KNOXVILLE— A back-and-forth first half saw two leads changes and five ties before the Lady Vols took a 35-29 lead into the break. Tennessee mounted a 17-2 run early in the second half and Creighton wasn’t able to shoot its way back into the game. The Lady Vol offensive attack proved to be too much for Creighton, and Tennessee marched to a fairly comfortable 68-52 victory and a Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma.

Williams led the Lady Vols with 15 points.
Photo by Reed Carringer

Offense: Four Lady Vols scored in double-figures in the win. Senior Kamiko Williams led the way with 15 points in her last game in Thompson-Boling Arena. Fellow senior Taber Spani scored 10 points on the night and both Williams and Spani received standing ovations as they exited in the game’s waning moments. “It’s special. Thompson-Boling Arena has been very good to both of us. Tennessee has meant a lot to us and our fans and we wanted to leave it all out there on the court,” Spani said of the senior duo’s effort.

Ariel Massengale added 11 points while Meighan Simmons scored 10. The Lady Vols shot 49% from the floor including 60% (6-10) from 3.

Defense:  “I thought they won the game at the end of the floor. Thirteen steals, eight before the half…defensively they pushed us out and we couldn’t get enough good possessions together to get good looks,” Creighton head coach Jim Flanery said in his post-game comments. The Lady Vol defense held the Bluejays to just 18% shooting from 3 (4-22) and 32% shooting overall. Tennessee forced 19 turnovers and scored 21 key points off those turnovers. The Lady Vols also recorded five blocks and did a good job of playing physical defense without fouling.

Final Take: “I’m obviously excited for our team and these two seniors who had a really awesome game in their last game in Thompson-Boling Arena. Creighton is just a good team. Very well-coached and they’re never out of the game.” Tennessee sent its seniors out with a win and was able to put away a dangerous Creighton team and advance. As a result, a team that was picked to finish 4th or 5th in the SEC in the preseason is now headed to the Sweet 16.