Anastasia Hayes didn’t let the atmosphere distract her.
The freshman guard competed physically and with passion during Tennessee’s matchup with reigning national champion South Carolina in Columbia, not allowing the hostile and energetic crowd keep her from helping her team to an 86-70 victory.
Hayes scored 11 points, but did so impressively, using her speed and agility to cut through the defense on weaves to the basket.
“It was huge,” head coach Holly Warlick said. “I thought when Annie came in, it separated us in the first and in the second quarter. I love her coming off of the bench. She’s something that we don’t have consistently. She gets to the basket. She finds a way. She’s a slasher.
“And she had great passes early to Mercedes (Russell) and (Rennia Davis) and then she comes in and finds a way to score and get and-one plays. She was big in this win. Really, really solid.”
Another key factor in Hayes’ amount of drives was the absence of South Carolina’s All-American post A’ja Wilson. She didn’t play due to a leg injury, leaving a noticeable talent gap in the paint area.
“We weren’t aware of her not playing until today so we prepared for her to play the whole time up until today,” senior center Mercedes Russell said. “But our game plan never changed. With or without her, South Carolina is a talented team … She definitely creates a presence in the paint. I think she averages around three blocks.
“I think we got a lot of drives and got to the free throw line today, which was really good for us.”
The two teams traded blows in the first quarter, keeping pace with each other before the Lady Vols went on a run, carving a 21-14 lead by the end of the period. Tennessee allowed its advantage to partially disappear during the early parts of the second quarter, with South Carolina capitalizing off of turnovers by scoring points.
Senior forward Kortney Dunbar provided a spark off of the bench for the Lady Vols, though, hitting consecutive 3-pointers and helping Tennessee rebuild its lead. The Lady Vols held a 43-35 advantage at halftime.
The momentum didn’t leave Tennessee in the third quarter, as the Lady Vols went on a 6-0 run to go ahead 55-40 with 6:07 left in the period and led 68-57 at the start of the fourth.
South Carolina was able to find energy in the final period, cutting down Tennessee’s advantage to just four points midway through, but the Lady Vols didn’t totally waver and were able to extend their lead to 86-70 by the final buzzer.
Senior forward Jaime Nared led Tennessee in scoring with 21 total points on 5-of-13 shooting. Russell notched a double-double in the win, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while freshman Evina Westbrook notched 14 points and was first on the roster with five assists.
The Lady Vols will conclude their tough road slate with a contest at No. 2 Notre Dame on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“I’ve had several calls to my office saying why did I schedule this (road stretch),” Warlick said. “You do it. It is what it is. And we talk about that … Our freshmen have never played at Notre Dame. There’s a part of me that (thinks that) is a good thing … Players make plays. I’ve got a great team. I’ve got a great staff.
“At the end of the day, I can draw up whatever I draw up, but the players have to go out and execute and (against South Carolina) I thought they executed the game plan very, very well.”
