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Volume 138, Issue 20 Wednesday, January 22 2020

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CAMPUS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, January 22, 2020

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UT professor among ‘Natchez Trace Bridge Heroes’ named People of the Year 2019 LEXIE MARTIN Contributor

The Natchez Trace Bridge in Franklin, Tennessee, was built in in 1993 and officially opened to the public the following year. The structure has won many awards for its design, and the bridge is a part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which runs through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. The Parkway bisects what was once the home of the Choctaw, Natchez and Chickasaw nations.

But, locally, the 155-foot tall Natchez Trace Bridge goes by another name: the Suicide Bridge. This is due to the long history of suicides occurring on the tall structure. In 2018 alone, there were 32 suicides at the bridge.

On Nov. 18, 2019, sheriff’s deputy Adrian Finch saw a teen on the bridge who appeared to be contemplating suicide. Finch successfully saved the adolescent’s life.

This situation and extremely close call is just one of many tragedies that has occurred at the location, and this particular incident prompted many Tennesseans to call for action to make the bridge safer and to raise suicide awareness in the area.

In recent years, several people have responded to the tragedies at the bridge by dedicating their time to increasing safety at the location.

Now, they have been dubbed the “Natchez Trace Bridge Heroes” and were named the People of the Year 2019 by “The Tennessean” newspaper.

These heroes include Trish Merelo, who helped found the Natchez Trace Bridge Barrier Coalition after her son took his life at the bridge, and Tracy First, who is the wife of U.S. Senator Bill First, several state and federal lawmakers, along with mental health provider Centerstone, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, suicide survivor Briana Browne and UT engineering professor Jenny Retherford, who had six of her students design bridge barriers.

Retherford served as the faculty manager on the initiative to create better barriers for the bridge, and the project was part of her senior design project.

The bridge has impacted both Retherford’s professional and personal life, who lived in Nashville for a long time before moving to Knoxville.

She explained that she used models of the bridge as demonstrations in her engineering classes before she even began working on improving the bridge’s safety.

“I have visited this bridge, and I know the icon status it has in Middle Tennessee. I am a structural engineer and admire this bridge for both the beauty and engineering that it represents,” Retherford said.

Retherford explained that her structural en-

gineering courses used real projects, such as the bridge initiative, to demonstrate the intersection of clientele’s needs with the engineering work.

She added that despite her professional success from the project, the engineering team did not begin the bridge safety initiative with any desire for recognition of their efforts.

“I’ve received so many notes from colleagues throughout the college congratulating me on the honor. It’s odd because we didn’t do the work so that we could earn this honor. It’s humbling. I am a small member of this team,” Retherford said.

Retherford expressed her gratitude for being permitted to work on such a meaningful project.

“People greater than me allowed me to contribute to a project with extreme impact. And together we were honored,” Retherford said. “It means that I can celebrate — on a large stage — the good people who call up UT and ask for us to do something good for our state. And ... it means we answered their call.”

Meet Patel, a recent graduate of UT who majored in civil engineering with a concentration in structural engineering, worked on the bridge project with Retherford.

He explained that he wanted to work on improving the bridge’s safety because he believed the initiative would make a difference in peoples’ lives and maybe even save lives.

“One key thing that made me involved in this project is attempting to reduce fall fatalities from suicide in the future,” Patel said. “I was shocked to hear a bridge this beautiful is a prime target for suicide attempts, and I believe providing design solutions for a bridge barrier can drastically reduce or prevent future fall fatalities if implemented on the bridge.

Patel added that every contribution to this community project, no matter how small, makes a difference in such a serious situation.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity project, and I believe everyone should take part in it in some way if possible. Saving one life from a small contribution of one’s time and effort is worth it every bit, and I am proud and honored to have been a part of such a senior design project that will positively impact many lives in the future,” Patel said.

The engineering team considered several different designs to increase bridge safety, one of which was a net barrier system that would either restrict someone from falling off of the bridge or catch them after falling. However, that solution would have been too expensive, so the team decided to create a new barrier on top of the bridge wall, along with a vehicle barrier that runs alongside the bridge wall.

The Natchez Trace Bridge is a historical landmark, and due to awareness about suicide and the efforts of those who are attempting to im-

Structural engineering professor and Natchez Trace Bridge hero Jenny Retherford.

Jenny Retherford, Contributor prove the bridge, the large structure is slowly working its way to becoming a safer space.

If you or a loved one is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please do not hesitate to reach out to a support system. There are many resources, both on and off campus, available to assist students in times of crisis.

