanda Ayala and sophomore Kiki Milloy propelled the Lady Vols softball team to victories over Texas A&M and Lamar on Saturday at the Reveille Classic at Davis Diamond.

Sophomore pitcher Callie Turner stole the show in the circle, tossing a five-inning no-hitter in the Orange & White’s second victory of the day over Lamar.

Turner’s no-hitter was the second no-no tossed by a Lady Vol pitcher this week, following Samantha Bender who did so last Sunday against Central Michigan. This marks the first time Tennessee has had two different pitchers throw a no-hitter in the same season since 2012.

Milloy went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a homer, giving the UT bats life in the win over Texas A&M to begin the day.

Ayala took over in game two going 3-for-4 with four RBI and a home run of her own to help the Lady Vols power past Lamar.

Game 1 – Tennessee 3 Texas A&M 2
Junior Ashley Rodgers largely silenced the bats of Texas A&M, fanning 10 batters in a complete game effort that saw her give up just two runs on three hits for her seventh win in the circle.

Following a quiet first two innings, the Lady Vols were the first to threaten, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third.

The Aggies got themselves out of the jam and entered the bottom half of the inning unscathed. However, the Orange & White immediately responded as Kiki Milloy and Ivy Davis went yard in back-to-back at-bats to give UT a 2-0 lead as the contest reached its mid-point.

An inning and a half later, Texas A&M responded. After being held without a hit for four and a third, the Aggies struck on back-to-back homers of their own to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the sixth.

In the top of the sixth, the Lady Vols loaded the bases for the third time and sophomore Hanna Fox scampered home on a wild pitch from Makinzy Herzog to give UT the slim 3-2 edge.

Rodgers slammed the door shut in the final two innings to give Tennessee its first win of the day.

Game 2 – Tennessee 8 Lamar 0
A five-inning no-hitter from Turner and an explosive offensive performance from Ayala, pushed Tennessee past Lamar, 8-0.

The Lady Vols jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, manufacturing a run that started off the bat of senior Amanda Ayala.

The Bloomfield, New Jersey native singled to left field, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out from Cailin Hannon, before scoring on an error from the Cardinals pitcher.

After two quick innings from Callie Turner in the circle, the Orange & White put runners on second and third before Milloy ripped a single to left field, brining home Hannon to double the UT lead.

In the following inning, with a runner on second, Ayala went yard, inside the park style, roping a ball off the centerfield wall and rounding the bases to increase the Lady Vol lead to 4-0.

In the fifth, the Lady Vol bats exploded for four runs on three hits to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom half of the eighth.

Ayala’s bat was responsible for the final two runs of the inning as she slapped a single through the left side bringing in her third and fourth RBI’s of the night cap.

Turner sent Lamar away 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth to improve UT to 16-1 on the year.

UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to action tomorrow morning for its finale at the Reveille Classic when it takes on Campbell at 11 a.m. ET at Davis Diamond.

Texas A&M Box Score | Lamar Box Score | Update Cumulative Stats

-UT Athletics

Boxscore/Postgame/Story: #17 Vols Clinch Series with 5-1 Win Over Georgia State

Boxscore/Postgame/Story: #17 Vols Clinch Series with 5-1 Win Over Georgia State

Posted on March 6, 2021
Vols SS Liam Spence / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee clinched it’s second weekend series win of the year with a 5-1 victory over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

True freshman pitcher Blade Tidwell was dominant in his third-career start, tossing six shutout innings. The Loretto, Tennessee, native scattered four hits and set a career high with seven strikeouts to earn his first collegiate victory.

Tidwell had a relatively smooth outing before running into some trouble in the top of the sixth, allowing back-to-back singles to start the frame. However, the freshman right hander made a tough situation look pretty routine, making a nice defensive play to get the out at first on a sacrifice bunt before striking out consecutive batters to strand two runners in scoring position and escape the jam unscathed.

It was the Vols’ veteran hitters that came through when it mattered most on Saturday. The foursome of Liam Spence (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI), Jake Rucker (2-for-4, 1 RBI), Luc Lipcius (1-for-3, 1 run, 3 RBI) and Max Ferguson (2-for-2, 2 BB) combined for seven of the team’s eight hits on the day.

Spence and Rucker got the scoring started with a pair of big hits in the fifth inning. Spence tripled to left center to bring in the game’s first run and Rucker followed with a two-out double a few batters later to drive in Spence and make it a 2-0 game.

Lipcius provided the dagger with a huge three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Vols some breathing room.

