Instead of advancing in the NCAA Tournament with a win, Tennessee made history on Sunday with a season-ending loss.
The Lady Vols were bested 66-59 by Oregon State in the second-round matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the loss marking the first time in program history that Tennessee has lost an NCAA Tournament game on its home floor.
The Lady Vols were 57-0 in tournament games at Thompson-Boling arena entering Sunday’s game.
“We just didn’t have a great offensive game,” freshman guard Evina Westbrook said. “Defense was there. We didn’t communicate the whole game. All five on the court have to contribute hard for 40 minutes.”
With the loss, the Lady Vols will have missed the Sweet 16 for consecutive seasons. That is also a first for the team.
“They were just more disciplined than we were throughout the game,” redshirt junior forward Cheridene Green said. “That’s what I can say for sure. They stuck to their game plan. We made a few mistakes on our end which were crucial during moments.”
Loss ends season for vaunted group of seniors:
The senior trio of center Mercedes Russell and forwards Jaime Nared and Kortney Dunbar have closed the curtain on their Lady Vol careers.
Russell and Nared were the backbone of a Tennessee team that featured two freshmen in the starting lineup, often providing scoring bursts for the team on the court. Nared led the roster in scoring throughout the season, while Russell paced it in rebounding.
“It’s tough,” Russell said. “Obviously my last game as a college athlete, but I’m just blessed and thankful for the journey that Jaime and I have been on. It’s been awesome just playing alongside her. Super thankful for our coaching staff and our university just believing in us. Long ride and blessed that I made this decision (to come here).”
Nared finished Sunday’s contest with nine points and four rebounds. Her final stats for the season include a scoring average of 16.7 points-per-game and 7.4 rebounds-per-contest.
Dunbar, though not a starter, saw her minutes increase in her senior season, used almost exclusively as a 3-point shooter. She led the Lady Vols in long distance shooting percent this year, finishing at 37.3 percent.
“It’s been amazing,” Nared said. “I couldn’t even thank everybody who has impacted my life here … everybody that I have interacted with have just been amazing. Especially coming so far away from home, everybody’s been so welcoming. My teammates and coaches, everybody has just left an impact on my life.
“I wouldn’t change a thing. I think I’ve learned a lot and definitely grew here. It was a blessing to be able to play here under the tradition and for this team.”
Contest features abundance of tall posts:
It’s not often that 6-foot-6 Russell squares off against players that are comparable to her in height. But the Lady Vols’ draw on Sunday included two.
And, despite her team’s loss, Russell still found a way to perform well in her individual battle, scoring 21 and grabbing 14 rebounds in her final game in a Tennessee uniform, recording another double-double to conclude a collegiate career that has been littered with them.
However, Oregon State senior center Marie Gulich, who stands just one inch shorter than Russell and scored 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting, against Western Kentucky on Friday, was able to find success as well when facing off against Russell and the Lady Vols. She notched 14 with 12 rebounds.
Junior center Joanna Grymek, a Poland native that is listed at a whopping 6-foot-8, wasn’t a factor at all for Oregon State. The backup post played only seven minutes and didn’t score.
“I don’t think (their length affected our plan),” Russell said. “In the SEC, we face a lot of length on multiple teams, South Carolina, Mississippi State. So it’s not something that we haven’t seen before. I think (the loss) was just us really not attacking the basket more than them.”
