Alabama
11-7,1-4SEC
Tennessee
15-3,5-1SEC
No. 23/25 Tennessee’s Buzzer-Beater Drops Alabama, 65-63, in Monday Night Heartbreaker
1/20/2020 11:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rennia Davis’ 30-foot fade away went in with 0.8 seconds on the clock to seal the win for the Lady Vols
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Cierra Johnson's two free throws gave Alabama the 63-62 edge with 15 seconds left, when Tennessee's Rennia Davis knocked in a 30-foot prayer with 0.8 seconds on the clock to give the No.23/25-ranked Lady Vols (15-3, 5-1 SEC) the 65-63 victory over the Crimson Tide (11-7, 1-4 SEC) inside Thompson-Boling Arena on Monday night. The Tide had won the previous five matchups against UT.
Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis went over 1,000 career points after totaling a team-high 17 in the loss. With 14 points and 10 rebounds, junior Jasmine Walker has had a double-double in all three Southeastern Conference road contests this season.
From Coach Curry
- "What a great game, but that was tough to lose," said head coach Kristy Curry. "Our kids really fought and did what we asked them to do. I thought we missed a lot of shots and we had great shots, but sometimes when your shot doesn't go in you let it affect you, but I thought our kids just kept believing and they played their guts out. I thought they deserved to win, we were just one stop away."
Quarter-by-Quarter
- The Crimson Tide started the game slow with the Lady Vols jumping out to the 10-4 lead in the first five minutes of action. UT held the 13-8 advantage heading into the second.
- Both teams struggled to find their offense in the second quarter, as Alabama found themselves down 20-11 with 3:39 to go before the half. Junior Ariyah Copeland's layup with 32 seconds made the score 24-17 in favor of Tennessee heading into the break.
- The Tide's offense got going in the third quarter, after scoring more points in the third period than in the entire first half. Sophomore De'Sha Benjamin hit a triple with 3:17 in the frame to tie the game at 33-33. UT responded with back-to-back three-pointers and held the 41-37 edge going into the final 10 minutes to play.
- Following a Lewis layup to start the fourth, Tennessee went on a 9-0 run to go up 50-41 with 5:24 to go. Alabama battled back to tie the game at 56-56 after sophomore Megan Abrams drained a corner three with 2:08 on the clock.
- The Tide took its first lead since early in the first quarter when Lewis splashed a three-pointer with 1:24 to go to make it 59-58 in favor of UA. Tennessee briefly retook the lead with 50 seconds on the clock before Johnson's jumper in the paint put Alabama back on top 61-60 with 39 seconds to go. In the final 19 seconds, the two teams traded free throws before Davis knocked in the dagger three to seal the 65-63 victory.
Player Spotlight
- Walker earned her 10th career double-double with her performance on Monday night. In SEC road games, the junior is averaging 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.
- Lewis was clutch down the stretch, scoring 12 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter on 5-of-7 shooting. Her two assists moved her to just two away from taking over the No. 8 spot in all-time career assists at Alabama.
Stats of the Game
- The Crimson Tide took care of the ball while only turning it over six times, while forcing the Lady Vols into 20.
- After a slow first half, Alabama shot an impressive 50 percent (18-of-36) in the remaining 20 minutes of action. UA also went 6-o-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Up Next
- Alabama will return home for three-straight home games beginning on Thursday, Jan. 23 against No. 15/12 Texas A&M at 7 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum. The game between the Crimson Tide and Aggies will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
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