Sunday’s SEC Women’s Tournament ended with Tennessee senior forward Glory Johnson fighting for a loose ball on the Bridgestone Arena floor.
A few moments later she and fellow senior Shekinna Stricklen paraded around the court as SEC Champions for a third consecutive year.
The Lady Vols (24-8, 12-4 SEC) upended LSU 70-58 for their third win in three days as UT captured its 16th conference tournament title in front of a predominantly orange crowd of 12,441, an SEC women’s Championship Game record.
The Lady Vols were led by Johnson’s 20-point, 11-rebound effort.
Her three-game average of 19.3 points and 10 rebounds was good enough to her earn her the tournament MVP honor.
“I keep saying every game that I don’t think she can take it to another level,” UT associate head coach Holly Warlick said.
Luckily for the Lady Vols, she did.
Unlike last year’s 90-65 Championship Game thrashing of Kentucky, this title came with a struggle.
LSU’s (22-10, 10-6) coach is former UT player and assistant Nikki Caldwell. She was a part of the Lady Vols’ 1991 national championship squad and coached under UT head coach Pat Summitt from 2002-08.
“Nikki has done a great job,” Warlick said. “She prides herself and her team on defense and rebounding.
“She’s just an example of the success of people who have played and coached for Pat Summitt.”
The Tigers entered Sunday’s matchup holding conference opponents to a league-best 35 percent shooting.
The Tigers held UT to 42.3 percent shooting but were unable to corral Johnson inside.
A pair of Johnson free throws with 3:22 remaining in the first half capped a 9-0 Lady Vols’ run that put UT ahead 31-23.
LSU never regained the lead.
The Tigers cut the UT advantage to 46-44 with 12:52 to play, but Stricklen scored the game’s next seven points to put the Lady Vols ahead once again.
Stricklen’s second half spree was customary during UT’s three-game run through the tournament.
In Friday’s 68-57 quarterfinal victory over Vanderbilt, she scored all 18 of her points in the second half.
In Saturday’s 74-58 semifinal victory over South Carolina, she scored all 16 of her points in the second half.
Sunday, she scored 14 of her 16 points in the second frame.
Stricklen’s 3-point basket with 58 seconds left buried any thoughts of an LSU comeback, putting the Lady Vols ahead 65-56.
“I think I’m just thinking too much starting the first half,” Stricklen said with a smile. “I think I always start the game tense. I over-think because I want to come out strong. I’m just over-thinking and over-doing it and it takes me awhile to relax. Once I relax, I get it going in the second half.”
After a few desperate possessions after Stricklen’s trey, Johnson was on the floor scrambling for possession when the buzzer sounded.
The tournament MVP’s presence on the court as the horn sounded came as no surprise to Warlick.
“That’s just her nature,” Warlick said. “She’s competitive and I absolutely love that about Glory. She’s a competitor and it’s in her spirit, in her DNA, and it’s what makes Glory’s game special.”
The Lady Vols’ five seniors started each game of the tournament. After starting together for the first time this season in a 75-59 Senior Day victory over Florida, the combination is 4-0.
“I try to remind the rest of the seniors that every day we get on the floor it might be our last,” Johnson said. “We never know when our last game is going to be. We always emphasize playing as hard as you can whenever you step on the floor. That’s huge for us, especially now that we’re seniors.”
The Lady Vols have now won 16 of the 32 conference tournaments.
Summitt has coached all of them.
“It’s one thing doing it for ourselves, our families, our fans, and for God,” Johnson said. “But Pat has been through so much. We want to let her know that we’re willing to work for her and go to bat for her.
“To see her cut down that net is amazing.”
