Huskies deck Vols as series rekindles

NO. 3 CONNECTICUT 60, NO. 23 TENNESSEE 45

HARTFORD, Conn. — Crystal Dangerfield scored 14 points and No. 3 Connecticut used a dominant third quarter to beat 23rd-ranked Tennessee 60-45 on Thursday night — the first matchup in 13 years between the teams whose rivalry dominated the sport for over a decade.

Trailing by three at the half, the Huskies (17-1) scored 17 of the first 19 points in the third quarter, taking a 45-33 lead on Dangerfield’s three-pointer with 1:45 left in the period. UConn led by 11 after three and Tennessee could get no closer in the fourth quarter.

Rennia Davis scored 16 points to lead the Lady Volunteers (15-4).

Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian) scored 9 points on 4-of-14 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals for UConn.

Thursday night provided a little bit of nostalgia for those who remembered how these two teams carried women’s basketball for over a decade since their first historic meeting in 1995 that was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown. They played 22 times over a 12-year span, with each one being a circle-the-calendar game.

The series ended after the 2007 season when then-Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt called it off. Geno Auriemma said at the time that Summitt had accused the Huskies of a recruiting violation. Summitt never went public into specifics about why she ended the series. She died in 2016 at age 64 of Alzheimer’s disease.

UConn donated $10,000 to Summitt’s foundation with Auriemma and Tennessee Coach Kellie Harper taking part in a ceremony at the half. The Huskies also are auctioning off the black uniforms they wore with the proceeds going to the foundation.

Tennessee got off to a fast start, scoring 10 of the first points. The Lady Vols led 1614 after one quarter. They extended the lead to eight before holding a 31-28 lead at the half.