Lady Vols upset Texas A&M, advance to SEC Women's Tournament semi-finals

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The Lady Vols are playing their best basketball at the right time.

Just a day after their defensive intensity led to a 17-point win over Arkansas, Tennessee’s offense came to life in a 70-60 win over the second-seeded Texas A&M Aggies Friday night. The win places the Lady Vols in the semi-finals of the SEC tournament.

Bashaara Graves and Diamond DeShields both converted on seven of their 11 field goal attempts. Graves finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while DeShields had arguably her best game for the orange and white. She led all scorers with 21 points, and added six rebounds and four assists. She also knocked down all six of her free-throw attempts. In two tournament games, DeShields has yet to miss a free throw.

Tennessee did not appear poised to upset the Aggies during the opening minutes. The Lady Vols turned the ball over on their first two possessions and allowed Texas A&M to score on the first three possessions. However, the defense tightened up, holding the Aggies to 4-of-18 shooting for the remainder of the quarter.

Aggies star Courtney Walker entered the contest averaging 18.1 points per game on 48 percent shooting. On Friday evening, Walker scored 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

DeShields displayed why she was such a highly-touted recruit out of high school in the second period. She showcased exceptional ball-handling skills, and her three-pointer with 2:17 left in the first half gave Tennessee a 26-23 lead. From that point forward, the Lady Vols never trailed. Texas A&M came within a point of tying Tennessee in the third quarter, but failed to regain control.

In the fourth quarter, Graves and DeShields scored the first 12 points for the Lady Vols. The scoring streak ended when DeShields delivered a perfect pass in the paint to Mercedes Russell, leading the redshirt sophomore into an easy layup.

The 2015-16 season has arguably been the program’s worst season in its storied history, but Tennessee (19-12, 8-8 SEC) is just two wins away from being SEC champions.

The Lady Vols will take on the No. 3-seed Mississippi State Bulldogs in the semi-final. Tipoff in Jacksonville is at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Featured image courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

Edited by Cody McClure