By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — The Lady Volunteers made history Tuesday, but not in the manner they hoped. Seeking to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2016, instead they were defeated 70-55 by Michigan. It was that program’s first Sweet 16 berth, and the fourth straight NCAA Women’s Tournament where the Lady Vols have failed to advance beyond the second round. The number three seeded team, Tennessee finishes the year 17-8. They were unable to overcome the offensive problems that saw them fall behind by 19 points at one stretch in the second half.
The Lady Vols made only 34 percent of their shots, missing 19 layups. They made just two of 14 three-point attempts, and both those came late in the fourth quarter. Only Rennia Davis and Rae Burrell reached double figures, with Davis, concluding her Tennessee career, scoring 12. Burrell had 11. During the first half, the two combined for 11 misses in 13 attempts. Against MTSU, they had been unstoppable, scoring 46 of Tennessee’s 87 points. The Lady Vols shot only 25 percent in the first half, one of their poorest all year.
“I thought we rushed some of our shots in the first half,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper told the Associated Press/ “It’s going to be really tough to advance against a talented opponent if you can’t finish. I don’t want to take anything away from them (Michigan), because I thought their physicality affected us on some of those finishes.”
“It was just tough,” Davis added. “Tried to hold it in till we got in the locker room, but it was just tough. The closer the clock got to zero, it was just tougher and tougher.”
Leigha Brown led Michigan and all scorers with 23, including making all 11 of her free throws. Hailey Brown helped Michigan get off to a strong start, and had four three-pointers among her 14 points. The Lady Vols managed to close within nine twice in the fourth quarter, but could get no closer.
