KNOXVILLE – For just a moment, Kellie Harper allowed herself to break COVID-19 protocol. The hug she got from Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes was just too important to pass up.
Harper was celebrating the biggest win in her two-year tenure as head coach of the 21st-ranked Lady Volunteers, a 75-67 upset of No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Rennia Davis scored all 24 of her points in the second half to spearhead the dramatic victory, and Harper pointed toward a “fiery” halftime address that fueled the recovery.
“Coach said we were playing soft,” Davis said. “I take that personally, not just because I didn’t score. I thought we grew up in the second half.”
Said Harper: “I told them to put their big girl pants on.”