The No. 20 Lady Vols fell 74-69 to No. 18 Notre Dame in a home game matchup Wednesday night. The matchup’s nonstop physicality lit a promising new fire under the Lady Vols, but that flame faded out after halftime, leading to a dark finale for Tennessee.
Notre Dame scored only 25 points in the first half, shooting a mere 27% from the field. The Irish finally found their fight in the second half, though, outscoring Tennessee by 17 points in the final two quarters. The Fighting Irish rallied from an early third-quarter deficit of 16 points to ultimately win by 5 points.
Lady Vols Suffer 74-69 Loss To Fighting Irish
The Lady Vols have been working hard to create cohesion within a brand-new starting lineup this season, and we saw much of that effort come together against Notre Dame.
Lady Vols leading scorer Rickea Jackson was out for the fifth consecutive game as she remains uncertain with a foot injury. With Jackson nowhere to be found and redshirt senior Tamari Key dressed down for the night, Tennessee was lacking the typical height we see from the Lady Vols lineup.
After Jillian Hollingshead served her tip-off duties, 6-foot-3 Karoline Striplin became the team’s tallest option for the game’s majority, putting up an impressive defensive effort and setting Thomson-Boling Arena’s Food City Center ablaze with cheer.
And where 5-foot-6 teammate Jasmine Powell lacked in verticality, she made up for twofold in leadership.
Jasmine Powell Leads Lady Vols To Near Win Against Notre Dame
Fifth-year guard Powell set the tone by scoring the first points of the game, and the Lady Vols continued that pace well into the first half. Powell led Tennessee on the floor and the scoreboard, contributing 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Powell’s playing is looking exceptionally mature now that she’s seeing more time on the court. Jackson’s absence has allowed Powell to step into a new leadership role for the team. And Powell showed us that she’s capable of guiding her team to success, slowing down play and speeding it up when necessary. She knows when to call the shots and when to step back and let other players take the lead.
As a result, Tennessee had a 28.6% success rate behind the arc, with Jewel Spear going 3-6 on her three-pointers and Tess Darby going 2-5. Meanwhile, Notre Dame didn’t hit a single one of its nine three-point attempts.
Notre Dame Rallies After Halftime For 74-69 Win
Aware of the lessening time, Notre Dame shifted into high gear by the end of the third quarter, closing the gap to six points before the Lady Vols called a time-out to regroup.
The Fighting Irish managed to reduce its deficit to only two points before Tennessee expanded that gap again going into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame stayed hot on Tennessee’s tail through the entire fourth quarter until Anna DeWolfe finally tipped the scale in favor of the Irish.
Powell was quick with an answer, returning the score to 64-62 in Tennessee’s favor before DeWolfe and Hidalgo replied with responses of their own. Notre Dame then took the lead once again with less than one minute left in the game and finally stole away, settling the game with a five-point lead once the buzzer sounded.
Maddy Westbeld and Natalija Marshall both led Notre Dame with 15 points. Westbeld also logged the game’s only double-double, snagging 10 rebounds in addition to her 15 points.
Tennessee Faces #16 Ohio State This Sunday
Despite an ultimate loss, this game revealed a Tennessee team that can compete with ranked opponents with or without its star player in the game.
If nothing else, Tennessee proved that it’s capable of making plays with multiple leaders at the helm. And if we’re lucky, may finally gain some of the national attention they deserve.
Tennessee has a shot at redemption this Sunday as it welcomes No. 16 Ohio State to Knoxville. Tickets are still available for this 5 p.m. matchup, or tune into ESPN to stream the game live.
