UK Hoops tops Summitt: Cats surge in second half to upset Vols

 

 

With 47 seconds to go in Thursday night’s game between the UK women’s basketball team and No. 13 Tennessee, sophomore guard Carly Morrow stepped to the free-throw line with the Cats in control, 64-56.

All season long, the Cats (14-12, 4-7 Southeastern Conference) had fought wire-to-wire just to keep games close. UK had a series of near-misses and late-game collapses, resulting in five SEC losses of 10 or fewer points. Tennessee (18-8, 7-4 SEC) held UK without a field goal in the final 7:23, and UK appeared to be set up for another meltdown.

With all that on her shoulders and a season-high crowd of 6,868 watching, Morrow drained both free throws. The set of foul shots iced a 66-56 victory over the back-to-back defending national champions.

“No pressure,” Morrow said. “Just hit the first one. I knew I had two, so you just try to tell yourself that there’s no pressure.”

The win was the first for the Cats against the Volunteers in Memorial Coliseum since 1986 and just their second victory in the last 30 meetings between the two.

Seconds after Morrow sealed the deal, senior guard Carly Ormerod, who was on the 2006 team that beat Tennessee in Rupp Arena, flung the ball into the air as she ran to celebrate with her teammates. During interviews after the game, players joked around, high-fiving and congratulating each other on their biggest win of the season. Amid all the celebration, most players had a hard time voicing their emotions.

“I can’t even put it into words,” sophomore guard Amber Smith said. “I can’t even put it into numbers. I’m just happy for Coach (Matthew) Mitchell and my teammates.”

Tennessee started the game by building a 10-0 lead, but UK fought back and eventually tied the game at 17. Several players said they were able to remain confident after staying competitive with Tennessee earlier in the year during a 69-64 loss in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Cats appeared to be in trouble with 18 minutes left in the game. Down 32-31, senior Eleia Roddy was forced to sit after picking up her third foul. But even without their go-to center, the Cats rallied. Everything seemed to go right for UK, as an undersized lineup went on a 20-4 run to give UK a 17-point lead, 55-38, with 10:12 left.

Mitchell remained reserved after the game, but acknowledged just how important the win was for his team’s postseason aspirations.

“It’s a tremendous win for us because we were 3-7 (in conference play),” Mitchell said. “This is a great victory, and I’m so happy for our players. They’re very happy. It’s a significant win, but we have a long way yet to go.”

After the game, Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt said UK played with more fire than her team, and that this year’s Vols have “the lowest energy game in and game out” of any team she’s ever coached.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking,” Summitt said. “It’s not basketball most of the time, I can assure you that … (There is) totally a lack of passion.”

Junior guard Amani Franklin and Roddy both had 18 points to lead four Cats in double figures. Morrow added 13 and Smith had 10. Sophomore forward Victoria Dunlap finished with just four points but tied a career-high with 15 rebounds.

Despite the balanced offensive production, Mitchell thought that the team’s defense was the most important aspect of the win. The Volunteers committed 19 turnovers and shot just 35 percent from the field.

“Balanced scoring is great, but I just thought being able to hold them to 56 points was the key,” Mitchell said. “Defensively, I thought our players gave maximum effort tonight and that’s what you have to do to beat a team like Tennessee.”