Poor guard play dooms Lady Vols in loss to Aggies
KNOXVILLE — Shortly after his 16th-ranked Texas A&M women’s basketball team held on to beat Tennessee 73-71 on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena, longtime Aggies coach Gary Blair gave the ultimate tip of the cap to the Lady Volunteers and their future as a program — both in the short term and the long term.
He looked to the past to do so, including referencing Kellie Harper, who is in her first season as coach at Tennessee but was a point guard for the Lady Vols in the late
1990s when they won three straight national championships.
“They’re going to get smarter, and that’s all they need to do to go with that athleticism they have and the individual talent, and they’ve got the right person on the job to get it done,” Blair said. “It’s going to take her a while, but once you get the point guard play that (Harper) gave or Kara Lawson gave or all the ones that played here, you’re going to be a great basketball team.”
Guard play was the difference Sunday as the Aggies (20-5, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) handed the Lady Vols (17-8, 7-5) their fourth consecutive loss, all against teams currently projected to make the NCAA tournament. Tennessee’s latest defeat followed losses at South Carolina, 69-48, to Mississippi State, 72-55, and at LSU, 75-65.
The Aggies’ Chennedy Carter scored 37 points in her return from injury after missing her team’s past seven games. Shambria Washington knocked down two 3-pointers and had 10 points for Texas A&M, and Ciera Johnson and N’dea Jones had eight points each, with Jones grabbing 16 rebounds.
Carter did plenty of her damage with free throws, drawing nine
fouls and going 14-for-16 at the line, but her 10-for22 showing from the field included knocking down three 3-pointers.
The Lady Vols, who return to competition at 7 p.m. EST Thursday at Arkansas (20-5, 8-4), were led by Rae Burrell’s 19 points, but the 6-foot2 sophomore turned the ball over five times. Rennia Davis had 18 points and was one of three Tennessee players with six assists, joining freshman guard Jordan Horston, who had six turnovers, and sophomore guard Jazmine Massengill from Chattanooga and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.
Tennessee had 21 assists but turned the ball over 16 times and went 6-for-16 at the foul line.
“In a close game you can pick up a stat sheet and find many areas where you should have won the game,” Harper said. “I’m proud of our effort. I thought it was one of our best games in terms of 40 minutes of effort, and I think we can build on that.
“Clean up some stat-sheet items, keep giving focus and effort like that and give yourself a chance.”
Sunday’s announced attendance of 12,738 was the most since 13,058 watched the Lady Vols defeat South Carolina 65-46 on Feb. 25, 2018.
SUNDAY’S STAR
It wasn’t just that Carter was the best player on the court. She also was the smartest at times, drawing fouls on the Lady Vols in some late-clock situations when they needed a stop to rally after trailing by 10 points in the second half.
STANDOUT STAT
Texas A&M turned the ball over 10 times. Tennessee’s Burrell and Horston combined for 11.
TURNING POINT
Any hopes of a comeback rested on the Lady Vols’ ability to force a stop late in the game. Down 70-67 after a Horston 3-pointer with 32 seconds to play, Tennessee elected not to foul and tried to get a steal. The Lady Vols nearly got that when junior Jaiden McCoy deflected an errant pass, but the 6-foot-3 forward was unable to corral the ball before it went out of bounds. Tennessee then waited until there were nine seconds remaining to foul and put Carter on the line, where she made the two free throws that sealed it.
WHAT IT MEANS
It’s easy to approach this result from a negative perspective because Tennessee lost, but there were enough positives in the game that give hope the Lady Vols could turn things around. Despite their flaws, Burrell was the leading scorer and Horston made some good plays. Davis was her usual efficient self, and McCoy provided a spark off the bench. If Tennessee can clean up its turnovers, it will have a chance to take a fourgame winning streak into the SEC tournament. The trip to Arkansas is followed by backto-back home games against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss and a visit to Auburn for the regular-season finale.
QUOTABLE
Burrell on guarding Carter: “Sometimes she flops.”