CHATTANOOGA –For Georgia, the third time was not the charm.
The Tennessee Lady Vols (28-2) used a 16-0 run to beat the No. 12 Lady
Bulldogs for the third time this season, 85-69, and win the SEC Tournament
on Sunday at the UTC Arena.
Tournament MVP Chamique Holdsclaw scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds
as Tennessee turned a nine-point, first half deficit into the Lady Vols’
second successive conference tournament title.
However, it didn’t come without a struggle.
The Lady Bulldogs (23-6), on the strength of 54.5 percent shooting, ran out
to a 40-31 lead late in the first half. Tennessee was having trouble
getting back on defense and Georgia was making t he Lady Vols pay.
“I was really disappointed in our defense in the first half,” UT head coach
Pat Summitt said. “I told them, ‘If you don’t guard [the Lady Bulldogs],
they’ll score 100 points.”
Tennessee responded by turning up the defensive pressure and holding
Georgia scoreless for over six minutes spanning halftime. In the process,
the Lady Vols built a seven-point lead of their own and the Lady Bulldogs
were never able to mount a serious challenge.
“Their defensive pressure affected us on the offensive end,” said Georgia
coach Andy Landers. “We had difficulty getting the ball back in operating
position.”
Landers, though, could take solace in knowing his team had hung in there
with the three-time defending national champions.
Tennessee had taken the Lady Bulldogs apart in the teams’ two previous
meetings — a 106-69 cakewalk in Knoxville and a 95-79 win in Athens. After
Sunday’s performance, Landers was confident enough to say, “We intend to be
there.”
“There” being the Final Four in San Jose, Calif., later this month.
Kelly Miller led Georgia with 24 points. Her twin sister, Coco, added 19
points and eight rebounds while earning all-tournament recognition.
For Tennessee, Tamika Catchings and Michelle Snow, also all-tournament
selections, scored 24 and 14 points, respectively.
It was Catchings and Snow who helped spark the Lady Vols’ run in the second
half, as they scored 11 of UT’s first 15 points in that period.
Catchings, who scored a career-high 38 points in Friday’s quarterfinal win
over Florida, also set the defensive tone for Tennessee.
“I didn’t do as well as I should have in the first half,” said Catchings,
who scored just six points on 3-of-8 shooting in the opening 20 minutes. “I
had to make sure, even if my shots weren’t falling, that I was there for
the boards and to play good defense.”
In fact, it was her putback of a Holdsclaw miss that gave UT its first
lead, at 42-40, since the opening minutes.
Summitt, who says this type of game will benefit her squad come NCAA
Tournament time, also insisted she was never concerned on Sunday.
“Me worry?” she said. “This basketball team has proven that when the game
gets tight, they will not panic.”
Summitt said the key to the comeback was defensive pressure and
intensity.
“We really turned up the pressure [in the second half],” she said. “We kept
them in front of us.”
The pressure showed as the Lady Bulldogs, so hot in the first half, hit
just 11-of-31 shots in the final 20 minutes. Remarkably, Georgia made just
one basket in the first nine minutes of the second half.
“I thought we were a little anxious,” Landers said. “We didn’t look smooth
or comfortable.”
Smooth, though, describes Holdsclaw, who became the SEC’s all-time leading
scorer during Saturday’s 80-69 semifinal win over Alabama. The senior now
has 2,928 career points.
Against Georgia, it was her putback, followed by a turnaround 15-footer,
which jumpstarted Tennessee and helped bridge the gap before halftime.
She also mixed it up on the inside, collecting eight offensive
rebounds.
“I think I’m playing great basketball,” said Holdsclaw, who sported an
orange cowboy hat as she accepted her tourney MVP trophy.
However, after three games in less than three full days, the Lady Vols will
welcome the almost two-week break they have before the NCAAs begin.
Summitt said she will now give her team a couple of days off. And, after
Sunday’s gutsy performance, why not?
