Lady Vols Fall to Louisville in Wichita as Season Comes to a Close
WICHITA, KS– The 4-seed Tennessee Lady Vols' season came to an end in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, falling to 1-seed Louisville 76-64.
Tennessee struggled with turnovers out of the gate, and Louisville took advantage with nine points off of UT's nine first-half turnovers.
The Lady Vols made things interesting in the second half, going on an 8-0 run to cut Louisville's lead to two points at the start of the fourth quarter.
Rae Burrell was crucial in Tennessee's ability to make strides in the late stages of the third quarter, tallying nine points in the third frame to help her team outscore the Cardinals by six.
However, a lackluster fourth quarter allowed Louisville to regain control and cruise to the win in the late stages, as the Cardinals outscored Tennessee 21-14 in the final frame.
Below are takeaways from Tennessee's season-ending loss in Wichita.
Tamari Key Disappears
One of Tennessee's most imposing threats–Tamari Key– did not show up for Tennessee against Louisville. Key accounted for a mere three points for Tennessee, shooting 1-5 from the floor.
While the junior center was able to grab ten boards, Tennessee struggled mightily to attack the Cards inside, and Key found little success on the offensive glass.
Key also found herself in early foul trouble, committing three fouls before the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Despite Key's struggles in the post, Karoline Striplin was one of the best Lady Vols on the court against the Cardinals, totaling seven points and six rebounds with a 5 +/- in 12 minutes. Striplin's performance caps off an encouraging postseason as she–along with fellow freshmen Kaiya Wynn, Brooklynn Miles and Sara Puckett–continues to get better heading into the offseason.
Lack of Ball Movement Contrasts Louisville
Tennessee struggled to find success finding open looks and moving the ball around on the offensive end, leading to 18 turnovers.
On the other hand, the Cardinals excelled with ball movement on offense, totaling 15 assists to Tennessee's nine and committing only seven turnovers.
The Cardinals' inability to hit open shots in the first half and third quarter allowed Tennessee to keep it close. Still, Emily Engstler's fourth-quarter success helped Louisville take control, combining with Hailey Van Lith's perfect performance at the free-throw line (6-6).
Tennessee's 18 turnovers resulted in 21 points for the Cardinals, while the Lady Vols mustered a mere six points off of turnovers.
This season, turnovers and poor passing have been two of Tennessee's top issues, and they showed up to contribute to UT's season-ending loss.
Rae Burrell is Lady Vols Bright Spot
In Tennessee's loss, the Lady Vols were able to keep it close the vast majority of the game due mainly to Rae Burrell's success.
Burrell put together her best outing of the Tournament, scoring 22 points on 9-19 shooting. Burrell combined with Tess Darby to make Tennessee's five three-pointers of the afternoon and was the source of Tennessee's comeback attempt, scoring nine third-quarter points.
In her last game as a Tennessee Lady Volunteer, Burrell fought for 40 minutes and set a season-high point total to cap off an impressive career on Rocky Top. The Las Vegas native finishes her career in orange and white with 1,131 points, 458 rebounds and 93 made threes on 273 attempts (34 percent).
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What's Next
Though Tennessee's season is over, the Lady Vols made their first Sweet Sixteen in six years, and the first in the Kellie Harper era. With the freshmen making strides in the postseason, Jordan Horston and Tamari Key returning, and newcomers Justine Pissott and Rickea Jackson coming to Rocky Top next season, expectations and excitations are likely to be high once again heading into November.
Final stats for Tennessee-Louisville
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