NFL
By: Ty Reeves
The No. 3 UConn Huskies took on the No. 25 Tennessee Lady Vols in Knoxville for the first time in 15 years. The matchup came two days after UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma surpassed the late Pat Summit, former Tennessee coach, for his 1,099 career win. Moving the Hall of Fame coach to second on the all-time wins list.
In the first quarter, it was a back-and-forth contest as both teams held leads. Rae Burrel led all scorers in the first quarter with 9 points. UConn forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa would go to the bench after getting a finger to the eye in the final minutes of the quarter. Tennessee took a 17-16 lead going into the second. Moving into the second quarter it was still a back-and-forth contest. UConn got into a groove halfway through the quarter when guard Evina Westbrook drove the ball to the elbow and pulled up for the jump shot to give UConn the 26-23 lead with 5:56 remaining in the quarter.
UConn would then go on an 8-0 run when freshman Aaliyah Edwards got an open look underneath the rim to grow the lead. On the following possession, Burrell would knock down the mid-range jump shot to end the run and bring the game to 28-25. Freshman Marta Suarez would then steal the ball and get an easy layup to make it a one-possession game. On the following possession, she would make a 3-pointer to level the game at 30-30. The two teams would trade buckets back and forth, but the Lady Vols would take a 35-34 lead. Burell led the way for Tennessee with 14 points while Christyn Williams led the Huskies with 9 points at the half.
The third started off the same way the second ended. Neither team was able to get into a rhythm as they exchanged buckets. The Lady Vols held a slender two-point lead when UConn’s Williams forced her way into the lane, got the bucket, and the foul giving UConn a 42-41 lead with five minutes to go. UConn’s Aubrey Griffin, a key factor in the game, would pick up her 4th foul late in the quarter, which sent her to the bench. Down three, Williams grabbed the defensive rebound and pushed the ball down the floor. With hesitation, she finished over the bigger defender at the rim to bring the score to a one-point game. However, a huge 3-pointer pointer by Jordan Walker and a couple of free throws would give the Lady Vols 49-45 lead going into the 4th quarter.
UConn started off the quarter with a bang when Williams hit a corner three to bring the game within one. Freshman Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards made back to back layups to take a 52-50 lead. Tennessee would come right back with Rennia Davis hitting a jump shot to tie the game up with 7 minutes remaining. UConn’s Evina Westbrook would hit a big-time 3-pointer to take a three-point lead with 6:29 remaining. UConn would then go on an 8-0 run to take a 63-57 lead. The Vols would fight their way back into the game scoring on consecutive offensive possessions to get within two of the Huskies. The next UConn possession the Huskies moved the ball around using up the entire shot clock. With time running down the ball reached Bueckers who knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to ice the game giving UConn a 66-61 lead.
The Huskies would go on to win the game 67-61 improving their record 9-0 on the season while the Lady Vols fell to 9-3. Christyn Williams led all scorers in the game with 20 points on 8 of 18 shooting. Burrell would lead the way for Tennessee with 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting.
UConn will go back into conference play and take on Georgetown this Saturday while Tennessee takes on No. 12 Kentucky on Sunday.