One of the resources on campus is 974HELP, the hotline that students can call in the event that they are concerned about themselves or another student, including if they fear that a student or oneself is at risk for suicide or selfharm. However, if students are concerned about the immediate safety of themselves or another student, it is imperative to call 911 or the UTPD emergency phone at (865) 974-3114 Additionally, the Center for Health & Wellness’s website (https://wellness.utk.edu/students) outlines a list of signs that a fellow student may be struggling with mental health or be experiencing suicidal thoughts. Students who self-harm, have been sexually abused, stalk others, are involved in an unhealthy relationship or have thoughts of harming themselves or others may be in need of immediate help.

Several national resources for suicide prevention also exist; http://reportingonsuicide. org/ discusses the signs that someone may be suicidal and how to properly address the situation. Additionally, anyone in crisis can reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HELP to 741741 or can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Both services are completely free, available 24/7 and confidential, unless it is necessary to involve emergency services in order to keep yourself or others safe.

National Suicide Hotline (1-800-273-8255) Tennessee Crisis Phone Line (855-274-7471) UT Help Hotline (974-4357)

CAMPUS

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

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Study abroad students in Australia should be safe from fires DANIEL DASSOW Staff Writer

As wildfires rage across southern Australia, the damage statistics from the country are becoming more staggering and bizarre: over one billion animals killed, 18 million acres of earth scorched and 3,000 homes destroyed or damaged.

But one other number may concern the UT community specifically: 18 students from the College of Communications and Information (CCI) are currently in southern Australia for the spring semester.

The group of students and faculty left for Sydney on Wednesday for the fifth year of the college’s popular and only college-wide study abroad program that includes four weeks of classes at the University of Sydney and an eight week internship with various media companies in the city.

This year, however, promises to be different. Family and community members have expressed worry that the program will be literally overshadowed by the smoke that has occasionally been hanging over Sydney from the fires blazing across the southeastern state of New South Wales.

But Sam Swan, a professor of communica-

tions who serves as CCI Director of Internationalization and Outreach, says that the fires — most of which are about three and a half hours away from Sydney — should not have any serious effect on the trip.

That does not mean, however, that the professors who coordinate the beloved trip are unconcerned for the safety of their students. Quite the opposite: There has been near daily communication between Sydney and Knoxville to ensure that students will be untouched by any health hazards.

“We’re keeping an eye on it closely,” Swan said. “We are not going to put students in harm’s way.”

The only changes to the program are possible delays of various excursions later in the semester and advisories to students — especially those with respiratory issues — to take extra precautions when spending time outdoors.

According to Swan, who designs and coordinates all of the study abroad programs for the college, the anxieties over the trip have been, predictably, parental in nature. Students are excited at the chance to explore down under and have not been deterred by the potential risks of the record-breaking wildfires.

Laura Miller, an associate professor of communication studies who is on the ground with students in Australia, says that the sadness of

BEACON OPEN HOUSE Sunday, Jan. 26 1-4 pm

Office of Student Media 11 Communications Building utdailybeacon.com (865) 974-5206

the fires might actually create new learning opportunities for students.

“I do think that the students are in a unique position to learn from this global crisis,” Miller said. “I believe it will give the students a unique perspective on global communication about natural disasters.”

During the internship portion of the semester, many students will likely contribute to reporting on the fires, which will make the 2020 Australia trip unique and help students make this year different than the previous four.

Miller says this portion of the semester, during which students’ embrace their professional abilities, is one of her favorite parts of the program.

“The aspect about the trip that I always look the most forward to is getting to know the students and getting to see their confidence grow over the course of the semester,” Miller said.

“I am also excited to see what parts of Australian culture the students embrace and how they make the trip their own.”

As Swan puts it, many of the almost 100 CCI students who have gone to Australia for the spring semester have found the experience to be “life-changing.”

Swan knows this personally. In 2000, his daughter went to Sydney on a study abroad program with UT and helped cover the Olympics

there. She found the experience so impactful that she named her daughter Sydney and inspired her father to create the CCI Australia trip 15 years later.

Students who have elected to spend their spring in Australia in years past have an enthusiastic love for the trip that no fire could burn out this year will likely be no different. In fact, according to Swan, it may be all the more beloved for its unique experience.

“This will be memorable,” Swan said. “All their lives they’ll be able to say, ‘I was in Australia when they had the terrible bushfires of 2020.’”

University of Tennessee students studying abroad in Australia. Liza Cunningham, Contributor

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CITY

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Front Row Review: Citizen Cope concert leaves fans starstruck CONNOR HOLT Staff Writer

Often in life we think there is somewhere we are supposed to be, and wherever we are, that isn’t the place. But what if life isn’t about where you’re going?

What if it’s about the here and the now, the journey that it takes to get there?

That was one part of the message that Memphis born singer/songwriter Citizen Cope sought to impart on his adoring fans on the night of Jan 15, but he and his music had more to say.

