JumpOffPlus.com College Tour: Tennessee Game Blog

Tennessee is in the process of trying to win the program’s ninth national championship.
*Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee Lady Volunteers will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports South. We’ll bring you an in-arena take.

By: @BrandonClayPSB

6:58 pm – Warm reception for one-time Tennessee commit and Georgia Tech freshman Kaela Davis. Her brother, AJ, is a freshman on the men’s team here.

7:00 pm – Tennessee’s pre-game announcements are amongst the best in the business.

7:03 pm – Love that the Lady Vol fans stay standing and cheering until the team scores their first point.

7:06 pm – Meighan Simmons’ jump shot is just as deadly as it was at USA Basketball years ago. A look at Simmons from the Trials

7:10 pm – A 50/50 blocking call on Cierra Burdick sends Tech’s Aaliyah Whiteside to the line and sets the UT crowd into a frenzy.

7:12 pm – There is a reason why Tennessee Soph. Bashaara Graves was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2012-13. Her post footwork is incredible.

7:13 pm – Tennessee Jr. Isabelle Harrison has come a long way offensively. After watching assistant Dean Lockwood’s post work earlier today, I can see why she’s so productive these days.

7:15 pm – Tennessee leads 12-5 at the first media timeout.

7:17 pm – Tech’s Sydney Wallace hits a 3-pointer to cut it to 12-8.

7:18 pm – First time tonight that Tennessee coach Holly Warlick shows her disagreement with an officials call.

7:19 pm – Graves scores again in the paint. No surprise there.

7:20 pm – ProspectsNation.com No. 1 ranked class of 2016 point Crystal Dangerfield of Murfreesboro, Tenn., is in the building for this one.

7:21 pm – Georgia Tech has committed eight team fouls in just 6:25 of game play. RS Fr. Andraya Carter calmly knocks down both shots in the one-and-one.

7:22 pm – Graves with an offensive rebound and a put back. Think this will be a reoccurring theme tonight.

7:23 pm – Carter back at the line and makes one of two. It’s 19 to 8 in favor of the Lady Vols.

7:24 pm – Tough dribble drive by paper writer free Davis draws a shooting foul on UT. She makes both shots. 19 to 10.

7:25 pm – Simmons from the corner for a 3-pointer. Give an assist to Carter. 22 to 10 UT. Wait a second, Wallace answers with a 3 of her own. 22 to 13.

7:26 pm – Fr. Post Mercedes Russell gets involved for the Lady Vols off of a nice feed from fellow Fr. Jordan Reynolds. Both hail from Oregon. Call it the “Oregon Connection.” 24-13 Lady Vols.

7:27 pm – The “Oregon Connection” strikes again. An article on Russell from her commitment to Tennessee: Analysis: The Russell Impact 26-13.

7:31 pm – A media timeout can’t cool Tennessee off. They score again. 28-13.

7:33 pm – Harrison with a free throw to make it 29-13. An ensuing UT foul on a loose ball sends us to the under-8 minute TO.

7:35 pm – Tennessee’s ball pressure is smothering. Not only do they make the first shot hard but they limit second shots.

7:38 pm – Davis follows a Whiteside basket with a basket of her own. She draws the foul and gets three the hard way. 29-18 UT.

7:39 pm – Tennessee Jr. guard Ariel Massengale is right back at Tech with a 3-pointer. She shot it great against Carolina last Monday and was a shooter even in her HS days. 31-18 UT. Whiteside answers with two free throws. 31-20.

7:40 pm – Andraya Carter with an offensive rebound and pass to Russell for a layup. Carter is one of the best rebounding perimeter threats in the country. Like Massengale, this didn’t happen overnight. 33-20.

7:42 pm – Simmons with two free throws to make it 35-20. This game was so highly touted that fellow TeamPSB members Keil Moore and Chris Hansen made the trip as well.

7:43 pm – Davis just hit a 3-pointer from darn near Chattanooga. 35-23 UT. Graves right back for two of her own. Gives her 10 on the night to go along with seven rebounds. 37-23.

7:45 pm – Carter takes a charge to give the Lady Vols the ball back.

