PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Charisma Osborne scored 23 points and hit five 3-pointers to help UCLA beat No. 11 Tennessee 80-63 in Sunday’s semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
First-year guard Kiki Rice added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bruins (5-0), who started hot from outside and kept knocking down 3-pointers to stretch their lead on the Lady Vols (2-3) — who are off to their worst start since going 2-4 in the 1981-82 season.
That sent UCLA onto Monday’s championship game to face Marquette, while Tennessee will play in Monday’s third-place game against Gonzaga.
The Bruins hit 16 of 30 3-pointers for the game, with six different players hitting at least one. That barrage included UCLA knocking down eight of its first 11 3s, including a catch-and-shoot look from Osborne from about six feet beyond the arc that caught nothing but net.
UCLA shot 43.5% overall and finished with a 41-30 rebounding advantage.
Rickea Jackson scored 14 points but made just 2 of 9 shots for Tennessee, with much of her production coming in a 10-for-12 effort at the foul line. The Lady Vols trailed by 17 midway through the second quarter and never got closer than eight after the opening minute of the second half.
It was a jarring follow-up to their Saturday win against Rutgers, which left coach Kellie Harper pleased with her team’s energy along with attention to defense and rebounding.
Tennessee shot 38.5%.
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