At about 8:30 p.m., the lights flickered, and cheers hailed from the private boxes of the Bijou. Then, the overhead lights faded to black, the stage lights came on and the man himself walked on to the stage and picked up his acoustic guitar. A down-to-earth vibe poured off of him and when he began to sing “One Lovely Day,” those vibes melded with mellow tones and a soul that is seldom seen.

His first 13 songs were stories, steeped in lyrical creativity and passion; themes of hard-times, faith, love and crime permeated this first set as his tempo slowly climbed. He unified his enthralled audience as he sang of the human experience

and continuously pulled in our attention as deep, atmospheric rhythm danced from the strings of his humble guitar.

However, the visuals that accompanied his performance were far from impressive as that would have detracted from his targeted tone, but I think it would be fair to say that his fans don’t go to his concerts for the show. It was clear they went because they loved him and his craft.

After the concert goers refilled their drinks, during a short 15 minute intermission, he opened up the instrumental range by bringing in some friends of his — Jay on the drums and Chris on the keys and synth. This second set was a bit more pop-like. Rather than telling stories, the songs relied more on the beats and rhythms of the expanded cast of sounds. And to be honest, I preferred the first half of the concert to the second.

However, that isn’t to say the different direction lost much of what the first portrayed so profoundly. In fact, it was the 19th song he played, “Hurricane Waters,” that ended up being my favorite.

The powerful use of the keyboard and synth resonated intensely, yet felt calming, if not audibly intriguing.

By the time he played the 25th and final song, he had the audience sing where he was silent, the crowd filling in the passion and soul that he had imbued

Wednesday January 15, 2020: Citizen Cope Concert at the Bijou Theatre. Alexandra Ashmore, Contributor them with through his music.

Citizen Cope didn’t end the night with a final song, however; instead he spoke in verse. It was reminiscent of the themes that were most prolific throughout the night, but also carried within it words of advice.

The message that Citizen Cope wanted to leave us with was one of tolerance and dialogue, love and friendship, and peace and prosperity. Everything he put out came from the heart and was designed

to speak directly to the heart. And it was with that tone lingering in the air that he said, “I love y’all. Peace,” before going backstage one last time.

If I were given only two words to sum up my thoughts and impressions of him and his work, they would be authentic and poetic.

Political Playbook: Bye bye Booker, Warren vs. Sanders, impeachment EVAN MAYS Staff Writer

Welcome to Political Playbook, a play-byplay of this week’s craziest and most important political news.

Bye Bye Booker Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Monday.

Booker, 50, was once seen as a front runner in the large, contentious field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in 2020. However, as his poll numbers slipped and his campaign funds dried up, the New Jersey Senator was left with no other choice.

Booker truly has a remarkable background, being thrown into the national spotlight in 2002 when an Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight was filmed surrounding his campaign for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

Booker lost that election, but in 2006 Booker ran again, this time winning the

election with a whopping 72% of the vote.

After serving two terms as Mayor of Newark, Booker ran for Senate and in a 2013 special election became the first black person elected to the Senate since Barack Obama.

Booker announced his 2020 campaign last February, on the first day of Black History Month, and just shy of one year later, Booker tweeted a video of himself announcing the suspension of his presidential campaign, and his intent to run for reelection to the Senate.

“It is with a full heart that I share this news — I’m suspending my campaign for president,” Booker tweeted along with the video.

The suspension of Booker’s campaign marks a starkly less diverse field of candidates in the 2020 race now, than where it first began.

The 2020 Democratic primary race was historic for more female candidates and more candidates of color than ever.

However, Tuesday night’s debate was the first 2020 debate to be all-white.

Warren vs. Sanders Speaking of Tuesday’s debate, after the

event was over, Sen. Elizabeth Warren had a few choice words for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

A feud has been brewing between the two progressives for days, after Warren claimed earlier this week that Sanders at one point told her he did not believe a woman could win the 2020 election.

Tension could be felt between the two throughout the entire debate, which is different from previous debates where the two seemed to join sides, refusing to argue.

After the debate was over, while the candidates scattered on stage, shaking each other’s hands and greeting one another, Warren approached Sanders.

“I think you called me a liar on national TV,” Warren said.

“What?” Sanders asked, presumably because he could not hear her.

“I think you called me a liar on national TV,” Warren said.

“You know, let’s not do it right now. If you want to have that discussion, we’ll have that discussion,” Sanders replied.

Warren quickly responded with, “Anytime.”

“You called me a liar. You told me — al-

right, let’s not do it now,” Sanders said, finishing the awkward and contentious exchange.

Sanders is currently leading the polls in Iowa, where the first primary election will be held on February 3rd. Holding a narrow lead, Sanders is polling at 20% with Warren coming in a close second at 17%.

