KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – An unusual pregame pep talk helped Tennessee finally earn a quality nonconference win.
Diamond DeShields scored 15 points as the Lady Volunteers erased an early 11-point deficit to beat No. 10 Stanford 59-51 on Sunday and snap the Cardinal’s six-game winning streak.
Tennessee (6-4) had dropped its first four games against major-conference teams. Tennessee assistant coach Dean Lockwood reminded the Lady Vols how much this game meant by referring to this time of year as “hunting season.”
“He said this Stanford team is a big buck and we need to eat for the winter, (that) if we don’t kill this buck, we might starve, our family might starve and it’s going to be a long winter,” DeShields said. “He said, ‘Let’s get us a big buck.’ That was kind of our mentality going into the game.”
Tennessee guard Jordan Reynolds said Sunday’s game “absolutely” was a must win for the Lady Vols. In their four previous games against major-conference foes, the Lady Vols had fallen to Penn State, Virginia Tech, No. 3 Baylor and No. 16 Texas.