Easy win for Lady Vols the result of hard work
RALEIGH, N.C. — The 42nd edition of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, like every one before it, tipped off with Tennessee in the bracket.
It’s clear, though, that Kellie Harper never wants anyone in her program to mistake an invitation to go to the Big Dance for a free pass to hang around, and the Lady Volunteers did their part to extend their stay with a solid first step Saturday.
Rickea Jackson just missed a double-double with game highs of 26 points on 1o-for14 shooting and nine rebounds as Tennessee, a No. 6 seed in the Portland 4 quadrant of the bracket, used a dominant second quarter to take control and cruise past No. 11 seed Green Bay, 92-63, in a first-round matchup at North Carolina State’s Reynolds Coliseum.
Sarah Puckett added 14 points, Jewel Spear had 13 and reserve Tess Darby chipped in 11 for the Lady Vols (20-12), who will play again Monday against No. 3 seed N.C. State (28-6) for a spot in the Sweet 16 next weekend in Portland, Oregon. The Wolfpack advanced with a 64-45 win against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Saturday’s second game at N.C. State.
Tennessee reached the 20-win mark for the 47th time, including the fourth time in Harper’s five seasons in charge at her alma mater. The Lady Vols have been seeded lower than sixth only twice, and they have also failed to advance to at least the second round just twice (as a No. 5 seed in 2009, and as a No. 11 seed in 2019).
Harper emphasized that the Lady Vols spent all week preparing for their first-round opponent — rather than looking ahead — and expected a tough test. So a second half in which Tennessee was able to add to its cushion rather than worry about an opponent on its heels — or worse, have to rally — was the reward.
“For us to be able to get an easy win, that’s a big deal. That is a big deal,” said Harper, who won three national championships as a point guard under Pat Summitt. “You’re watching the NCAA tournament and you’re seeing upsets, and we didn’t want to be on that end of it today.”
Maddy Schreiber led Horizon League champion Green Bay (27-7) with 13 points, but the Phoenix were dealt their most lopsided loss of the season and remained without an NCAA tournament victory since 2012. Veteran coach Kevin Borseth gave a salute to tearyeyed fans as he walked off the court.
“They made everything,” Borseth said. “They shot really well. They were 70% in the second quarter.”
The Lady Vols finished the game 58.3% (35-for-60) from the field, but the second quarter was indeed exceptional — and not just because of their offensive success by making seven of 10 shots in the frame. Tennessee also clamped down on defense in that period, holding the Phoenix to 18.8% (3-for-16) and outscoring them 21-7 to head to halftime with a 44-28 lead.
“I feel like we just stayed poised,” Jackson said. “We knew coming in Green Bay was a great, efficient offensive team, so we just knew we had to stay within ourselves. I feel like we just started wearing them down on the defensive end.”
Tennessee played for the first time since March 9, when it nearly upset top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference semifinals. With the win against Green Bay, the program with eight NCAA titles improved to 131-33 overall in the tourney, with Tennessee’s win total ranking second.
“There’s a lot of pressure to play at Tennessee. A lot,” Harper said. “Not everybody can handle that. Not everybody understands it. Not everybody can do it. This team has embraced the challenge, and we’ve asked them for more and more and more, and they hung in there all year, and the result is we’re playing our best basketball now. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Jasmine Powell had a gamehigh six assists for the Lady Vols, who finished with a 43-26 advantage in rebounds and outscored Green Bay 40-26 in the paint. The impact from Tennessee’s interior size advantage — five players 6-foot-2 or taller — was too much for the Phoenix.
The Phoenix had trouble at times finding open space for shots.
“They’re big girls,” Scheiber said. “They’re tough girls, so I think it was a little bit challenging when we got out there, but we played with them for a while.”
Tennessee, up 23-21 after the first quarter, held the Phoenix without a point for the last 5:53 of the first half while scoring the final 11 points. The Lady Vols scored 18 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, stretching their lead to 62-37.
The teams combined to make five of the first seven 3-pointers attempted. Green Bay went up 12-6 before Tennessee built a 38-28 lead, with Spear collecting 11 points in the first 15 minutes.