Impeachment Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi signed the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Seven House managers, who will argue the case for President Trump’s impeachment, delivered the two articles of impeachment to the Senate chambers.

On Thursday, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts was sworn in to preside over the impeachment proceedings, and then swore in all senators to act as the jury in this case.

The official trial is expected to get underway this week, following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

OPINIONS

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

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Religious studies lecturer reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

DR. DAVID KLINE Guest Columnist

Speaking for the great punk band The Stooges at their induction into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2010, lead singer James Osterberg, better known as Iggy Pop, began his speech by gesturing towards the absurdity of the moment.

Here he was, one of the founding figures of an American musical tradition of antiestablishment punk rock, in “the belly of the beast” at a corporate sponsored blacktie affair where, as he notes, “there’s a lot of power and money in this room,” where tickets to the event cost way more than the average Stooges fan could afford at $1,200 bucks a pop. After taking note of this corporate and decidedly non-punk environment, Iggy declares, “Music is Life, and life is not a business.”

A commitment to music as a way of life was manifested in the way The Stooges lived and played, often in an utterly selfdestructive manner that refused even the slightest proprieties of industry standards and pop cultural norms. In his speech, Iggy goes on to acknowledge the musical and social community around which this mantra of “life over business” played out in the course of the band’s career. He notes that the band’s deceased bass player Ron Ashton, whom Iggy imagines as sitting in heaven above “trying to flick cigarette ashes on our heads,” knew music was life and not a business, and, as Iggy says earnestly, “Ron was cool.” Going through his acknowledgements, he notes that “the MC5 [another famous punk band of the era] are cool; my friend Danny who discovered the band was cool,” and finally, “all the poor people who actually started rock and roll music, are cool.”

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. was cool. Though he wore well-kept suits, was a respected Bap-

tist minister and spoke as eloquently as any American ever has, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a punk rocker. He was a law-breaking and rebellious force of nature that dropped like a bombshell onto the terrain of white American society. His life was a flash of righteous truth, beauty and destruction that white America could neither comprehend nor control. Martin Luther King, Jr. was no business, no industry or brand. He was a life of uncontainable and explosive freedom. He was cool.

The national holiday honoring King has taken on great importance in America, occasioning marches, tributes and the generally felt obligation to give this giant of American history his rightful due. The day is usually accompanied by media tributes and recitations of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, with its sentimentalized imagery of black and white children holding hands and the hope that one day they will “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This is a day in which all Americans are called to reflect on how far we have come since the days of slavery and Jim Crow, and on how much more work we have left to fully achieve King’s dream.

The fact of an annual national holiday to honor King is certainly something to celebrate. The history of this holiday involved a hard-fought battle for recognition against entrenched forces of white supremacy (there are still members of congress today that voted against the holiday’s implementation in 1983), and its existence is an important testament and memorial to the fact that America is a decidedly different place in the wake of the civil rights movement King led. Yet, this holiday, much like the memory of King himself, has become routinized and normalized. Especially in white American memory, King has largely been domesticated and white-washed, used as a prop in American myths of racial “progress” and status quos of capitalist quasi-freedom. In many ways, his memory has been subsumed as just another piece of the pageantry of American empire, used to puff up illusions of racial reconciliation and cover over the fact that, as King himself put it in a less-often quoted speech, the American government is “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.”

To put it bluntly, the King of popular imagination is a King refashioned for white people: daring enough to challenge the (now) embarrassing history of racism while sentimental and respectable enough not to rock the boat of white status quos too much. In this fabrication, King is reduced to a talking point for white politicians or cable news pundits, a malleable slogan for good liberals and conservatives alike, who

have seized King and his legacy to support their various, and often opposing, political expediencies.

Today, it seems that King can be whatever you want him to be. I’ve heard arguments that King would support open borders and welcome all refugees as our neighbors, and that he would condemn immigrants as threats. I’ve heard that if King were still alive he would be marching alongside Black Lives Matter, and that he would have condemned them as an extremist group. I’ve heard that King would have voted for Donald Trump, and that he would have done everything in his power to stop him. Of course, some of these Kings are obviously more plausible than others. But something happens when we reduce him and his legacy to a political symbol that just aligns with whatever causes we associate with. King becomes a brand, an advertising strategy.

King becomes a business selling an ideology. He ceases to be an actual life.

A life is a dangerous thing. It is uncontrollable and irreducible. A life is neither mere biology nor some kind of pure origin—it has nothing to do with “pro-life” slogans. A life is the inexhaustible connection of events, experiences and relations that constitute a particular, singular and unrepeatable existence on this earth. A life is resistance. Wherever there is life, there is resistance against powers that are trying to contain and control it. The fictional mathematician Ian Malcom, Jeff Goldblum’s eccentric character in the 1993 film “Jurassic Park,” is worth quoting here: “life will not be contained, life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously … life finds a way.”

