KNOXVILLE – When Rennia Davis’s final desperation shot dropped from the heavens and into the Thompson-Boling Arena net Monday night – proving to be the difference in a 65-63 win over Alabama – the Tennessee bench went wild.
There were Jazmine Massengill and Jessie Rennie jumping onto the court. But there still was 0.9 second left on the clock, so there were Tennessee assistant coach Jon Harper and sophomore guard Zaay Green, who is redshirting this season while recovering from a November knee injury, attempting to pull them back.
There were Rae Burrell, Lou Brown, Jordan Horston and Tamari Key – players on the court with Davis at the time – chasing down the 6-foot-2 junior guard to mob her in celebration.
Then there was head coach Kellie Harper, who stood near the Tennessee bench, head down and hands on her knees.
There had been nothing pretty whatsoever about the final possession. Davis received an inbounds pass. She crossed over Alabama’s Cierra Johnson, who tapped the ball and briefly caused Davis to bobble it. Davis then picked it up, took a step back and heaved up the desperation 28-footer.