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Turnovers, Great Syracuse Shooting Cost Tennessee Lady Vols in Elite Eight Loss

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 27, 2016; Sioux Falls, SD, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers center Mercedes Russell (21) and Syracuse Orange center Briana Day (50) tip off to start action in the first half in the finals of the Sioux Falls regional of the women
Mar 27, 2016; Sioux Falls, SD, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers center Mercedes Russell (21) and Syracuse Orange center Briana Day (50) tip off to start action in the first half in the finals of the Sioux Falls regional of the women /
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Great shooting by the Syracuse Orange and too many turnovers cost the Tennessee Lady Vols in their 89-67 Elite Eight loss.

Syracuse shot 14-of-30 from three-point range and the Tennessee Lady Vols committed 21 turnovers, ending their dream season with an 89-67 loss loss to the Orange.

Holly Warlick’s team came into the game a surprising Cinderella story after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Ohio State Buckeyes and looking to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2008. But without Jordan Reynolds, they had no answer for breaking Syracuse’s full-court press or their zone defense.

Diamond DeShields did everything she could to keep the Lady Vols in the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and Jaime Nared did her part to help out as well with 14 points and nine rebounds.

But after dominating the paint Friday, Mercedes Russell and Bashaara Graves were nearly silent, going long spurts without touching the ball.

Combining those things with the red-hot shooting of Syracuse, led by Brianna Butler’s BLANK three-pointers on BLANK shots, meant the Lady Vols had little chance in their embarrassing loss.

Tennessee took a 22-20 lead into the second quarter and only trailed by 6 at halftime and 7 in the fourth quarter, cutting it to 63-59 early on. But that’s as close as they would get before Syracuse broke it open and took a 20-plus point lead.

The Lady Vols ended their worst regular season ever with a 22-14 record and another Elite Eight exit. The NCAA Tournament was enough to cool off Holly Warlick’s seat, but the loss to Syracuse will sting given the fact that this was a team Tennessee had beaten earlier in the year and the fact that they had a clear path to the national title game after Syracuse upset South Carolina and Washington upset Stanford in the other region.

With no Reynolds, Warlick will have a strong case to make as to why her team lost, but the way they collapsed in the fourth was inexcusable, so do not be surprised if the firing talk ramps up again. If she can’t bring in any new recruits soon as well, she could be in big trouble.

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