Life found a way in Martin Luther King, Jr. As he unleashed the living spirits of democracy and justice, he broke open the powers of anti-blackness and white supremacy committed to containing and controlling black life. Even in his murder, an act of cowardly white terrorism that could not bear the sheer joy in human belonging that King radiated, his life lives on in every moment where the struggle for justice shows up. It continues to find a way.

The spirit of resistance that flowed through King and those Americans on the front lines of the civil rights movement, in all of its uncontained diversity—from King himself to Malcom X, Rosa Parks, Pauli Murray, Fred Hampton, Fannie Lou Hamer, Robert F. Williams—has always been the life-blood of America. It was there with Fredrick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs; Sitting Bull and Leonard Peltier; Nat Turner and John Brown; Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Dubois. It is there with every person—

black, indigenous, white and other—that lives in openness to the fleshly possibilities of human connection and refuses borders of violent control. Such life has always been that general force of upheaval in American history, that “punk” orientation that has found ways of opening up otherwise and new possibilities of living in a world that responds to the irrepressibility of life with the violence of anti-blackness and white supremacy.

This violence is everywhere because life is everywhere. As King knew, white supremacy fears above all the very idea of a life refusing to be contained within its norms and borders of identity. There is so much fear and hate for life itself, so many political and corporate powers that exist for no other reason than preventing life from flourishing and disrupting boundaries of control. The anti-life violence and white supremacy that King raged against—which is the same violence that underwrites so much of American society in all of its racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, anti-queer, antitrans and anti-poor scope—is what we the living are called to resist and tear down.

It is against this violence and fear that we are called to produce other worlds of capacious possibility, joy and belonging. This is King’s life, his legacy.

To conclude, I suggest that we think of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a time to reflect on what it means to simply live a life.

As we celebrate, march and honor this giant in American history, we should remember that we are rehearsing a commitment to life that, when the time comes, when we are called to it, will be ready to put itself on the line and spill out into the kind revolutionary action and resistance that King modeled. I suggest that one of the things we are doing on this holiday is trying to learn what it means to take on Iggy Pop’s punk mantra in our own contexts, a mantra that King, in a very different way, lived: that justice is not a business or a slogan, but a radical commitment to living on this earth together. In that sense, we are trying to figure out what it means to “be cool”—cool like Iggy, cool like Rosa, cool like Malcom and, on this day, cool like Martin.

David Kline is a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and can be reached at dkline@utk.edu.

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

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SPORTS // BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Davis’ game winner lifts Lady Vols past Alabama RYAN CREWS Sports Editor

Monday, the Tennessee Lady Vols welcomed the Alabama Crimson Tide to Thompson-Boling Arena. It came down to the last minute, but Tennessee got the thrilling win over rival Alabama 65-63.

Rennia Davis, Jazmine Massengill, Tamari Key, Lou Brown and Jordan Horston got the start for the Big Orange. Horston was the Lady Vols’ leading scorer with 19 points. Davis led the team in minutes, was second in shooting with 16 and made the play of the night.

“I’m glad we were able to find a way to get a win,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said postgame. “That’s a pretty tough basketball team that we played tonight. They made a bunch of shots going down the stretch and proud of our team for hanging in there. It was tough; First game we’ve had like that, where you’ve just had to gut it out. Hopefully, it will be a learning experience for us, but I told them at halftime, it doesn’t matter if it’s pretty, doesn’t matter what it looks like if you get a win.”

The two teams traded baskets to open the game until the Lady Vols started to pull away.

After the Crimson Tide sunk their second shot of the game to go up 4-2, Tennessee was able to go on an 8-0 run to gain some distance between them and their visitors. The Lady Vols would go on to finish the first quarter up 13-8.

Davis finished the quarter as the leading scorer

with Brown netting the quarter’s only threepointer.

The opening of the second frame was very defensive, as neither side scored for the first 1:48. The deadlock was broken by Key from the free throw line. The first points from the field came 3:30 into the frame when the Alabama’s Jordan Lewis completed a 3-pointer. Tennessee narrowly edged out the Crimson Tide 11-9, with four of the Lady Vols’ points coming from the free throw line.

Alabama came storming out of the halftime break, going on a 16-7 run to tie the game with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Ayriah Copeland scored six points during the game-tying run for the Crimson Tide. Tennessee responded with an 8-4 run of its own, to regain the lead going into the fourth quarter, despite Alabama getting the slight third quarter edge 20-17.

Three different Lady Vols players all contributed a single bucket to the quarter ending run.

The fourth quarter came down to the wire.

The Crimson Tide tied up the game with 2:08 remaining, setting up a tense ending to the game.

