Lady Vols advance to face Michigan in second round of Women’s NCAA Tournament

The Tennessee Lady Vols faced in-state opponent MTSU on Sunday afternoon in Austin, and Tennessee came out on top with a convincing win. The Lady Vols, a three-seed in the Riverwalk Region, got a double-double from senior guard Rennia Davis, who scored 24 points in total on the day. Rae Burrell also poured in 22 points of her own.

26 points from MTSU’s Anastasia Hayes came up short for the Lady Raiders. MTSU was able to keep the game close in the first half, evening the contest up at 39 just before the halftime break.

A 9-0 run late in the third quarter would put this game firmly in Tennessee’s control, however. A sudden 58-44 lead grew larger from there, as the Tennessee defense clamped down. The Lady Vols would go on to shoot 52 percent from the floor, pulling away for an 87-62 win.

“We just wanted to come out today and make a statement,” Rennia Davis said after the game. “There was so much talk about upset today for us and obviously we see all of that stuff. So, we just wanted to come out today, play our game especially in the second half, I think we were able to do that.”It was Kellie Harper’s first NCAA Tournament win at Tennessee.

The Lady Vols will move on to face No. 6 seed Michigan, which beat Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday to the tune of 87-66. Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET time on Tuesday evening in San Antonio, Texas.