7:49 pm – Graves again. Now with 12 points, 10 boards on the night. Hold on, make it 13 and 14. Still 2:51 to play in the first half. 41-23 UT.

7:51 pm – Whiteside help me write essay with two more free throws then Jasmine Jones scores for Tennessee. Before I can type the score, Whiteside hits a 15 footer. 43-27 UT.

7:53 pm – Give Whiteside two more from the charity stripe. She has 10 joining Davis as the two Yellow Jackets in double figures. 43-29 UT.

7:54 pm – Jones hits a free throw then Tech’s Ty Marshall gets a basket. Tech’s Dawyn Maye follows that with a basket of her own giving the Jackets their first real sign of life since the early stages of this one. 44-33 UT.

7:56 pm – Davis finishes off the half with a tough layup against Nia Moore to put Tech within ten at 44-35 in favor of the home team.

8:15 pm – Whiteside starts the second half where she left off in the first – making shots. This time it’s a 3 that cuts the game to 44-38. Graves responds with a layup. 46-38 UT.

8:18 pm – Nice interior passing gets Russell an easy touch but Marshall counters with a open splash. 48-41.

8:20 pm – Carter is a real X-Factor for this group. Checks in and hits a 3. Davis comes back with a basket of her own. Graves wastes no time in finding another offensive rebound and a outback. 53-43 UT.

8:22 pm – The scoring pace has gotten back to Tennessee’s liking. Burdick scores a two after Maye finished an open court layup for Tech. 55-45 UT.

8:25 pm – After a media timeout, Carter is guarding Davis. Former Buford HS teammates going at it here.

8:26 pm – Graves with another finish. 20 and 15 for her. Davis then banks in a 3-pointer. 57-48 UT.

8:27 PM – Russell with a nice layup inside off of a feed from Graves. Davis gets fouled on the other end and hits both. 59-50 UT with 12:40 left.

8:28 pm – Simmons with a backdoor cut for a layup. Tech finds a basket from Wallace. Davis hits a 3. Simmons gets a transition layup. 63-55 UT.

8:30 pm – Davis is HOT – another 3. Gives her 25 on the night with 10:41 to go. Under 12 minute timeout.

8:33 pm – Tennessee responded with a flurry led by an Ariel Massengale ghostwriter services us finish at the rim. 68-60.

8:39 pm – Wallace hits back iron and drops in a 3-pointer to cut it to 68-63. The crowd is fully engaged at this point. Awesome atmosphere.

8:44 pm – Carter with a nice attack to the rim after a Tech miss. Layup good. 70-63 UT.

8:48 pm – Wallace with a nice right to left crossover to hit a 15 foot pull up. 70-65 UT.

8:50 pm – Graves with a free throw. 21 and 17 for her. Massengale gets the ball back and hits a 17 footer in transition. That’s that pro ball stuff there. She knows the time/score and seizes an opening. 73-65 UT.

8:52 pm – Another possession, another Massengale pull up jumper. WNBA GM’s have to love seeing that on film. 75-65 UT.

8:53 pm – Harrison makes two free throws. She has 9 points and 16 rebounds with 4:27 to play. 77-65 UT.

8:58 pm – Russell with a basket after a Harrison free throw. That makes 12 points, 4 boards for Russell on the night so far. 80-65 UT.

9:00 pm – Back to back baskets by Whiteside and Marshall are followed by one from Burdick. Hold on, it’s Marshall again. 84-71 UT with 1:57 to play. The stands are beginning to clear out as the Lady Vols appear to have this one in hand.

9:01 pm – Graves with two more free throws to extend it to an 86-71 lead for the Vols. What a MONSTER night she’s had here for the home crowd.

9:05 pm – Marshall with another easy basket for the Yellow Jackets and Davis follows it up with a tough layup and subsequent And1 free throw on Graves but it’s late now. 86-76 UT.

9:08 pm – That’s the ball game and Tennessee gets a quality non-conference win over Georgia Tech 87-76. Tennessee has looked good through the first two weeks of the season.

Brandon Clay is the owner of the JumpOffPlus.com International Report, Peach State Basketball, Inc., and ProspectsNation.com. The JumpOffPlus.com is picked up by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He serves as the Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy Camps. Clay has been involved in the community since 2001. You can reach him at [email protected]