# 3 Lady Vols set to face # 2 S. Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinals

# 3 Lady Vols set to face # 2 S. Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinals

by

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Fourteenth-placed Tennessee Lady Vols (16-6, 9-4 SEC), number 3 sown in Greenville, SC, advanced to the semifinal round of the SEC tournament and will meet with seventh-placed South Carolina ( 20-4, 14-2 SEC), the second position, at approximately 6:30 pm Saturday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. First-placed Texas A&M and fourth-placed Georgia will meet in the other round of the semifinal at 4 pm ET.

The Lady Vols will make their first appearance in the SEC semifinal round since 2016, when they did so in Jacksonville, Florida, before falling to the state of Mississippi, 58-48. UT will try 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 clash between these teams earlier this season, overcoming a 16-point deficit to make a 75-67 decision on Gamecocks on February 18. SEC tournament game, winning the first three meetings and losing the last two in 2015 and 2018.

TRANSMISSION INFORMATION

  • ESPNU will broadcast the game on Saturday, with Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Analyst) Steffi Sorensen (Reporter) on the conference call.
  • All 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 through the WatchESPN app and broadcast on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One for fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider
  • The game can also be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and via audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone. Now calling for action for his 22nd season, Dearstone is joined by studio presenter Bobby Rader.
  • A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page of each game or on Lady Vol’s schedule at UTSports.com.

TENNESSEE AT SEC TOURNAMENT

  • Tennessee is trying to win its champion trophy from the league’s 18th SEC tournament. 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 seed # 2, 71-70, over # 4 Kentucky and falling as seed # 2 to # 1 South Carolina, 62-46, in 2015.
  • Tennessee enters the game on Saturday night with a record of 81-24 (0.771) in the 42nd year of the SEC Tournament.
  • UT is 23-10 of all time in SEC semifinal games.
  • The Lady Vols have 37-5 strokes in their opening game of the SEC Tournament and 26-10 in their second match of the tournament.

SEC TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE

  • This marks the debut of the SEC tournament for four Lady Vols, including Tess Darby, Destiny Salary, Marta Suárez and Jordan Walker.
  • This is the SEC’s second tournament for Kellie Harper and her coaching staff in Tennessee. UT was 1-1 in 2019-20 and 1-0 this season.
  • Kellie Harper had an 11-1 record in the SEC tournament during her time as a student-athlete at UT with post-season tournament titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The only loss was in the 1997 semifinals.
  • Rennia Davis averaged 16.6 ppg. in seven career SEC tournament games, totaling 16 and 5 against Auburn and South Carolina in 2018, 19 and 16 against LSU and the State of Mississippi in 2019 and 15 and 14 against Missouri and Kentucky in 2020; and 33 against Ole Miss in 2021.
  • Jordan Horston has an average of 14.0 ppg. in the SEC tournament after scoring six and 24 against Missouri and Kentucky last season and 12 against Ole Miss this time.

TENNESSEE NO SEC PLAY

  • UT is 414-88 (.825) in SEC regular season games until the Auburn match-up, winning 18 regular season championships and winning 17 SEC tournament titles.
  • Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper has 19-10 in SEC games in her second year as team leader and has a 2-1 record in SEC Tourney games.
  • The Lady Vols (projected sixth in the pre-season polls) won three teams ranked above them in the 2020-21 SEC Coaches and Media polls, including South Carolina selection 1/1, choice 2/3 from Kentucky and the No. 4/5 Arkansas selection.
  • UT drew in third place a year ago and finished third this season, scoring their best consecutive results in the league game since coming in second in 2013-14 and first in 2014-15.

RECAPITATING THE LAST GAME OF UT

  • No. 14/16 Lady Vols defended themselves from a disturbed 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.
  • Third place in Tennessee (16-6) was led by senior Rennia Davis, who had 33 points and added 14 rebounds to record her sixth consecutive game with more than 20 points and the ninth double of the Season. Junior Rae Burrell also had double digits with 18 points and seven rebounds, and the second Jordan Horston had a solid game with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
  • The top scorers for Ole Miss (11-11), number 11 who had already eliminated sixth in 13/13 Arkansas on Thursday, were Donnetta Johnson with 20 points, Shakira Austin with 14 and Jacorriah Bracey with 13.

NOTES SERIES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA

  • UT enters Saturday’s competition with a 51-9 lead in the series, including 21-3 at Columbia, 23-3 at Knoxville and 7-3 at neutral sites.
  • Tennessee is 5-3 vs. USC during the postseason and 1-0 in overtime, making an 79-73 extra-frame decision on Gamecocks in Palmetto State on February 15, 1996. UT is 3-2 vs. USC at the SEC tournament.
  • Since 2012, the series has been very choppy. UT won three in a row, then USC won three in a row. After Lady Vols won three consecutive victories, South Carolina achieved three consecutive victories. To continue the trend, UT placed a “W” on February 18.
  • Kellie Harper has a 2-4 record against South Carolina as head coach. She was 0-1 while in Western Carolina, and 1-2 while in NC State, winning the Gamecocks, 55-53, in Raleigh on December 4, 2011. She is 1-1 while in UT, winning the last match- in 2021.
  • In the other two disputes, both on the road, NC State suffered a 74-71 setback on December 13, 2009 and a 77-63 loss on December 12, 2010.
  • Harper was 5-0 against USC as a player, playing 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 winning in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.
  • After defeating 14-2 SEC champion of the regular season, Lady Vols 13-3 won the 2014 SEC Tournament title in Duluth, Georgia.
  • Tennessee lost to South Carolina, 64-60, on February 2, 2012, in Knoxville, but recovered to defeat the USC in the semifinals of the 2012 SEC Tournament in Nashville, 74-58, en route to their 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 joined the All-SEC First Team and Boston was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
  • The Gamecocks’ only defeats in the SEC game are for Tennessee and Texas A&M. Opponents outside the NC State and UConn conference also defeated South Carolina.

THE LAST TIME UT & USC MET

  • Senior Rennia Davis scored 24 points in the second half, while No. 21/21 Tennessee eliminated a 16-point handicap in the second quarter to beat South Carolina’s No. 2/3 at the Thompson-Boling Arena 75-67, on February 18th. .
  • The win broke a 31 game SEC streak for the Gamecocks and marked UT’s first win over one of the top five since an 82-75 victory over No. 2/4 Texas, 82-75, in Knoxville on 10 December, 2017
  • Davis added 12 rebounds to record the 36th double-double of his career. Junior Rae Burrell also scored double digits for Tennessee (13-5, 7-3 SEC) with 19 points, and Jordan Horston shot 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.

Copyright 2021 WVLT. All rights reserved.

Source