Redmond Walsh closed the door to earn his second save of the season with two scoreless innings. The redshirt senior allowed just one hit and had a pair of strikeouts.

Dalton Pearson drove in the only run of the game for thr Panthers (4-8) with an RBI double in the seventh inning.

The Vols (10-2) will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Sunday’s series finale can be seen live on SEC Network + and the ESPN App.

NOTABLE

TIDWELL TOO MUCH : Highly regarded true freshman pitcher Blade Tidwell showed why UT’s coaches were so excited about his potential entering this season with a dominant outing in Saturday’s win. The big right hander posted his best performance of the year to earn his first-career collegiate win. His six innings pitched and seven strikeouts were both career bests.

LONG BALL FOR LIPCIUS: Luc Lipcius’ three-run blast to right center in the eighth inning proved to be the final nail in Georgia State’s coffin on Saturday, giving the Vols a 5-1 lead heading into the ninth. It was the second home run of the year for Lipcius and Tennessee’s first long ball as a team since last Friday’s series opener against Indiana State.

UT hit at least one home run in its first six games but had not hit one in its previous five until Lipcius ended that drought in the eighth inning on Saturday.

WALSH CONTINUES TO CLIMB CAREER SAVES LIST: Redshirt senior left hander Redmond Walsh moved into a tie for third on Tennessee’s career saves list. The Alcoa High School product earned his 13th career save on Saturday, tying Andrew Lee (2013-15) on the Vols’ all-time list. Walsh needs five more to tie Sean Watson for second on the list.

Box Score (PDF) | DOWNLOAD: Vitello, Lipcius & Tidwell Postgame

-UT Athletics

Hoops Preview: #14/16 Lady Vols vs. #7/7 South Carolina

Hoops Preview: #14/16 Lady Vols vs. #7/7 South Carolina

Posted on March 6, 2021
Rennia Davis – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

GREENVILLE, S.C. — No. 14/16 Tennessee (16-6, 9-4 SEC), the No. 3 seed, has advanced to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament and will meet No. 7/7 South Carolina (20-4, 14-2 SEC), the No. 2 seed, at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

No. 1 seed Texas A&M and No. 4 seed Georgia will meet in the other semifinal round match-up at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The Lady Vols will be making their first appearance in the SEC semifinal round since 2016, when they did so in Jacksonville, Fla., before falling to Mississippi State, 58-48. UT will be trying to advance to Sunday for the first time since 2015, when it fell to South Carolina in the championship game in North Little Rock, Arkansas, 62-46.

Tennessee won the previous match-up between these teams earlier this season, overcoming a 16-point deficit to take a 75-67 decision over the Gamecocks on Feb. 18.

The Lady Vols are 3-2 all-time vs. South Carolina in SEC Tournament play, winning the first three meetings and dropping the last two in 2015 and 2018.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • ESPNU will televise Saturday’s game, with Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Analyst) Steffi Sorensen (Reporter) on the call.
  • All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
  • Institutions can produce for SEC Network+ (SECN+) any conference and non-conference games that are not otherwise televised. Those are available on the ESPN app and SECSports.com.
  • The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone. Now calling the action for his 22nd season, Dearstone is joined by studio host Bobby Rader.
  • 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.
  • For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates in the black bar at the top of the page.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

TENNESSEE IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT

  • Tennessee is seeking to capture its league-leading 18th SEC Tournament championship trophy. UT was victorious in 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
  • The Lady Vols were runners-up on six occasions, including 1982, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2015.
  • UT last advanced to the title game in 2014 and 2015, winning in 2014 as a #2 seed, 71-70, over #4 Kentucky and falling as a #2 seed to #1 South Carolina, 62-46, in 2015.
  • Tennessee enters Saturday night’s game with an 81-24 (.771) all-time record in the 42nd year of the SEC Tournament.
  • UT is 23-10 all-time in SEC Semifinal games.
  • The Lady Vols are 37-5 all-time in their opening game of the SEC Tournament and are 26-10 in their second contest of the tourney.
  • The Big Orange women are 26-8 in SEC Tournament play since 2007-08.
  • Tennessee has had 15 SEC Tournament MVPs through the years, with a Lady Vol winning four of the last nine awards.
  • Isabelle Harrison (2014), Glory Johnson (2012), Shekinna Stricklen (2011) and Alyssia Brewer (2010) were the past four MVPs from Tennessee.
  • The Lady Vols won the very first SEC Tournament title in 1980, defeating Ole Miss, 85-71, at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville.

