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Tennessee Lady Vols fall to Stanford 74-63: Three takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee forward Alexus Dye (2) shoots a layup past Stanford guard Lexie Hull (12) during a game between Tennessee and Stanford at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021.Kns Lady Vols Stanford Basketball
Tennessee forward Alexus Dye (2) shoots a layup past Stanford guard Lexie Hull (12) during a game between Tennessee and Stanford at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021.Kns Lady Vols Stanford Basketball /
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The magic has finally run out. A Tennessee Lady Vols team that developed a reputation for just outworking people in the fourth quarter to get to 9-0 without their best player in Rae Burrell didn’t have enough in the tank Saturday. UT fell 74-63 to the No. 3 ranked Stanford Cardinal in Knoxville, Tenn. at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Stanford, who had two losses to teams UT beat, the USF Bulls and Texas Longhorns, built a 20-point lead in the second quarter. They went into halftime up 43-26. Rocky Top then made a furious comeback, opening the third quarter on a 14-0 run to cut it to 43-40 and then 49-46, but Tara VanDerveer’s team regained control and held on the rest of the way.

Stanford improved to 8-2 in the process with a trip to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday up next. UT, ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, falls to 9-1 with two home games against in-state rivals, the ETSU Bucs and Chattanooga Mocs over the next two Mondays up next. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ Saturday loss.

1. Advantages in the paint were nullified.

Despite UT’s reputation, Stanford dominated in this game down low. Harper’s team missed five more shots, but Stanford outrebounded them 52-43. They also had five blocks to the Lady Vols’ three. Tamari Key only had one point and fouled out of the game, which proved costly. Alexus Dye did have 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals, but she also had four turnovers.

Jordan Horston did not score in the paint the way she usually does, which is why she went 5-of-19 on the night. She did have 19 points, 12 rebounds, and even five assists and four steals to show her heart, but it wasn’t enough. Both of Stanford’s backup forwards, Kiki Iriafen and Ashten Prechtel, had double figures. Haley Jones had 18 points and 19 rebounds. That was the difference.

2. Free throw shooting proved costly.

It’s been noted for a while that turnovers and free throw shooting would hurt the Tennessee Lady Vols in a crucial matchup. They were fine on turnovers in this one, as 15 isn’t great but not bad. However, they went 16-of-29 from the free throw line. Going 55.2 percent won’t work against a team as efficient as Stanford, which shot 21-of-24 from the free throw line.

Keyen Green, who had six points off the bench, all from the foul line, was 6-of-10 on free throws. Horston was 7-of-12. Dye, meanwhile, was 0-for-3, which proved really costly. All three could have been better on those attempts.

3. There’s still a formula to win big games.

Despite not dominating in the paint the way they usually do, UT showed promise. They cut down on their turnovers, Horston did a lot of things right, and the perimeter defense was solid with 10 steals. Most importantly, their three-point shooting was there, which is a hugely encouraging sign, especially since they did it without Burrell.

For the game, the Tennessee Lady Vols shot 7-of-16 from the three-point line. Horston and Jordan Walker were both 2-of-4, Brooklynn Miles hit her only attempt off the bench, and Sara Puckett was 2-of-5. If UT can regain its length advantage and improve from the free throw line, this type of three-point shooting could make them unstoppably.