Lady Vols' struggles against Texas A&M have boiled down to a few possessions
After her team handed Tennessee a sobering loss on Sunday, LSU coach Nikki Fargas unwittingly gave the Lady Vols some useful advice.
The tip was the primary directive the former UT player and assistant coach implored the Tigers to embrace in rallying from a 10-point first-half deficit for a 70-59 women's basketball victory.
"They only thing we wrote on the board," Fargas said, "was 'one possession at a time.' ''
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"That's definitely smart basketball," Lady Vols center Mercedes Russell conceded.
It's also timely strategy for No. 13 Tennessee (17-4, 5-3 SEC), which faces No. 12 Texas A&M (17-5, 6-2) Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena (TV: SEC Network, 6:30 p.m. ET).
The Lady Vols have lost three of their last four meetings against the Aggies, and all of the losses were determined by a handful of possessions. A 79-76 overtime loss in College Station, Texas, on Jan. 11 was particularly hard on freshman Evina Westbrook. She committed a untimely foul, which resulted in three free throws by Aggies guard Danni Williams, and then a turnover at game's end.
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"I've looked back at it a lot," Westbrook said on Wednesday.
The game in Knoxville last season was decided by Aggies' center Khaalia Hillsman's offensive rebound and short putback jumper with four seconds left. The Lady Vols led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter but missed their final 11 field goal attempts in losing 61-59.
In 2016, another rebound factored into another agonizing finish. Anriel Howard snagged a missed shot and hit a game-tying turnaround jumper with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, setting the stage for Tennessee's 76-71 overtime loss. The Lady Vols blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead in that game as well.
"Every play counts," Westbrook said. "We've locked in on that. On the defensive end, the offensive end, every possession matters."
Along with its painful history against Texas A&M, Tennessee has other reasons for such pointed thinking. The loss to LSU called into question UT's overall effort.
"It was really tough to wonder why we weren't playing hard," Russell said, "and wonder why we weren't being physical and getting loose balls and things like that."
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During her appearance Monday night on the statewide radio show "Vols Calls" Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick said, "We were just not very inspired to play hard."
She was playing defense of sorts about that sentiment on Wednesday when questioned by a fan at the Big Orange Tip-Off Club.
At the gathering, Warlick said Tuesday's practice revolved around defense and rebounding. She indicated that the players barely touched the basketball, although Russell said some shooting was involved.
"It always starts in practice," Westbrook said. "(Tuesday's practice) kind of brought back the old vibe and the old kind of team spirit that we had at the beginning of the season."
Along with the workout, players and coaches also convened a conversation about the nature of Sunday's loss. Neither Westbrook nor Russell shared many specifics, but Westbrook referenced a general theme.
"How we should get back to the way we should be playing," she said.
Westbrook, whose mother, Eva, and 10-year-old brother ,Tko, are traveling from Oregon to attend Thursday's game, went so far as to describe Tennessee's four losses in its last six games as constructive.
"Honestly, I think we needed it," she said. "We're not going to win every game. It kind of gave us an eye-opener (that) we don't want to be in this place."