SEC TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE

  • This marks the SEC Tournament debut for four Lady Vols, including Tess Darby, Destiny Salary, Marta Suárez and Jordan Walker.
  • This is the second SEC Tournament for Kellie Harper and her coaching staff while at Tennessee. UT was 1-1 in 2019-20 and 1-0 this season.
  • Kellie Harper had an 11-1 record at the SEC Tournament during her time as a student-athlete at UT with postseason tournament titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The only loss was in the 1997 semifinals.
  • Rennia Davis has averaged 16.6 ppg. in seven career SEC Tournament games, tallying 16 and five vs. Auburn and South Carolina in 2018, 19 and 16 vs. LSU and Mississippi State in 2019 and 15 and 14 vs. Missouri and Kentucky in 2020; and 33 vs. Ole Miss in 2021.
  • Jordan Horston is averaging 14.0 ppg. in SEC Tourney play after scoring six and 24 vs. Missouri and Kentucky last season and 12 vs. Ole Miss this time around.

BACK IN GREENVILLE

  • This marks the fifth time Greenville has played host to the SEC Tournament.
  • UT stands at 6-3 in games played in the city after beating Ole Miss on Friday.
  • Kellie Harper is 2-1 as a head coach in SEC Tourney games played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
  • No. 2 seed Tennessee defeated #1 seed LSU in the tourney title game, 67-56, on March 6, 2005, the first time the event was held IN Greenville.
  • Shyra Ely was named the SEC Tournament MVP that year, while Shanna Zolman and Brittany Jackson joined her on the all-tournament team.
  • UT beat Auburn in the second round (64-54) and Vanderbilt in the semifinals (76-73) that year.

TENNESSEE IN SEC PLAY

  • UT is 414-88 (.825) in SEC regular-season games through the Auburn match-up, winning 18 regular-season championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles.
  • Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper is 19-10 in SEC games in her second year leading the team and has a 2-1 record in SEC Tourney play.
  • The Lady Vols (projected sixth in preseason polls) have beaten three teams ranked above them in the 2020-21 SEC Coaches and Media Polls, including No. 1/1 selection South Carolina, No. 2/3 pick Kentucky and No. 4/5 selection Arkansas.
  • UT tied for third a year ago and finished third outright this season, marking its best back-to-back outcomes in league play since taking second in 2013-14 and first in 2014-15.

LADY VOL NOTES

  • STACKING UP 20s: Rennia Davis enters the SEC Semis with a six-game streak of scoring 20 points or more. She has nine 20-point games this year and 22 for her career to rank fifth at Tennessee.
  • BEAT THE CLOCK: Davis’ halftime buzzer beater was her 15th career make with the game clock winding down.
  • RE’S LAST FIVE: Rennia Davis is averaging 25.6 ppg. and 10.0 rpg. over her last five games, shooting 53.2% on FGs, 47.1 on 3FGs and 87.8 on FTs.
  • ROCK STEADY, RAE: With 18 points vs. Ole Miss, Rae Burrell has 20 games scoring in double figures this season, with 15 of them featuring 15+ points.
  • DRINKING FROM THE WELL: Jordan Horston is 13 of 28 (46.4) shooting, including 6 of 9 on threes in her last two games at “The Well.”
  • THREES ARE FALLING: Tennessee is 13 of 20 over its last two games from the three-point arc for 65% accuracy.
  • GRINDING OUT THE CLOSE ONES: UT improved to 9-4 during the Harper era in games decided by five points or fewer, exhibiting resilience and toughness.
  • RENNIA ON FIRE: Senior Rennia Davis tied her career high of 33 points against Ole Miss, extending her streak of 20+ games to six, the longest by a Lady Vol since Candace Parker did so in the 2007 season.
  • MOVING ON UP: The 14 rebounds Davis pulled down vs. Ole Miss moved her up two spots on the career rebounding list, passing Nicky Anosike (914) and Bridgette Gordon (915) to rank 11th all-time among Lady Vols with a career total of 923.
  • 1,400 WINS: Tennessee, which leads all NCAA Division I women’s basketball programs in victories, recorded win No. 1,400 on Friday night. UT is now 1,400-349 in its 76th year of basketball.
  • VS. RANKED TEAMS THIS SEASON: UT is 4-4 vs. ranked teams in 2020-21, led by Rennia Davis (20.3 ppg.) and Rae Burrell (18.0 ppg.)

