Other Sports

No. 5 Lady Vols rally for 59-51 victory over No. 22 Georgia

Posted January 24, 2015 10:00 pm

By STEVE MEGARGEE

Tennessee coach Holly Warlick pounds the floor in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Jordan Reynolds scored a career-high 15 points and No. 5 Tennessee came from behind in the second half for a 59-51 victory Sunday over No. 22 Georgia, which lost leading scorer Shacobia Barbee to an injury.

Barbee got hurt with less than three minutes left in the first half, was helped off the court and walked to the locker room on crutches just before halftime. She didn't return in the second half.

Tennessee (17-3, 7-0 SEC) won despite failing to score in the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, which allowed Georgia to take a 35-30 lead. Georgia (17-4, 5-3) had a scoring drought of its own that lasted nearly seven minutes later in the game.

Isabelle Harrison put Tennessee ahead for good at 47-45 by converting a three-point play with 5:51 remaining.

Tennessee won by going 20 of 21 from the free-throw line, while Georgia was 3 of 7.

The latest matchup between these longtime SEC powers started out as a defensive struggle, as Tennessee and Georgia combined for as many turnovers (11) as points over the first eight minutes. It then turned into a game of spurts.

Georgia went on a 14-3 run to grab a 22-14 lead late in the first half. Tennessee responded by reeling off 14 straight points and ended up leading 30-25 at halftime. Georgia answered with a 10-0 run to start the second half to go ahead 35-30, but Tennessee scored the game's next 12 points to pull back ahead.

Tennessee missed its first 12 shots of the second half before Cierra Burdick tipped in a Reynolds miss with 11:52 remaining. Burdick's basket was part of that 12-0 run that occurred while Georgia went scoreless for a stretch of 6 minutes, 45 seconds.

Georgia regained the lead 45-44 with 6:25 left on a 3-pointer from Pachis Roberts, but Harrison's three-point play started a 12-1 run that sealed Tennessee's victory.

TIP-INS

Georgia: Although the Lady Vols lead the all-time series 46-15 or 47-15, depending on which school's doing the accounting (Tennessee counts a 1969 victory that isn't included in Georgia's records), Georgia's 15 wins are tied for the second-most of any team over Tennessee. Maryville College also has 15 wins over Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech has 17. Maryville owns a 15-8 series lead over Tennessee, though all those games came in 1974 or earlier, before former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt built the Lady Vols into a national power.

Tennessee: The Lady Vols beat Georgia for the seventh straight time and the 15th time in their last 16 meetings. Georgia's only win in that stretch was a 53-50 decision in Athens on Jan. 21, 2010.

NEXT UP

Georgia travels to No. 14 Kentucky on Feb. 1.

Tennessee visits Kentucky on Thursday.

Georgia's Merritt Hempe (13) shoots over Tennessee's Center Isabelle Harrison (20) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Tennessee's Alexa Middleton, second from left, loses the ball trying to get through Georgia's Marjorie Butler (24) and Halle Washington (23) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Tennessee's Bashaara Graves (12) shoots over Georgia defenders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Tennessee's Cierra Burdick (11) pulls down a rebound as Georgia's Shacobia Barbee (20) looks on in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Tennessee's Alexa Middleton (33) has trouble getting though Georgia's Krista Donald (15) and Tiara Griffin (3) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Georgia coach Andy Landers reacts to a call that goes Tennessee's way in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Murphy-Racey) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.