KNOXVILLE – Ariel Massengale scored 26 points and tied a school single-game record with eight 3-pointers Sunday to help No. 6 Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 79-49 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Tennessee’s victory and No. 13 Kentucky’s 67-56 triumph over No. 2 South Carolina allowed the Lady Vols (25-4, 15-1 Southeastern Conference) to win a share of the regular-season conference title. Because it won the lone head-to-head meeting between the two schools, South Carolina (27-2, 15-1) got the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament that starts Wednesday in the Little Rock, Arkansas.
Massengale went 8 of 11 from 3-point range and Tennessee was 12 of 22 from beyond the arc.
It was the last regular-season home game for Tennessee seniors Cierra Burdick, Ariel Massengale and Isabelle Harrison, who each received a framed jersey and a bouquet of orange roses in a pregame ceremony.
Harrison, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee Feb. 15, received a standing ovation when she checked into the game with 4.5 seconds left. Burdick had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.