Davis regained the lead with a jumper, but Lewis gave Alabama the lead with a 3-pointer.

Tennessee was again in the lead following a Key miss and a Burrell put-back. With 39 seconds remaining, Cierra Johnson sank a jumper from the SEC logo to go up one.

Following the series of events, Burrell earned and converted two free throws, but Johnson countered with two free throws on the

Rennia Davis, #0, guards the ball against an Alabama player during the game on Monday, January 20, 2020 at Thompson-Boling Arena. Meg Blakeley / Daily Beacon other end to keep the Crimson Tide in the lead.

The play of the game though, was when Davis nailed a three pointer with only eight tenths of a second left to put the Lady Vols up two.

Alabama’s subsequent desperation 3-point attempt fell short, and Harper earned her 300th career win as a head coach.

“That was somewhat what we drew up,” Davis said of her game-winning shot. “But the

step back was kind of my shot. So, I was just looking for that shot, and I mean, my teammates were looking for me to shoot the ball and were just all getting ready to rebound so I was just trying to make a play.”

The Lady Vols are back in action this Thursday on the road against historical rival UConn.

Their next home game is this Sunday, when LSU comes to town for “We Back Pat” night.

Notebook: Tennessee beats Alabama at buzzer BARRETT WALKER Staff Writer

Monday night’s matchup between No. 24 Tennessee (15-3, 5-1 SEC) and Alabama (11-7, 1-4 SEC) ended in exciting fashion as Rennia Davis hit the game-winning 3-pointer with .02 seconds left to give Tennessee the 65-63 win at ThompsonBoling Arena.

Here are three takeaways.

Slow and Steady Tennessee came out of the gates clicking on offense as they shot 50% in the first quarter. Davis led the opening quarter with six points on an efficient 3 of 4 shooting. The second quarter told a different story as the Lady Vols shot 21%and only went 1-for- 6 from 3-point land. The Lady Vols offensive inefficiencies during the start was triggered from a lack of ball control. Tennessee gave up 11 turnovers and seven of them came in the opening period.

“I think this was the first time that we have seen the face guard on Rennia,” Lou Brown said. “Obviously, we are used to our offense going through her hands a lot and we had to adjust to that. It was

Tennessee’s head coach, Kellie Harper, watches her players during the Lady Vols practice on Thursday, October 24, 2019 at Pratt Pavilion. Caitlyn Jordan / Daily Beacon a little difficult for us, but sometimes you just have to find a way and I think we did that tonight.”

The second half of the game was a more typical Tennessee offensive showing. As a team, Tennessee shot 47% from the field and a scorching 75% from 3-point range. They were also able to

cut down on turnovers as they only coughed the ball up four times. The Lady Vols had one of their best shooting performances in the final period.

The unit shot 71% from the field, 10 of 14, and even drained two 3-pointers in the quarter.

“It was somewhat of how we drew up,” Davis said. “The step-back is kinda my shot, so I was looking for that shot and my teammates were looking for me to shoot the ball, as they were getting ready to get the potential rebound. I was just trying to make a play.”

Block Party Tennessee’s defense performed much like the offense, starting off stingy but eventually gave up better looks to Alabama. The Lady Crimson Tide shot 21% in the first half and only 13% from behind the arc. The second half tells another tale as Alabama shot 50% from both the field and 3-point territory. They were even able to cut down its turnovers from five to one.

While the defensive unit as a whole struggled down the stretch, Tamari Key and Jordan Horston did not. Key dominated the glass as she snagged 10 rebounds, eight of them defensive and even managed to get six blocks. Horston was the perfect compliment as she too tallied eight defensive

rebounds and was second on the team in blocks, with four.

Monday Milestones Monday’s win marks the 300th career win for Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper. In her 16th year as a head coach and her first as the head coach for Tennessee, Harper has led her team to a 15-3 record along with a 5-1 SEC record.

Their two out of conference losses came from Texas and Stanford, while a loss to Kentucky is their only blemish during conference play. Tennessee is currently riding a four-game winning streak, its longest such streak since they started the season out undefeated at 7-0.

The Tennessee women’s basketball program made history as well because tonight was its 400th SEC regular season victory. Tennessee ranks first in the league by more than 90 victories.

On a slightly smaller scale, the Lady Vols snapped a 5-game losing streak against Alabama which dates back to 2016.

Up Next Tennessee now sets their sights on Uconn as the two teams get ready to play on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Hartford, Connecticut.

