Lady Vols Cannot Keep Up as Stanford Hands UT Their First Loss of the Season

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– The No. 7 Tennessee Lady Vols hosted the reigning national champions No.3 Stanford Cardinal for a Top-10 showdown on Saturday evening in Thompson-Boling Arena, and the Lady Vols undefeated season came to an end as the Cardinal won 74-63.

Tennessee started hot at home, scoring 13 points in the first 7:30 to go up 13-9 on the Cardinal. The offense was going lightning-fast and putting up points, but not for long.

The Cardinal outscored Tennessee 34-13 after being down 13-9 in the first quarter until halftime, and the Lady Vols entered the break needing a massive second-half performance to remain undefeated.

And they almost did it.

The third quarter was all UT. The Lady Vols outscored Stanford by 11 points, and Alexus Dye had 12 of Tennessee's 20 third-quarter points.

While Dye was the reason for Tennessee's offensive success to start the second half, Tamari Key's presence made all the difference for the Lady Vols off the glass. After having only 14 boards in the first half in which Key played four minutes, they had 15 in the third quarter alone in which Key played nearly the entire quarter.

Stanford showed their muscle in the fourth quarter on the back of Ashton Prechtel's nine points off of three three-pointers in the first four minutes of the final frame, but Tennessee continued to fight back. After a 9-4 run in the fourth quarter to go down six with two minutes left, the offensive magic was not there for UT to close it out, and the Cardinal put it away with ball control and making shots at the line (5 of 6 FT in the last two minutes). Tamari Key fouling out approximately halfway through the fourth quarter did not help matters, either.

Below are some quick game notes following the Lady Vols' first loss of the season.

Rebounds

The Lady Vols have always had the theme of getting rebounds, especially offensively, since the Pat Summit era. The Cardinal kept Tennessee off the glass in the first half, outrebounding the Lady Vols 24-14 and limiting Tennessee to zero offensive boards in the first quarter.

Although Tennessee was able to come out and get 15 boards in the third quarter, they still finished the game losing the board battle, as Stanford outrebounded them 52-43.

Head coach Kellie Harper noted that the poor rebounding performance, especially to start the game, was crucial in how the game played out.

"We weren't getting the attack on the offensive boards that we needed in the first half. It got a little better, but not near where it needed to be. And they know it and take great pride in that. It was a gut punch. Having zero offensive boards in the first quarter was a gut punch for them. That is not who we want to be, you have to be able to capitalize on your team's strengths."

Tamari Key's limited minutes were more than likely the main culprit of Tennessee's struggles in attacking the glass, but as Harper noted after the game, 'that's basketball.'

"[TK not being able to play a lot] impacts everything. Defensively, she's a game-changer. She had several boards and did not even play a whole lot. She impacts the game on both ends of the court. We do not have that off the bench. We can't do the same thing when TK is not out there, but that is basketball. You have to have a Plan B."

Tamari Key

As Harper noted above, having a limited Tamari Key is detrimental on both sides of the floor. A pair of quick fouls put Key on track to be in foul trouble early, and she only was on the floor for a mere four minutes in the first half, a big reason the Lady Vols struggled mightily in the second quarter (outscored 26-13).

In the third quarter, Key made a triumphant return, though, getting five boards and a block in UT's massive third-quarter performance.

Key eventually fouled out with three-and-a-half minutes to go in the fourth quarter when Tennessee trailed by eight and finished the night with only one point, her five third-quarter rebounds and a pair of blocks.

While Key has not been the offensive playmaker for the Lady Vols this season, her ability to get boards on both glasses has been instrumental in Tennessee's ability to fight back in multiple games this year.

That was absent in TBA tonight. The fouls hurt early, and it showed that Kellie Harper's squad struggles against elite teams without Key.

Ashten Prechtel and Haley Jones

The Lady Vols cut their 17-point halftime deficit to six points entering the fourth quarter and had all the momentum in a raucous Thompson-Boling Arena.

But the Cardinal quickly turned the game around thanks to junior forward Ashten Prechtel's 11 fourth-quarter points off the bench.

Stanford star forward Cameron Brink fouled out early in the fourth quarter, and Prechtel came off of the tech for the Cardinal and was nothing short of spectacular.

The Colorado Springs native drilled three straight shots from beyond the arc for Stanford to begin the final frame on a 9-4 run. Stanford never had to sweat much after Prechtel's late-game magic, and Harper noted what led to those key shots for Prechtel.

"It was breakdowns on our part. They did a nice job going to her to stretch us out, but if we were playing football, it was busted coverage. Let's just say that."

Stanford's junior guard Haley Jones was incredibly consistent for the Cardinal on defense and at the line in the win. Jones captured 19 total boards, nearly half of the entire Lady Vols' team total, and the California native went 12-12 from the free-throw line. Jones was a force on the glass and came up big when Stanford tried to put the game away in the late stages.

What's Next?

Tennessee is no longer undefeated after the loss, but there are some positives to go along with the negatives from the defeat in TBA.

Negatives:

-Cannot start slow. It had happened before this season where UT began to slow but fought their way back and won in the late stages, but against a team of Stanford's caliber, it just cannot happen.

-Cannot lose the board battle. Harper noted in her quote above that rebounding is this team's strong suit. Ensuring there are second-chance points to be made is crucial with an offense that does not always shoot well, and Tamari Key is a big part of that.

-Key has to play more minutes in big games. It is not all on Key or the coaching. TK could have done a better job avoiding fouls, and putting Key out there when the second quarter started going awry could have prevented such a large halftime deficit. Key is the most crucial player to the Lady Vols' success, and when tough SEC opponents close to or on the caliber of Stanford come up, Key's minutes need to be healthily in the upper 20s at least.

Positives:

-Horston said post-game: "We showed everyone we can beat anyone with how we played in the second half," and she is right. Tennessee's ability to swallow the first half and come out in the second half ready to win indicates the team's confidence.

-Three-point shooting is there. Walker, Horston and Puckett all displayed clutch three-point shooting capability. And Tess Darby made four against Tennessee Tech. The Lady Vols made seven triples as a whole against the Cardinal, with Miles being the fourth Lady Vol to nail a three. UT shot 0-13 from three to open the season against Southern Illinois, so they have grown as deep shooters.

-The defense can be elite at any given moment. Limiting Stanford to nine third-quarter points–with three of those coming at the buzzer–proves that the Lady Vols can provide a top-tier offense fits. The offense just needs to be there to back it up for the entire forty minutes.

The Lady Vols return to Thompson-Boling Arena on Monday night to host ETSU as their final game before the holidays. Harper touched on keeping her team focused with holidays approaching.

"I talk openly about the holidays every single year with every team I've coached. My teams don't check out. They are going to be focused Monday. We will have a holiday get-together as well. Sometimes that is needed after a loss. Win or lose tonight, they would come in Monday motivated. That's the type of confidence I have in this team."

Photo Credit: UT Athletics

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