Sunday was a huge day for the Lady Vols, as No. 16 Tennessee took down No. 12 Texas in an overtime thriller in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols bounced back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to force overtime. Then, Tennessee outscored Texas in overtime, 15 to 11, to secure a 74-70 win over the Longhorns.
Tennessee center Tamari Key wasn’t just great on Sunday, no, she was a history maker. Key had a triple-double on Sunday, with 18 rebounds, 10 points, and 10 blocks. With that being the second triple-double of her Tennessee career, Key now stands alone as the only Lady Vol ever to hit that impressive stat line twice.
Jordan Horston was a phenom in the game, leading Tennessee with 28 points and 15 assists. Horston’s “beast-mode” mentality in the fourth quarter helped bring the team back to life when they were down big in the second half.
After the game, Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper met with the media to discuss her thoughts on the big win in Knoxville. During her press conference, Harper hit a number of topics pertaining to the team, but she also spoke about the importance of Tennessee’s rowdy and rambunctious crowd on Sunday. Harper spoke about what this win means to the team, what they can still improve on, and much more.
“Going off the court, I realized I needed to thank the fans because that’s the first time we’ve had that in a couple years because of COVID,” Harper said after the game. “It made a difference. Our fans got into it, they got loud, and I think they had some influence on both teams. I hope that we continue to provide a product that they can be proud of, that they are going to get excited about, and you know it’s fun. This is fun basketball, and we want our fans to feel like we’re theirs, that we’re there for them and they can show up and be there for us as well. I thought it was great to see, it was really great to see, that’s what Lady Vol basketball looks like.”
Below is the full video for Harper’s press conference after leading No. 16 Tennessee to a win over No. 12 Texas in Thompson-Boling Arena.
