The Lady Vols clawed their way back into the game Sunday against LSU, but with the lead within their grasp, they didn’t stay true to who they are.
They took too many quick shots, didn’t have enough ball movement and didn’t go to their star with the game on the line. There were six minutes left when Tennessee got within two points of the reigning champions, and that was the moment it had to take charge.
Instead, it came up empty on possession after possession, and No. 10 LSU was up double digits again a couple of minutes later. After being neck and neck in the fourth quarter, the Lady Vols were handed a 75-60 loss at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Senior guards Jasmine Powell and Jewel Spear went a combined 5-for-29 from the field and 0-for-8 from behind the arc. Both came up big on the boards, combining for 13 rebounds and Powell had six assists, but their lack of offensive efficiency hurt.
“Sometimes, we get excited. We want to make the play, we want to be able to help our team,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said. “I don’t think we have players that are being selfish, I think we have players that just want to do their part.”
Senior forward Rickea Jackson, who led Tennessee with 16 points, cut LSU’s lead to one with a free throw 2½ minutes into the fourth quarter. The Lady Vols got Jackson only one more field goal attempt the rest of the game.
Harper said it was a result of both LSU’s defense and Tennessee’s lack of offensive execution down the stretch. The Tigers were sagging off the Lady Vols’ guards, making it difficult to get the ball inside.
“We did miss Rickea on a few possessions that I felt like we could have gotten her the ball,” Harper said. “She’s also got to get herself in position a little bit quicker. I think out of transition, we could have gotten her in some positions to be able to get the ball. Obviously, we know we need to look for her. We understand that, but they were denying and really collapsing in on to her in that fourth quarter.”
Neither team had great offensive showings — LSU made just 12 of its 42 layup attempts — and with the game so close, it came down to guard play. LSU senior Hailey Van Lith scored 12 of her game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter, and freshman Mikaylah Williams added six points on 4-for-6 shooting.
Van Lith scored 10 of those points while LSU went on a run to take an 11-point lead with 3:45 left in the game. Powell tried going blow for blow with Van Lith, but made only one of her four shot attempts as Van Lith torched the Lady Vols on defense.
“There are times that we need to do a little bit better job of reading the situation and knowing where that ball needs to go,” Harper said. “So it’ll be a great teaching moment for us that, honestly, you can do the whole game, but specifically we can dial into that fourth quarter. And if we can learn from that, and we can walk away a better basketball team, that’ll be a big deal.”
Guard play was also the difference in Tennessee’s 11-point loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Feb. 15. Spear was held scoreless, and Powell went 4-for-17 from the field and had one assist.
The Lady Vols have two more games in the regular season to figure things out, but if they don’t find consistency in their guard play against top teams, it will continue to hurt them down the stretch.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Offensive efficiency of Lady Vols basketball guards is of concern
