KNOXVILLE – The No. 1 recruiting class in women’s basketball needed little time to acclimate to playing in front of fans at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Nine seconds, to be exact.
Tennessee freshman guard Evina Westbrook drove past her defender and to the basket on the opening possession of an exhibition game between the Lady Volunteers and Division II member Carson-Newman on Tuesday night. She drew a foul and hit one of her two free throws.
It was an apt foreshadowing of a fast-paced freshman frenzy.
There were some bumps along the way, but the Lady Vols outran Carson-Newman 121-76 in front of 7,612 fans in a tune-up for Sunday’s regular-season opener against East Tennessee State.