MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Isabelle Harrison scored 13 points as fourth-ranked Tennessee rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Middle Tennessee 67-57 on Friday night in the season opener.
The Lady Vols played pretty sloppy in trailing 34-22 at halftime. They scored the first 14 of the second half, and Mercedes Russell, the Gatorade national girls player of the year from Springfield, Ore., scored nine of her 11 in the second half for Tennessee.
Ariel Massengale had 12 points for the Lady Vols, and Andraya Carter had 10.
Ebony Rowe led Middle Tennessee with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Olivia Jones had 10, and Shanice Cason had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
After Middle Tennessee lost 88-81 in overtime to the Lady Vols in Knoxville last year, the Blue Raiders drew 11,227 — the second-largest crowd in the program's history only to 11,802 who came to watch Tennessee on Nov. 25, 2009.
You can watch game highlights here.