Lady Vols crawl to win over Wichita State
No. 12 Tennessee picked up a win over Wichita State on Monday night as they turn its attention to the Cancun Challenge.
The Lady Vols slugged their way to a 68-56 win over Wichita State on Monday night in Thompson-Boling Arena to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Despite being winless on the season, the Shockers (0-4) gave No. 12 Tennessee its biggest test of the season to this point.
In just her third career game, freshman Rennia Davis recorded her first career double-double to lead the Lady Vols. Davis dropped 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Wichita State immediately jumped out to an 8-4 lead thanks to six early points from senior Diamond Lockhart. As the Lady Vols would struggle shooting from the field, the Shockers built a 17-13 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
The first quarter break would prove to be just what the Lady Vols needed. Tennessee jumped out of the gates to start the second quarter, building a 21-17 lead. The Shockers would bounce back with an 11-0 run of their own to take a 28-25 lead.
Wichita State would go cold from the field, not scoring for the remaining 2:35 of the first half. The Lady Vols finished the opening half on a 4-0 run to take a 29-28 lead into intermission.
For most of the third quarter, neither team could find a rhythm on offense. At one point in the quarter, both teams were on a scoreless streak lasting over three minutes. The Lady Vols were able to snap out of the scoreless streak, as Davis would propel Tennessee to a 14-3 run to end the third quarter with a 48-36 lead.
The two teams would score 20 a piece in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Vols holding the Shockers to just eight third quarter points would prove to be the difference in the game.
Tennessee’s trio of freshman stars combined for 36 of the Lady Vols 86 points. Along with Davis’ 14 points, Anastasia Hayes scored 12 points while Evina Westbrook dropped nine points and dished out six assists.
The Lady Vols will now travel to Cancun, Mexico to participate in the Cancun Challenge. Tennessee will take on No. 19 Marquette Thursday in the first of three games. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Feature image courtesy of UT Sports
Edited by Seth Raborn
