John Adams: Lady Vols' 'Big 3' too much for LSU
Tennessee’s convincing women's basketball victory over LSU on Thursday night won’t turn heads like its upset of No. 4 South Carolina in Columbia three days earlier. But it wasn’t without significance.
In an up-and-down season, the No. 25 Lady Vols were due for a letdown after their biggest win of the season. Instead, they made 52.9 percent of their shots, dominated the rebounding and pulled away in the second half for a 77-58 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Lady Vols on target in beating LSU
“It was a test of our growth as a team,” Tennessee’s Diamond DeShields said. “We’ve had big wins. That wasn’t anything new for us. It’s always the next game that gets us.”
Just a couple of weeks earlier, UT knocked off No. 6 Notre Dame. Three days later, it bottomed out against Auburn, losing by 18 points on the road.
Tennessee (16-6) wasn't sharp right away against LSU but took charge in the third quarter after leading by seven at halftime.
“South Carolina is over,” DeShields said. “We let it go. We focused on LSU, and I think it showed.”
It showed the most in the third quarter when Tennessee quickly turned a 34-27 lead into a 55-40 advantage on its way to a fourth consecutive conference victory.
The decisive surge had a familiar leader. DeShields, who went scoreless in the first half, had nine of her 15 points in the third-quarter run.
Jaime Nared, who had a game-high 26 points, and Mercedes Russell, who added 18 points, carried the offense until DeShields found her shooting range.
The threesome’s production was nothing new. In fact, it extends beyond the winning streak.
Nared, Russell and DeShields all have scored in double figures in each of the past seven games. DeShields has averaged 19.4 points in those seven games, Nared 19.0, and Russell 16.3.
“It’s a huge thing for us,” coach Holly Warlick said of their recent play. “We understand our roles. Those are our three big players. And I think all of our players understand it.
“The difference is they’re finding ways to get great looks. They’re not settling.”
Nared provided the best example of that against LSU. She made nine of 10 field-goal attempts and repeatedly scored inside against the smaller Lady Tigers, whose starting lineup didn’t include a player taller than 5-feet-11.
LSU also had trouble matching up with the 6-6 Russell, who was 6-for-9 from the field. Tennessee’s success inside wasn’t limited to its starters. Schaquilla Nunn, a backup post player, chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds in just 13 minutes.
Russell, Nared and DeShields all had eight or more rebounds as Tennessee outrebounded the Lady Tigers 42-28.
“It was definitely a challenge,” LSU post player Ayana Mitchell said. “Mercedes is a great player. She got position on us a lot and got us in foul trouble.”
LSU coach Nikki Fargas became more aware of the overall challenge three days earlier.
“After watching the game against South Carolina...they really have made a huge transition from where they were a month ago," Fargas said. "They’re getting consistency from their Big 3 and they’re doing what they need to do.”
And they’re starting to do it consistently.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @johnadamsKNS