After a career high 24 points in the Lady Vols’ first round win over Boise State, Bashaara Graves expressed the confidence boost she received.
That confidence was evident Monday night.
The junior forward scored 21 points and pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds as she led No. 2 seeded Tennessee past the upset-minded No. 10 seed Pittsburgh Panthers 77-67, and helped advance the Lady Vols to their 33rd appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.
“We’re getting (Graves) the basketball,” third year coach Holly Warlick said. “But she’s really doing a lot of work before she gets the ball… I think when Izzy went out, she understands that she has to step up and do things for this basketball team.”
What really stood out about her performance, however, was her defense. After scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Panther’s first round win over UTC, forward Stasha Carey was held scoreless and only managed three rebounds.
Of Graves’ 14 total rebounds, 10 of them came on the offensive end of the floor as she was responsible for eight of Tennessee’s 19 second chance points on the game, as Tennessee (29-5) out-rebounded Pitt 46-29. She also shot 8-of-17 from the field, and constant battle for position made for easy passes from the Lady Vol guards.
“I know I need to show up in each game,” Graves said. “Just since Izzy has been out, I have to do my part.”
While Tennessee led by as much as 14 in the second half, the Panthers refused to go away thanks to the play of Brianna Kiesel. The senior guard led the way for Pitt, scoring 32 points, including nine of her team’s last 11.
Kiesel managed to bring the Panthers (20-12) back within four with just 30 seconds to go, but the Lady Vols hit free throws down the stretch, shooting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the last minute of the game, including knocking down their last eight.
“We had to battle,” Warlick said. “It was a great team effort, and Pittsburgh was just so solid … That’s what you do when you get to this point, you battle and play hard.”
Tennessee took control of the game in the first half, using an 11-0 run to establish a 15-4 lead just six minutes into the game, thanks in part to the reemergence of Cierra Burdick.
After failing to score in Tennessee’s win over Boise State, Burdick did what seniors are supposed to do and bounced back strong. The forward recorded a double-double of her own, scoring 14 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Burdick knocked down four of her first five shots in the first half, helping Tennessee jump out to a 35-23 lead at the break, proving to be a hole too deep for the Panthers.
“It’s always nice to see the ball go through the bucket,” Burdick said. “I was just trying to stay positive. I knew today I had to bounce back. My teammates and coaches did a great job of just continuing to encourage me, telling me to shoot the ball.”
Ariel Massengale added 16 points of her own and shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line, with her only two misses coming before the game even tipped off as Pittsburgh was assessed a technical foul for an error with the score book.
Along with Burdick, this was Massengale’s last game at Thompson-Boling Arena, and Warlick was pleased with the way the duo ended their UT careers.
“I’m so happy that these seniors could go out the way they did,” Warlick said. “They’ve had a lot of pressure put on them since their freshman year. I’m just excited that they keep playing, and I’m so glad that they got to have two great performances here.”
Tennessee will face the No. 11 seeded Gonzaga on Saturday in Spokane, Washington, in the Sweet Sixteen.