PUZZLES & GAMES

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle LOS ANGELES TIMESEdited CROSSWORD Edited byLewis Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

by Rich Norris•and Joyce

STR8TS No. 1390

Easy

2

6 8 7 3 9 6 5 5 4 2 7 7 6 8 9 9 8 4 3 5

7 1 6

3 6 4 1 8 1

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

8 7 9 5 5 6

Previous solution - Tough

7 5

5 8 7

4 2

3

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

7 5 8 9 6 1 2 3 4

8 9 7 5 3 4 2 6

6 7 8 9 2 3 1

2 1 1 2 4 3 2 3 3 4 8 4 5 5 6 7 6 5 8 7

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

SUDOKU Tough

6 3 1 2 3 5 4 8 3 6 2 4 8 5 1 5 7 9 4 6 8 1 4 2 5 4 The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Previous solution - Medium

2 3 8 7 1 5 9 4 6

5 1 9 8 4 6 2 7 3

6 7 4 2 9 3 8 5 1

9 8 3 6 5 1 4 2 7

1 2 6 4 8 7 3 9 5

7 4 5 9 3 2 1 6 8

3 5 2 1 6 9 7 8 4

8 9 1 5 7 4 6 3 2

4 6 7 3 2 8 5 1 9

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. © 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

No. 1390

FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 16, 2019

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

ACROSS 1 Celebrate Black Friday, say 5 Data transmission unit 9 Jets 14 TV show set in a theme park 16 Island along the Au’au Channel 17 Scheming 18 Red Sox slugger David 19 Spears label 20 Epps of “House” 21 Windex unit 22 Noble title 24 Nickname for “The King of Clay” 26 Goofy image?

27 California wine region 30 Tchotchke holder 33 Beyoncé and Jay-Z, e.g.

36 Symbolic gift, often 38 Corporate espionage target 40 Swamp gas, essentially 43 Watch closely 45 The “black” in black ice 46 Worshipper’s subject 49 “The Open Window” author 50 Coat-like garments 53 Collars 56 It can be risky to work without one 57 “I surrender!”

58 Place to get some culture?

60 Arabic for “struggle” 61 Repurposed railway, perhaps 62 Tabloid twosomes 63 Lot 64 Bruise-resistant potatoes, say, briefly DOWN 1 Some cake decorations 2 House with many layers

11/16/19

By Debbie Ellerin

3 Character recognition?

4 Bk. fair organizer 5 Good time 6 Cheering loudly 7 __ running: more-than-amarathon race 8 Driller’s deg.

9 Farm fare 10 Henry VIII’s sixth 11 Sweet-talk 12 One needing orders 13 Pizzazz 15 “Don’t know her” 21 Course for H.S. exam takers 23 Benefit by 25 Longstanding disputes 28 Funny Anne 29 Fancy suits 31 “... a grin without a cat!” thinker 32 Action and adventure 34 Produced some Java 35 x/x 37 Garden favorite also known as cranesbill

Friday’s Puzzle Solved

©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

39 Becomes fond of 40 Peak that last erupted in 1707-’08 41 Be deserving 42 Cough drop 44 Donates, in a way 47 First AfricanAmerican majorleague coach Buck

11/16/19

48 Hanukkah dinner staple 51 Chowder morsel 52 Some kicks, so to speak 54 Produce some java 55 It may precede and follow yes 58 “Finding Your Roots” airer 59 __ days

puzzles Wednesday.

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SPORTS // BASKETBALL

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Men’s SEC Basketball Grades: Georgia and Vanderbilt RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor

Tennessee’s two games on the week saw polar opposite results as the Vols were blown out at Georgia before returning to the volunteer state and picking up a win 21-point win at Vanderbilt.

Tennessee turned in a weak defensive effort in Athens where the Vols took 24 3-pointers before shooting just eight and holding Vanderbilt to 45 points in Saturday’s matchup.

Here’s how the Vols graded out.

Backcourt Rick Barnes was very critical of his backcourt following the Georgia loss for both their defensive effort and their inability to push the Vols’ offense and put pressure on the Bulldog’s defense.

Barnes called his team “soft” for the defensive effort against Georgia as the Bulldogs’ physical guards pushed Tennessee around and the Vols had no answers for Georgia’s dribble drive offense.

Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi took a combined 10 3-pointers in the game, and while they hit four, it was the mindset they brought that Barnes was disappointed in. Jordan Bowden struggled from beyond the arc too as the senior went 0 of 5 in Athens.

Tennessee’s offensive mindset flipped against Vanderbilt as the Big Orange attempted just eight 3-pointers in the win. Barnes credited the amount of tape they watched between games as to how his message got through to his team.

Bowden seemingly broke out of his slump against the Commodores scoring a game high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting to end his career in Memorial Gymnasium with a 4-0 record.

James’ shot wasn’t falling in Nashville, but the freshman guard did a lot of good things for the Vols. James grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked two shots while adding six points.

Vescovi struggled early with Vanderbilt’s trap defense turning it over twice in the game’s first minutes but settled nicely finishing with five turnovers, five points and two assists.

