Tennessee Lady Vols season ends with first-round loss in NCAA Tournament
ANN ARBOR, MI. (WATE) — The Tennessee women’s basketball team made its 44th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday and lost in the opening round for just the third time ever with a 15-point defeat to NC State. Tennessee pretty quickly got down by 15 points against the Wolfpack.
NC State made their first eight baskets, and a 15-0 run did not look promising for the Lady Vols’ chances. With a 19-4 lead at the five minute mark of the first quarter, a timeout called by Tennessee broke up the momentum, and the Lady Vols got back within seven with 3:30 to go in the first, down 19-12. They added to it, making it a five-point game shortly after.
Gillespie dazzles in Tennessee’s first-round rout of Miami (Ohio) The first quarter finished with Tennessee just behind the Wolfpack, 25-19. Talaysia Cooper led the Lady Vols with 24 points, a handful of those came as she strung together three consecutive baskets in the second quarter to keep Tennessee in the fight, but NC State added two baskets before the break to give them one of their only double-digits lead of the second quarter, 40-29. NC State didn’t miss many baskets in the first quarter, and maintained their accuracy before the break, able to finish out the first half shooting over 60 percent from the field.
Threes fell for the Lady Vols out of the break, Cooper and Deniya Prawl both hitting from distance and once again it was a seven-point game. It then became a one-possession contest with 3:54 left in the third quarter after a Nya Robertson jump shot, Tennessee down 46-43. The Lady Vols got as close as two points of NC State, and though they had opportunities, they weren’t able to grab the lead.
Tennessee let up and the Wolfpack picked up to finish out the third quarter and the Lady Vols entered the final ten minutes down nine. MORE: Tennessee Basketball News NC State grabbed back a double-digit lead just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter and from there, a Wolfpack win was all but official. Zamareya Jones came away with a career-best 30 points in route to NC State’s 76-61 win.