Lady Vols make room for a third star after Rennia Davis' winning shot
John AdamsNASHVILLE – Freshman Rennia Davis proved again Thursday night there’s room for more than two stars on the Tennessee women’s basketball team.
UT’s All-SEC seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell both figured prominently in a 64-61 victory over Auburn in the second round of the SEC women’s basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena. But they only pulled the 14th-ranked Lady Vols even with the upset-minded Tigers.
Davis pushed them over the top with an improbable, last-second 3-point shot that bounced off the glass before dropping through the basket.
The shot looked anything but promising when it left her hand.
“I thought it was an air-ball,” Auburn forward Unique Thompson said. “I was getting ready to get the rebound.”
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If Davis had any doubts, she didn’t express them.
“The coaches always tell me to be confident in my shot,” Davis said. “I didn’t call a bank shot, but I held my follow-through and it went in.”
The shot was a testament to her stamina as much as her touch. She didn’t sit out a single second and still had enough energy for a dramatic finishing shot.
“She played 40 minutes, and I don’t think she looked tired at all,” Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said. “I have a lot of confidence in her. I don’t care if she’s a freshman. She plays the game hard.
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“She’s going to be a great player for us.”
She’s already too good for Auburn. Davis, who scored 16 points, hit her only two 3-point tries and also was effective driving to the basket.
But Davis alone couldn’t have turned back Auburn, which forced 23 turnovers and threatened to send the game into overtime on Daisa Alexander’s game-tying basket with 11.2 seconds to play.
Tennessee also got big games from Nared and Russell.
Nared scored a team-high 17 points and added four assists and three steals. Her most significant play was her last shot.
She took a hard fall, injured a hip and limped off the court with 7:40 to play. But fortunately for Tennessee, she wasn’t finished. Moments later, she returned to the game and scored a quick basket to put UT up by three.
“She thought she could go back in,” Warlick said. “But after she scored, she looked back at me and said, ‘I’ve got to come out.’
“It was hurting worse than she thought. She’s a tough kid.”
Russell was tough on Auburn under the basket and at the foul line.
She had 15 rebounds, and hardly any of them were uncontested against a smaller, but scrappy Auburn team. Just as impressively, she scored all but two of her points at the foul line on 10-for-10 shooting.
That showed how far she has come from last season, according to Warlick.
“Last year, people started fouling her,” Warlick said. “She did this today because she put in a lot of time (practicing free-throw shooting) on her own.”
Warlick also credited Davis’ work ethic for her success.
“When we played Vanderbilt here, Rennia didn’t have a very good game,” Warlick said. “We went back and did a lot of time talking. She went back to work.”
The work paid off on her return trip to Nashville.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.