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Tennessee Lady Vols upset Missouri: 3 takeaways from 62-60 road win

By Caleb Calhoun

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Smokey, the mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers, performs during a time out in the second half against the Wright State Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Smokey, the mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers, performs during a time out in the second half against the Wright State Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Lady Vols upset the Missouri Tigers Sunday 62-60. Here are three takeaways from the women’s basketball Volunteers’ huge road victory.

Rennia Davis hit two free throws with 52 seconds left, and then the Tennessee Lady Vols had two defensive stands to hold on for a 62-60 upset over the Missouri Tigers Sunday afternoon on the road. It was the biggest win of the SEC season for Holly Warlick’s team, as they moved to 17-8 and back to .500 in league play at 6-6 with their fifth win in six games.

The win was also Tennessee’s second straight against a top 60 RPI team and their second all year against a Top 25 RPI team, the first coming against the Texas Longhorns. Missouri, which fell to 19-8 and 8-5 in league play, had just upset the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road and had won in Knoxville earlier this year, the first of UT’s infamous six-game losing streak.

This game was close the entire time. After Davis’s foul, Mimi Collins got away with a kicked ball on a defensive stop, but the Lady Vols couldn’t convert offensively. So they had to get a stop again, which they did with 0.9 seconds left. An offensive foul gave Mizzou the ball with 0.3 seconds left, but it wasn’t enough time to get a shot off.

With Sunday’s win, Rocky Top now has an outside chance to get a top 4 seed in the SEC Tournament. They have four games left, three of which are either at home or against a team with a losing record. Factoring in losses and head to head, they are sixth in the standings right now, one game behind Mizzou and two behind Texas A&M. But they play the Aggies next. Before looking ahead, here are three takeaways from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ stunning upset.

1. Evina Westbrook and Rennia Davis played their roles.

It’s been clear all year that the Tennessee Lady Vols go as Evina Westbrook and Rennia Davis go, but they haven’t been able to go at the same time. Well, that changed in this game. Finally, the leaders put it together. Westbrook had a complete game with 18 points while dishing out 6 assists as the point guard she’s supposed to be. She also added 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, Davis had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and also made it a double-double with 11 rebounds.

In a defensive struggle, those two main scorers showed up. Mimi Collins helped out with 11 points and 6 rebounds off the bench as well. But that’s what the team needs: Westbrook and Davis leading the way with a role player stepping up to score big when needed. All three things happened in this one.

2. Tennessee dominated the hustle plays.

This was the biggest difference in the game. Missouri shot better from the field and better from the free throw line while only committing one more turnover. But in a close match-up, Holly Warlick’s team just outworked Mizzou.

The big storyline here was the glass. Tennessee out-rebounded the Tigers 41-30. Most notably, though, were the 17 offensive rebounds the Lady Vols got compared to only 8 for Mizzou. Make no mistake, that was the difference in the game. Westbrook herself outworked Mizzou with 5 offensive rebounds, and Collins and Cheridene Green each had 3 while Davis had 2. Those hustle plays were the difference, and UT should be proud of that.

3. Tennessee stayed consistent for four quarters.

All year long, the Tennessee Lady Vols have been guilty of surrendering a huge run in a quarter. Down by a point at halftime after a dumb half-court foul spotted Missouri two free throws, you thought they would do it again with a second half collapse on the road. But they didn’t. Tennessee was only outscored in the second quarter, and it was by 2 points. They tied the third and won the first and fourth quarters.

On top of that, they kept their composure. In a game with few possessions, they only had 9 assists and only forced 11 turnovers. But they remained calm, only committing 10 turnovers themselves and hitting 8-of-11 free throws, including the two by Davis in the final minute. This level of composure could lead to a lot more wins for UT down the stretch and is what we’ve been waiting for from this young team. As a result, they deserve a ton of praise. This was a huge win, and their hustle and composure were the key differences.