Lady Vols’ run in tournament ends against Mississippi State
The Lady Vols run in the SEC tournament came to an end Saturday night in a 58-48 loss to Mississippi State.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 05, 2016 - Bashaara Graves #12 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in the SEC tournament in Jacksonville, FL. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Athletics
[title_box title=”Lady Vols’ run in tournament ends against Mississippi State”]
The Mississippi State Bulldogs entered the season 0-36 all-time against the Lady Vols.
With their 58-48 win over Tennessee in the SEC tournament semi-finals, the Bulldogs have now won back-to-back games against the perennial SEC champs, ending the Lady Vols hope for the program’s 18th SEC title.
Tennesseee ended the opening quarter on an 8-0 run to gain the 15-10 first-quarter edge, but in the second quarter, the Lady Vols offense produced sloppy possession after sloppy possession. Ball movement was at a minimum, creating isolated situations that led to rushed shots at the end of the shot clock.
Bashaara Graves had a particularly difficult time in the post. While she grabbed 15 rebounds, her low-post offense was sloppy, and her shots were often wild. Graves scored only five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Despite the offensive struggles, Tennessee only trailed 25-22 at halftime. But the Bulldogs, who had also struggled to find offensive rhythm, got a boost from Victoria Vivians. She scored 14 points in the third quarter, including a Steph Curry-esque three-pointer in the final seconds. Vivians finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while the rest of her team scored 28 points on 6-of-33 shooting.
Tennessee opened the fourth quarter aggressive in transition, which led to free throw opportunities. However, after making over 80 percent of their free throws over the past few contests, the Lady Vols missed nine of their 19 free throw attempts. A Diamond DeShields free throw did cut the Mississippi State lead to two early in the fourth quarter, but Tennessee’s offense continued to flutter due to a lack of passing.
DeShields led the Lady Vols (19-13, 8-8) with 22 points. Jaime Nared scored 12 points and fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
With the loss, Tennessee is projected to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Selection Monday will take place on March 4 at 7 p.m. ET.
Featured image courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
Edited by Cody McClure
Follow me @DavidJBradford1 on Twitter, email me at dbradfo2@vols.utk.edu for any questions.
