ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tennessee’s season came full circle most cruelly, ending the same way it began with a loss to NC State
The Lady Vols’ unprecedented season came to an abrupt ending on Friday night, falling 76-61 to NC State at the Crisler Center. The Lady Vols (16-14, 8-8 SEC) matched the most losses in a season, tying the 2015 squad with 14.
NC State (21-10, 13-5 ACC) smothered Tennessee defensively, holding the Lady Vols to 33% shooting from the field. It also held the Lady Vols winless in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history, dropping them to a program-low 53% win percentage in the NCAA era.
Talaysia Cooper was one of two players in double-digit scoring. She had 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting with six rebounds and two steals. Freshman Deniya Prawl had one of the best games of her young career, scoring nine points with four rebounds and two steals.
Senior Janiah Barker was absent from her final collegiate game. The UCLA transfer was listed out in the pregame report despite practicing Thursday with the team.
“That hurt against the zone,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “She’s good in the zone for us. She’s good at the high post, she can play multiple spots and she rebounds well. So that was tough.”
NC State jumped on a sluggish Tennessee start, capitalizing on poor offense as the Lady Vols opened 2-for-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. The Wolfpack shot a perfect 8-for-8 in the first five minutes, forcing a Tennessee timeout after taking a 19-4 lead.
Tennessee’s early strategy of trapping in the full court was broken early with good passing. NC State attacked the rim well, scoring 10 of its first 19 points in the paint.
“We never got consistent rotations,” Caldwell said. “That’s the first time in my career that we’ve never had players that we know who’s going to go in with which group. We just never got there.”
Despite a 15-point deficit, the Lady Vols fought out of the timeout. They trimmed the deficit to 10, but NC State scored the next six to take a 25-14 lead. A final push from Tennessee made it a 26-19 game at the end of the first quarter.
After a high-scoring first quarter, both teams cooled off. Tennessee’s inconsistency was on full display, shooting an abysmal 5-for-20 for 20 points. The Lady Vols showed flashes throughout the quarter, but it seemed they could never follow it up on the next possession.
NC State had plenty of opportunities to pull away in the second, but five turnovers kept killing their momentum. They shot a solid 7-for-13 but turned the ball over five times. Neither team could string more than four points together, keeping it a 40-29 game at halftime.
Heading into halftime, Cooper proved to be Tennessee’s lifeline. She had 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting, making two of the Lady Vols’ three 3-pointers. She dipped into her midrange game, getting three scores in the second quarter off it. Senior Nya Robertson struggled, shooting an astounding 1-for-8 from the 3-point line as Tennessee fell behind by 11.
Tennessee spent most of the third quarter in a three-possession deficit. Fouling troubles resurfaced, as Tennessee picked up seven fouls in the frame. The Lady Vols sent NC State to the free-throw line multiple times, killing its momentum.
Tennessee’s final points of the third came on a Zee Spearman layup with just over two minutes left, making it 51-48 before NC State closed the quarter with six free throws for a 57-48 lead.
They gave NC State four other trips to the free-throw line, picking up seven total fouls in the frame. Now behind 57-48, Tennessee needed its offense to shoot. While the Lady Vols had plenty of shot volume, they made just 34% of their shots from the field and 19% beyond the arc.
The comeback never came together.
The Lady Vols only managed to string together four consecutive points once as they continued to fall further behind. NC State capitalized on Tennessee’s desperation, grabbing five steals and forcing six turnovers. The Wolfpack held the Lady Vols to 4-for-15 shooting and 1-for-5 from the 3-point line, growing their lead by the minute.
The Wolfpack outscored Tennessee 19-13 in the final quarter, holding the Lady Vols without a made shot for the last four minutes. With the loss, Tennessee’s 53%-win percentage becomes its worst in the NCAA era.
Tennessee now faces a long offseason. They’ll lose four players to graduation, and the April 6 opening for the transfer portal looms.
“There’s a long list,” Caldwell said about changes heading into next year. “I don’t really think it helps to get into that list publicly today. I think personally the most important thing is making sure that you and the people around you keep your character.”
