The border battle between Arkansas and Tennessee may have been played in Little Rock on Thursday night, but the visitors from the Volunteer State made themselves right at home.
Murray State signee Olivia Cunningham scored 18 of her game-high 29 points in the second half as the Tennessee All-Stars built an eight point halftime lead and never looked back in rolling to a 92-72 victory in the Mike Conley Jr. Tennessee vs. Arkansas All-Star Classic at George Cirks Arena.
“This was all new to me, but it was a really good experience for us,” said Tennessee Coach Anthony Jones. “We really wanted to come over and have fun out there, be competitive, and show the kind of talent we have. ”
The game featured some of the top seniors in their respective states and served as an opening act to the RealDeal in the Rock basketball tournament that begins today. Several of the players involved have already signed scholarships next season but gave the fans a glimpse of some of the talent Jones’ mentioned.
Derrica Wiggins scored 14 of her 22 points in the second half for the Tennessee All-Stars, who led 40-32 at halftime but pushed its advantage to as many as 23.
Taylor Collins, who will play for Arkansas-Monticello next season, led the Arkansas All-Stars with a team-high 23 points. Arkansas State signee Akasha Westbrook scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Brianna Jackson added 10.
The Arkansas All-Stars were coached by Celia Anderson, who played collegiately at Arkansas from 1998-2001.
Sports, Pages 20 on 04/18/2014