Sports: No. 3 UConn women outlast No. 25 Tennessee, 67-61
No. 3 UConn women rally past No. 25 Vols
UConn 67 Tennessee 61
Maybe it wasn't UConn's best shooting performance in the history of its storied rivalry with Tennessee. Not even close. Not from the floor. Not from the free throw line.
But in terms of the resilience the third-ranked Huskies showed Thursday night at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena, visiting the stadium with the orange-and-white checkered end zones for the first time in 15 years, in terms of a comeback … this one wasn't all that bad.
UConn, with back-to-back fourth-quarter 3-pointers from Tennessee transfer Evina Westbrook to give the Huskies the lead for good, toppled No. 25 Tennessee 67-61 before 3,553 fans on Rocky Top.
Christyn Williams finished with 20 points, Westbrook had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists and star freshman Paige Bueckers, at one point mired in a 1-for-10 shooting slump in the game, came up with her first dramatic contribution to the series by hitting a 3-point field goal with 24 seconds left in what was a three-point game at the time.
There were 17-lead changes, befitting the atmosphere of the game, being played as a part of the Nasimith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Revival Series and as a piece of “We Back Pat” week in honor of late Tennessee women's basketball coaching legend Pat Summitt.
It was announced prior to the game that UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and Tennessee coach Kellie (Jolly) Harper each donated $10,000 of their own money to the fundraising efforts, money that last year came from the game's ticket sales.
Tennessee wore special jerseys for the game with Summitt's name emblazoned on the back, while UConn sported its black jerseys with a patch honoring former UConn men's coach and great Huskies ambassador Dee Rowe, who died recently.
Tennessee led 49-45 after three quarters, at which point Bueckers
was 1-for-10 and starter Aubrey Griffin was on the bench with four fouls. Griffin picked up foul numbers three and four in a six-second span in the third quarter.
But Williams hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to start the fourth quarter for UConn, pulling within 49-48.
The score was tied 52-all when Westbrook knocked in consecutive 3-pointers, the second giving the Huskies a 58-52 advantage. Westbrook's two daggers began a 9-0 run for UConn, which remained unbeaten at 9-0. Olivia Nelson-Ododa followed with a free throw and Williams scored on a deft feed from Bueckers for a 61-52 lead with 4:37 to play.
Tennessee had pulled within 63-61 when Bueckers, who was on the sideline having her ankle retaped, re-entered the game and hit a 3 which gave UConn a 6661 cushion.
Auriemma said that, in general, one play doesn't lose a game for a team.
“But one big play can win you the game,” he said. “We had some really big plays by all those guys, Christyn, shots that (Westbrook) made ... everybody made some contributions. It was good to see them do that.
“I can't think of one good thing we did in those first three quarters. We just hung around.”
The game was separated by just one point after the first half, with Tennessee ahead 35-34.
The Lady Vols boasted the game's most decisive contributor to that juncture, however, in junior Rae Burrell, who entered the game as the team's leading scorer with 16.7 points per game. Burrell had 14 points in the first half, shooting 5-for-11 overall, 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Williams led UConn with nine points in the half and Westbrook had eight.
Tennessee, which averages 46.4 rebounds per game, approximately 15 per game more than its opponents so far this season, outrebounded UConn 24-15 in the first half and had nine offensive rebounds to UConn's three.
Tennessee also held a one-point lead after the first quarter at 17-16.
Williams got the Huskies started on offense in the second quarter with two baskets within in the first minute for a 20-19 lead.
After a free throw and a 3-pointer by Burrell which put Tennessee ahead 2320, UConn went on an 8-0 run, showing a little bit of spark with four points in that stretch by freshman Aaliyah Edwards, a jump shot by Bueckers off the dribble and a pull-up jump shot by Westbrook. Edwards' second basket, assisted by Westbrook, put UConn up 28-23.
Burrell answered, however, and Tennessee came out of a timeout with 3:57 to play in the half with a steal and a layup by freshman Marta Suarez.
Tennessee took a 32-31 lead on basket by Tamari Key and Tennessee's Destiny Salary and UConn's Westbrook traded 3-pointers to end the half. The Lady Vols extended it to 49-45 after three quarters, the first time this season UConn has trailed after three.