UK Women roll past Tennessee, into SEC Tourney finals

Rhyne Howard flirted with a triple-double on Saturday to lead surging Kentucky into the SEC Tournament championship game.

The All-American guard scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out seven assists as the Wildcats upset third-seeded Tennessee 83-74 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Seventh-seeded Kentucky, which lost eight of its first 10 league games this season, has now won nine straight games and has reached the SEC finals for the first time since 2014. The Cats will face the nation's top-ranked team, South Carolina, for the championship on Sunday.

In addition to Howard's big game, Kentucky got 16 points apiece from Jada Walker and Robyn Benton. Treasure Hunt gave the Cats a fourth player in double figures with 11 points.

Three-point shooting was a huge key to the victory. UK knocked down 12 of its 24 attempts, outscoring UT by 27 points from beyond the arc. The Lady Vols shot 47% for the game but were only 3-for-8 from deep.

Kentucky also took care of the basketball, committing just seven turnovers.

The Cats dominated almost the entire game, leading for all but 1:17.

Tennessee was led by Alexus Dye with a game-high 26 points, but Rae Burrell was the only other Lady Vol in double figures at 16.