College Basketball

LADY VOLS PULL AWAY FROM #10 OREGON STATE, 74-63

Dec. 28, 2014

Box Score |  Notes

Postgame quotes and video available at UTSports.com

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Isabelle Harrison finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Alexa Middleton added 12 points off the bench as No. 8 Tennessee pulled away from No. 10 Oregon State for a 74-63 victory on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena. In all, four Lady Vols finished in double figures as UT defeated its second top 10 opponent in as many games.

The victory was the second in a row over one of the Pac-12’s top teams as Tennessee (10-2) defeated then seventh-ranked Stanford 59-40 last Saturday. With the win, UT head coach Holly Warlick has defeated top 10 programs in back-to-back games for the first time in her career. It is also the first time the Lady Vols have defeated two top 10 teams in the same season during her tenure.

The last time Tennessee won back-to-back games against top 10 teams was the 2008 Final Four when it topped No. 6 LSU and No. 4 Stanford en route to the national title.

Harrison collected her sixth double-double of the season on Sunday in leading UT to its 12th consecutive home victory. She was a handful offensively and on the glass, but was also a terror on the defensive end in posting a season-high five blocks. Matching up with OSU’s leading scorer in 6-6 center Ruth Hamblin, Harrison limited the junior to just eight points on 4-of-11 shooting. Hamblin had entered the contest averaging 14.0 points per game on a nation-leading 69 percent shooting.

Middleton posted her 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while Cierra Burdick and Ariel Massengale also found their way into double figures with 11 points each. Bashaara Graves narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

After UT took a 35-34 lead into halftime, the two teams traded buckets to start the second period, battling to a 48-48 tie seven minutes into the half. OSU (10-1) regained the upper hand at 50-48, but Tennessee responded with six straight points to go ahead by two possessions at 54-50. The largest lead of the half for either team, Tennessee gained the advantage by virtue of two momentum-changing scores from Middleton. The true freshman put UT in front when she picked the pocket of OSU’s Gabriella Hanson and raced to the other end for a layup. Then, just a few possessions later, Middleton found herself all alone on the backside for a put-back off a Harrison miss.

With the momentum now firmly on its side, UT ratcheted up the defensive pressure in forcing five Beaver turnovers over the next five minutes. Those extra possessions translated into another jumper from Middleton and two free throws from Massengale as the Lady Vols took their largest lead of the game at 58-52 at the eight-minute mark.

Tennessee’s lead grew to as much as seven at 65-58 with a little over four minutes to go, but OSU whittled its way back to within four at 66-62 after Wiese got free for a layup inside. The Beavers forced a miss from Harrison inside on the ensuing Tennessee possession, but promptly turned it over on an offensive foul from Hamblin. The foul was Hamblin’s fifth, removing the Beavers’ best low-post presence from the contest with just under three minutes still to go.

On the ensuing possession, UT pushed the lead back to six on a jumper from Jordan Reynolds and it was all Lady Vols from there. OSU managed just a single free throw over the final two and a half minutes while Tennessee converted five from the charity stripe to settle the final tally at 74-63.

For the game, the Lady Vols attempted 34 free throws, converting 22 for a percentage of 64.7. Harrison took 11 of those freebies for UT, knocking down six along the way. Massengale was 6-of-7.

OSU led for the majority of the first half, benefiting from 6-of-9 three-point shooting in the period to help offset 10 turnovers. Still, the Beavers’ advantage never extended beyond more than five points as UT kept stride for stride with OSU and ultimately took a 35-34 lead into the locker room with a 6-0 run to end the half.

The Beavers were led by 19 points from guard Sydney Wiese. The sophomore scored 15 in the first half, connecting on all three of her three-point attempts in the period, but was kept in check in the second half as she scored just four points and went 0-for-4 from distance.

Sunday’s game marked the final non-conference contest for the Lady Vols until Jan. 19 when they will travel to South Bend, Indiana, for a meeting with Notre Dame. In the meantime, UT shifts its attention to SEC play, opening the New Year at home against Missouri on Jan. 2 at Thompson-Boling Arena.