Grade: BFrontcourt Tennessee’s starting front court was mostly non-existent in Wednesday’s loss at Georgia. John Fulkerson took just two shots and grabbed four rebounds in the loss.

Yves Pons was more involved, but struggled mightily on the offensive end against the Bulldogs. Pons scored eight points on 4 of 13 shooting including a 0 of 5 effort from 3-point range.

Pons still did some things well against Georgia grabbing eight rebounds and blocking a pair of

shots.

The duo was also outplayed by Georgia’s Rayshaun Hammonds who scored 21 points.

The duo wasn’t outstanding against Vanderbilt, but they were both very effective in the road win. Fulkerson came out way more aggressive against the Commodores attempting double digits shots for the second time this season. Fulkerson did a little bit of everything in the state’s capitol scoring 12 points while recording eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Pons was a human highlight reel against Vanderbilt blocking four shots and having two monster slams. The France native ended with 12 points.

Grade: B Offense Tennessee’s offensive struggles continued on the week as the Vols faced two of the worst three defenses in the SEC. Tennessee didn’t do a whole lot to take advantage, scoring 63 points at Georgia and 66 at Vanderbilt.

Tennessee shot just 34% in the first half against Georgia, missing two easy layups contributing to a big halftime deficit.

Georgia’s defense loosened up a bit in the second half and Tennessee was able to get its shooting percentage to 40%. The Vols shot just 23% from the 3-point range in the loss.

Tennessee’s offensive first half at Vanderbilt wasn’t much better as the Vols scored just 21 points and ended the first half on a near seven-minute scoring drought.

Tennessee was able to flip the script in the second half using defense to generate offense.

Tennessee scored 45 points in the second half on 67% shooting from the field.

The Vols’ 14 assists in the win were the second most they have recorded in SEC play this season.

Grade: CDefense Barnes called the Vols’ defense soft following the Georgia game as Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds gave the Vols all sorts of problems.

The Bulldogs shot 47% from the field while making 10 3-pointers in the win. Georgia also attacked the basket hard and shot 20 free throws to Tennessee’s two.

Anthony Edwards went for a game high 26 points while Hammonds added 21.

Aided by a horrific Commodores offense, Tennessee’s defense dominated Vanderbilt. With Aaron Nesmith injured, Vanderbilt doesn’t have any difference makers on offense and that showed Saturday as only two Commodores scored over four points.

Tennessee held Vanderbilt to just 24%, shooting from the field and ended the Com-

Tennessee’s head basketball coach Rick Barnes watches the the Tennessee and LSU basketball game on Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Thompson-Boling Arena. Caitlyn Jordan / The Daily Beacon modore’s 1,080 game streak of making a 3-pointer. The streak was the longest in the nation, stretching back to 1986.

Vanderbilt’s 0 of 25 mark from beyond the arc was the most attempted 3-pointers without a make in SEC history.

The Commodores turned it over 17 times as they struggled with pressure defense.

Grade: B+

sistently attack the basket is yet to be seen, but Saturday was a good sign, even if it was just from a mentality standpoint.

Tennessee also threw a 1-2-2 press defense at Vanderbilt that clearly gave the Commodores problems. It’s something Tennessee hadn’t run this season and Barnes pulled it out at the perfect time.

Grade: B+

Bench

Overall

Tennessee’s bench didn’t provide too much on the week despite gaining a needed boost in depth. Uroš Plavšić flashed some offensive talent scoring nine points but struggled at times on defense as teams attacked him with high ball screens.

Jalen Johnson ate up 36 minutes off the bench, but his shooting struggled scoring seven points on 1 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Olivier Nkamhoua also saw quality time off the bench recording eight points in seven rebounds in 26 combined minutes.

Drew Pember and Davonte Gaines saw minutes sparingly on the week.

Tennessee won a game it was supposed to win and lost one it was supposed to lose on the week. They won by more and lost by more than they were supposed to, but it was a week that was expected.

The second half versus Vanderbilt was the best Tennessee’s played since the Washington game in mid-November. However, the Commodores are the worst team in the SEC and perhaps one of the worst power five teams in the country.

Nevertheless, the energy and life the Vols showed Saturday was necessary going forward, as was the emphasis on attacking the basket.

This week could be much of the same as Tennessee faces an Ole Miss team that’s 0-4 in SEC play and has a weekend matchup at No. 6 Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 challenge.

Grade: C Coaching Tennessee clearly didn’t have the energy or fight to play Wednesday night in Athens, but credit Barnes for the bounce back performance in Nashville.

Tennessee clearly attacked the basket more and settled for less 3-pointers in the win over Vanderbilt. Whether they will be able to con-

Grade: B