Shooting For A Comeback
The Lady Vols started their 2017-2018 season off with a series of back to back wins. Holly Warlick and her team drove into the season with high intensity and a motivation to win each game they played. The Lady Vols remained undefeated, putting them at 15-0, and earned a spot as the number six team in the nation. After ending last season with a record of 20-12, Lady Vols fans are stunned with their teams performance so far this season. Unfortunately, their 15-0 winning streak came to an end after falling short by three and loosing 76-79 to number six Texas A&M.
After falling to a record of 15-1 the Lady Vols took the loss and used it as motivation to bounce back and win their next game against number ten South Carolina. The Lady Vols succeeded in their plan to bounce back by defeating South Carolina 86-70.
The hardest challenge for the Lady Vols came when they faced number five Notre Dame. During this game Mercedes Russell was set to be a key component in the Lady Vols scoring drive, considering she has had eight double doubles so far this year. The Lady Vols began dominating the game early. After missing multiple shots in the first quarter the Lady Irish took their first timeout of the half. After taking the timeout no adjustment was made, and Tennessee continued to go to the right side and got an open look. Meme Jackson continued to hit the hoop from the outside. She has had 28 three pointers this season. The Lady vols entered the locker room leading the Lady Irish 39-27. Coming out of the locker room, the Lady Irish adjusted and started playing very defensive minded basketball. Notre Dame began to force Tennessee to turn over after turn over. The Lady Irish shortened the lead to an 11 point game and finally found themselves some rhythm. The score with 23.8 seconds left in the third quarter was 57-50, making it the Lady Vols lowest lead of the night. The Notre Dame defense held Mercedes Russell from scoring in the second half, and they also forced Tennessee to 21 turnover. The Irish continued to score and held Tennessee to only 18 points in the second half. The biggest challenge for the Lady Vols came when they didn’t adjust to Notre Dame. Tennessee fell to the Lady Irish and lost 70-84. The Lady Irish came back from a 23 point deficit, making it the biggest comeback in Irish history.
For the Lady Vols this upsetting loss leaves them once again shooting for a comeback. Tennessee is scheduled to play number 3 Mississippi State this Sunday January 21st at 3 pm. This will be the Lady vols opportunity to bounce back on top.
