Lady Vols Down the Tide With Winning Combo

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Following the Lady Vols' 15 point win over Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC women's basketball tournament, Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper talked about the factors that led to her team securing the victory.

And two aspects of her team's performance that stood out to Harper were their focus and energy.

"I could tell before the game we had a great mindset and great focus," Harper said. "That doesn't always win the games, but to win a tough game like this, you gotta have great energy and great focus. And we had both from the start of the game, and I thought that was critical for us."

Tennessee took the Bridgestone Arena floor with every intent to snap a five-game losing streak away from Nashville, as the Lady Vols punched Alabama in the mouth in the first quarter and led by ten after one.

And it was in all phases of the game. Tennessee was applying significant pressure to Alabama's playmakers Brittany Davis and Megan Abrams, and Alexus Dye's ten first-quarter points allowed the Lady Vols' offense to find their footing early.

Dye led the Lady Vols in rebounds with 14 and was second on the team with 16 points, as the graduate senior recorded her fourth double-double of the season and first since early January.

'Snoop' was the perfect blend of energy and focus all night for Tennessee in Nashville, taking on the Jordan Horston role and delivering arguably her best game of the season.

"I thought Alexus Dye's production on the boards especially and her offensive play to start the game really sparked us," Harper said. "It really energized us and gave us some confidence there. I think you could see we were going to start the game pretty aggressive and, you know, she was a big part of that."

Dye's quick ten points and five rebounds in the first quarter allowed Tennessee to take an early lead, which is abnormal for the Lady Vols given their first quarter struggles this season. And while Dye produced only six points after the first ten minutes, she never stopped attacking the glass, helping UT out-rebound the Tide 43-30. Dye also played 30 minutes for the Lady Vols, marking her highest minute count in conference play this season.

With Dye taking a backseat after the first quarter in terms of scoring, another Lady Vols' senior wreaked havoc on the Alabama defense: Rae Burrell.

Burrell exploded in the third quarter with 11 points, contributing to her game total of 21, which ties a season-high for the Las Vegas native.

Burrell was visibly upset in the post-game media availability after losing LSU on a senior day in her final game in Thompson-Boling Arena. Still, the senior was able to bounce back, play with energy and aggression, and lead the Lady Vols to one of their most complete performances of the season.

"It was important to set the tone for the game. We knew we needed to come out aggressive," Burrell said. "We knew what our game plan was, so we needed to execute that. I think we did. We got the energy going and the fans helped with energy as well."

The energy in Bridgestone Arena was palpable, for Tennessee anyway, as a vast majority of the Nashville crowd was wearing orange.

The fans' energy combined with the heightened energy Tennessee brought to the court allowed the Lady Vols, especially the freshmen, to remain calm and confident.

"Before the game I tried to give them the confident, have fun vibe," Harper said regarding the freshmen playing in their first SEC Tournament game. "I didn't want them to be uptight. I think sometimes you can be when you go to a tournament. But, you know, I thought they handled it really well. Obviously there was a lot of orange in the stands and the game was very intense to start, especially that first half. And I thought we handled it. I thought our players stayed pretty mature and our freshmen didn't look like freshmen."

Freshman Brooklynn Miles notably showed out for Tennessee, while Kaiya Wynn, Karoline Striplin and Sara Puckett contributed.

Miles, who has served as the Lady Vols' backup point guard in her first season on Rocky Top, affected the game in many ways against the Tide.

The freshman has played swarming defense all season, something that did not stop against Alabama, but Miles also got involved attacking the glass, delivered a few dimes to her teammates, and even got the ball in the hoop a couple of times.

The Kentucky native finished with four rebounds, four assists and five points, her highest point total against a conference opponent.

"Brooklynn is a ball of energy," Harper said after the win. "And she loves playing defense. She comes in, plays hard, gets excited. I thought she made several hustle plays. She battled on the boards; four boards, that's pretty good. And then handled a lot of the pressure with Jordan Walker on the bench in foul trouble. It's nice to have that energy, when she comes in off the bench you know what you're getting with her. And, you know, for a freshman, she's had a lot of growth this season and has been a big part of what we've been doing."

Miles' performance was crucial for Tennessee, considering starting point guard Jordan Walker landed herself in foul trouble. The freshman's ability to move the ball efficiently contributed to the team's impressive 17 assist performance.

"We were really looking to move the ball," Harper said. "You know, we knew that the ball movement was going to be important in this game. We needed to try to find ways to get the ball inside. You know, could have had a few more touches there. But thought we did a nice job of sharing the ball. 17 is always a great number for us to see."

Burrell led the Lady Vols in assists with seven, Miles finished second with four, and Jordan Walker logged three. Despite only playing 14 minutes, Walker recorded six boards and a bucket with her three dishes, leading to a +/- of +14.

The highest +/- of the night for the Lady Vols was Tess Darby, who bounced back significantly after a poor performance against LSU. The Greenfield native splashed a pair of threes and kept the Alabama defense honest by making a couple of mid-range shots.

--Wild Stat--

Darby's two two-pointers made against the Tide marks only the second time the sophomore has made two field goals from inside the arc this season (South Carolina).

Darby has made 53 field goals this season. Forty-four have come from three-point range (83 percent).

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Darby noted after the win that it was part of the game plan to keep the Tide's defense honest.

"Just being able to also shoot in addition to the three. Having another part of my game so the opponents just know that I don't just shoot the three," Darby said of her shooting night.

Darby's team-high +/- of +20 is a far cry from her -15 performance against LSU in the season finale, as the Lady Vols delivered a 40-minute performance against Alabama that was a far cry from their first-half outing against LSU. A performance that saw the Lady Vols bring a different, more complete style of focus and energy to the court.

With the win, Tennessee advances to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and will face the No. 7 seed in Kentucky. The Wildcats knocked off No. 2 LSU on Friday night with a 15-point win. If UT beats Kentucky, they will face the winner of South Carolina vs. Ole Miss in the championship game on Sunday afternoon in Bridgestone Arena.

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