Lady Vols Advance to Sweet 16 With Thrilling Win Over Belmont
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– The 4-seed Lady Vols faced off against 12-seed Belmont on Monday night in Thompson-Boling Arena in the Round of 32 of the women's March Madness NCAA Tournament. In hopes to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, the Lady Vols fulfilled their hopes with a 69-66 victory over in-state foe Belmont.
Tennessee dominated in the first half and led the Bruins by 12 at the break, as Sara Puckett and Alexus Dye combined for 15 first-half points.
However, the second half saw the Bruins come out hungrier and with more energy, outscoring Tennessee 23-13 in the third quarter. Belmont matched their first-half point total in the third quarter alone.
The Lady Vols found themselves trailing for much of the fourth quarter, but with 24 seconds remaining, Tennessee freshman Sara Puckett got an open look from the corner and drained a triple to give her team a one-point lead.
Belmont turned it over on the other end to give the possession back to UT, and the Lady Vols coasted to the win in the final seconds.
Puckett's three-pointer that proved to be the difference in the Lady Vols win was the only triple the freshman attempted all game, but Puckett was effective for the entire 40 minutes for Tennessee. Puckett totaled 12 points and five rebounds against Belmont, as the freshman put together her highest point total of the season since Tennessee's game against ETSU before conference play.
Alexus Dye also delivered a significant outing for UT, as the senior recorded her fourth straight double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
With the win, Tennessee remains stellar against double-digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament with a 33-1 record.
Below are additional takeaways from the Lady Vols' win to stay alive:
Freshmen Continue Their Postseason Poise
Halfway through the second quarter, Sara Puckett drove to the rim off an assist from Brooklynn Miles and made a layup, simultaneously drawing a foul. Puckett made the and-one to give herself seven points and extend Tennessee's lead to 10 points. After Puckett's bucket, Brooklynn Miles turned around, faced the Rocky Top Rowdies at mid-court and stomped her feet on her team's logo with enthusiasm.
In that moment, it was clear to see the impact Tennessee's freshmen have and continue to make. Puckett's three-pointer that ultimately won the game makes it easy to see the effect from a naked eye, but in the first half–with the game close–Kellie Harper chose to play a four freshman lineup with Puckett, Miles, Kaiya Wynn and Karoline Striplin with Tess Darby. With that lineup, Tennessee nearly forced shot clock expirations on a few Belmont possessions.
Belmont's offense got off to a good start, but Tennessee's defense ramped up in the second quarter to allow the Lady Vols to take the double-digit halftime lead.
A Tale of Two Halves
Belmont was a different team in the second half, as the Bruins torched Tennessee for 23 third-quarter points to match their first-half total. The lady Vols struggled mightily to contain Belmont's guards, as Tuti Jones feasted on Tennessee's defense for 12 third-quarter points.
The Bruins ultimately tied the game in the third quarter and trailed by a mere two points at the end of the frame, as–guess who– Sara Puckett hit a deep two at the end of the third.
But Belmont continued to build momentum in the fourth quarter. Destinee Wells picked up where Jones left off for the Bruins and accumulated 11 fourth-quarter points, helping Belmont take a late two-point lead with under a minute remaining. The Bruins' second-half poise was largely due to their improvement with second-chance points. Belmont posted five first-half second-chance points but adjusted to record 18 second-chance points in the final 20 minutes, out hustling Tennessee on multiple occasions.
But no matter the second half stats or how it looked, the Lady Vols eked out the win thanks to one key shot with under 20 seconds remaining.
The Shot
Rae Burrell got the ball in her hands with her team down two points with 24 seconds on the clock. The Lady Vols needed one bucket to continue their season. Burrell made a clean break inside and dished to the open player, who happened to be Sara Puckett in the corner. The freshman did not hesitate, wasting no time in launching the ball towards the hoop.
Shot fell, and Tennessee led by one.
Belmont went on to turn the ball over on the other end and had to foul Tamari Key on the Lady Vols' inbound pass. Key split her free throws, and Tennessee coasted to a victory, cementing their spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time in the Kellie Harper era.
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Alexus Dye and Sara Puckett led Tennessee to the win as the Lady Vols pulled out yet another thrilling, gritty win.
A fitting win to continue the Lady Vols season, who continue to find a way.
Up next for Tennessee is a matchup with No. 1 Louisville in Wichita on Saturday, March 26, as the Lady Vols look to make the Elite Eight for the first time in 2016.
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