She knew what it would mean in the locker room, and she was right. (Donald Page / NCAA Photos via Getty Images) The Lady Vols’ celebrate Sara Puckett’s game-winning shot by dousing her in water. She knows how much it meant to her parents, Joey and Christy Puckett, and she had to break from her teammates as they left the floor, waving to the fans, so she could go give them both a hug in the stands. She knows the confidence placed in her in that moment helped her. Puckett knows that swish with 17.8 seconds left kept this season alive, kept the Lady Vols (25-8) playing with a 70-67 win - cemented by clutch Key foul shots - that will send them to Wichita to play No. “I think we all knew as soon as it left her fingertips,” Key said later, “that it was good.” Puckett had been slumping from outside, 2 of 16 from 3-point range in her previous nine games. 4 seed Lady Vols’ 80-67 first-round win over Buffalo. She had a huge knot on her forehead from the previous game, the No.
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The 6-2 freshman from Muscle Shoals, Ala., had just crashed to the floor on a rebound and had to leave the game for a few moments. So Kellie Harper knew her team would need other options on the play. A condensed zone was part of what helped Bart Brooks’ team come back. The Bruins were packed in there, trying to take away 6-foot-6 Tamari Key and all driving lanes. Tennessee senior Rae Burrell ducked into the lane. The Bruins hadn’t trailed since more than four minutes remained. This surging program representing a private university 180 miles west in Nashville was on the verge of its first Sweet 16. The fans crowding this one, UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena, seemed a bit dazed other than the rowdy Belmont students and supporters behind the Bruins’ basket. Thanks to a Belmont team that would not stop attacking, with guards who would not be out of place on any court. Tennessee forced Belmont into eight turnovers and scored 16 points off of them.KNOXVILLE - Tennessee hadn’t been to a Sweet 16 since 2016, and the four first-weekend losses in that span dropped the program to 60-5 - yes, dropped it to 60-5 - in the first and second rounds.Īnd now it was about to be 60-6, thanks to a 14-point lead that had turned to a deficit. The Lady Vols held Belmont to 10 points in the second quarter while scoring 19 of their own to hold a 12-point lead at halftime. The Bruins shot 25% in the first two quarters and only made 4-of-16 from 3-point range. Tennessee was solid defensively, keeping guards in front of them and not letting up many easy looks from behind the arc.
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The Lady Vols are now 24-2 when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points, and 1-6 when they don't.īy halftime, Belmont had scored only 23 points and Jones – who scored 22 against Oregon and was 4-of-4 from 3-point range – only had one point from a free throw. Tennessee needs its best defense to keep winning games. The freshmen combined for 18 points and 11 rebounds.
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It's the culture here right now, but it is so strong with those freshmen." I'm telling you, they put so much time in outside of our practice. "I'll tell you what, they've hung in there," Harper said of the freshmen. "They're really taking advantage of their opportunities when they get them. It's a milestone that's meaningful for everyone in the program, as none of the players on the roster have made a Sweet 16 and Harper's only Sweet 16 appearance as a coach was in 2019 with Missouri State.īelmont's Cinderella run ends in the second round for the second year in a row.
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Tennessee is going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in coach Kellie Harper's third season. Destinee Wells led Belmont with 22 points and Tuti Jones had 17, hitting crucial shots down the stretch to give Belmont a chance to win – the game was within three points the last six minutes of the game. Belmont grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and scored 23 points off of them. SWEET 16: This Sweet 16 sweeter than most for the Lady Vols | AdamsįIRST ROUND WIN: How Tennessee Lady Vols basketball adjusted at halftime to beat Buffalo in NCAA Tournament openerĪfter Tennessee had the advantage on the glass in the first half, Belmont out-rebounded Tennessee 20-15 in the second half, 10 of them off the offensive glass. GAME WINNER: See Lady Vols' Sara Puckett hit game-winning 3-pointer in final seconds to send Tennessee to Sweet 16 "(Dye has) won rings every year that she's played basketball, and this is the year for us," Key said. "She's come on this team, and she has the winner's mentality, and she works really hard.
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Alexus Dye led Tennessee with her fourth straight double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds), and Key had 18 points and four rebounds.