RECAPPING UT’S LAST GAME

  • The No. 14/16 Lady Vols fended off an upset-minded Ole Miss team in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday night, winning 77-72 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2016.
  • No. 3 seed Tennessee (16-6) was led by senior Rennia Davis, who turned in a career-high-tying 33 points and added 14 rebounds to record her sixth-straight game with 20+ points and her ninth double-double of the season. Junior Rae Burrell was also in double digits with 18 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore Jordan Horston had a solid outing with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
  • Top scorers for Ole Miss (11-11), the No. 11 seed that had already ousted sixth-seeded #13/13 Arkansas on Thursday, were Donnetta Johnson with 20 points, Shakira Austin with 14, and Jacorriah Bracey with 13.

SERIES NOTES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA

  • UT enters Saturday’s contest with a 51-9 advantage in the series, including 21-3 in Columbia, 23-3 in Knoxville and 7-3 at neutral sites.
  • Tennessee is 5-3 vs. USC during the postseason and is 1-0 in overtime, taking a 79-73 extra-frame decision over the Gamecocks in the Palmetto State on Feb. 15, 1996. UT is 3-2 vs. USC in the SEC Tourney.
  • Since 2012, the series has been very streaky. UT won three straight, then USC took three in a row. After the Lady Vols claimed three consecutive wins, South Carolina made it three in a row. To continue the trend, UT put up a “W” on Feb. 18.
  • Kellie Harper has a 2-4 record vs. South Carolina as a head coach. She was 0-1 while at Western Carolina, and 1-2 while at NC State, beating the Gamecocks, 55-53, in Raleigh on Dec. 4, 2011. She stands 1-1 while at UT, winning the latest match-up in 2021.
  • In the other two contests, both on the road, NC State suffered a 74-71 setback on Dec. 13, 2009, and a 77-63 loss on Dec. 12, 2010.
  • Harper was 5-0 vs. USC as a player, participating in the only overtime game between these schools in 1996.
  • Since 2010, USC has won five and UT four SEC regular-season titles, with UT winning or sharing in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 and USC doing so in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.
  • After defeating South Carolina, the regular season SEC champs at 14-2, the 13-3 Lady Vols went on to claim the 2014 SEC Tournament title in Duluth, Ga.
  • Tennessee lost to South Carolina, 64-60, on Feb. 2, 2012, in Knoxville, but rebounded to defeat USC in the 2012 SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville, 74-58, en route to its 16th SEC postseason championship.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA

  • UT is led by the trio of Zia Cooke (16.2 ppg.), Aliyah Boston (13.1 ppg., 11.8 rpg.) and Destanni Henderson (12.3 ppg.).
  • Cooke and Boston made the All-SEC First Team and Boston was Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
  • The Gamecocks’ only losses in SEC play are to Tennessee and Texas A&M. Non-conference foes N.C. State and UConn also defeated South Carolina.

RECAPPING SOUTH CAROLINA’S LAST GAME

  • Zia Cooke scored 22 points, Aliyah Boston had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 7 South Carolina withstood a late charge by Alabama for a 75-63 victory Friday night in the SEC Tourney.
  • The Gamecocks (20-4) led by 27 halfway through the second quarter but saw most of that margin disappear down the stretch after Ariyah Copeland drew the Crimson Tide (16-9) within 66-59 with 5:07 to go.
  • Jordan Lewis led Alabama with 25 points, while Ariyah Copeland added 17.

THE LAST TIME UT & USC MET

  • Senior Rennia Davis turned in 24 second-half points, as No. 21/21 Tennessee erased a 16-point second-quarter deficit to beat No. 2/3 South Carolina in Thompson-Boling Arena, 75-67, on Feb. 18.
  • The win snapped a 31-game SEC win streak for the Gamecocks and marked UT’s first victory over a top-five team since taking an 82-75 win over No. 2/4 Texas, 82-75, in Knoxville on Dec. 10, 2017.
  • Davis added 12 rebounds to record the 36th double-double of her career. Junior Rae Burrell was also in double figures for Tennessee (13-5, 7-3 SEC) with 19 points, and sophomore Jordan Horston pitched in 12 points and five assists.
  • South Carolina (17-3, 12-1 SEC) was led by Aliyah Boston, who posted a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson added 15 each.

THE LAST MEETING IN THE SEC TOURNEY

  • No. 12 Tennessee erased a 16-point first-half deficit and closed within three in the third quarter but couldn’t overcome No. 8 South Carolina, falling 73-62 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 2, 2018.
  • Freshman Anastasia Hayes led UT (24-7) in scoring, tying her career high with 17 points. Senior Jaime Nared chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds.
  • A’ja Wilson led USC (24-6) with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Alexis Jennings also recorded a double-double, logging 19 points and 12 rebounds.

-UT Athletics

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