Tennessee’s Meighan Simmons celebrates Sunday after scoring against Alcorn State during an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE – Alcorn State coach Tonya Edwards said it’s always great to return home, then the former Lady Volunteers star quickly clarified her comment.
“You don’t want to take a whooping at home,” Edwards said, “but it’s great to be back home.”
Alcorn State took an expected whooping Sunday and fell 90-37 to No. 20 Tennessee in Edwards’ return to her alma mater. Tennessee has won four straight games since opening the season with an 80-71 loss at Chattanooga in Holly Warlick’s head coaching debut.
Edwards played on Tennessee’s first two national championship teams in 1987 and 1989. She was named the most outstanding player of the 1987 Final Four. The Alcorn State coach greeted former Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt before the opening tip and received a loud ovation from the announced attendance of 10,609 at Thompson-Boling Arena during pregame introductions.
“It was truly awesome,” Edwards said. “I always thought Tennessee had the best fans in the country, and you could tell that again today.”