KNOXVILLE — Thirty-seven-point-eight seconds from the finish, Tennessee women’s basketball coach Holly Warlick threw up her hands in disgust.
Yes, her Lady Vols were about to dismiss Pittsburgh from the NCAA tournament, which also meant they were on their way to their third straight Sweet 16 in the three years Warlick has run the program since Pat Summitt retired.
But ahead by seven points in the split-second before Warlick became upset, the Lady Vols fouled Pitt point guard Brianna Kiesel on a made basket, resulting in a three-point play the old-fashioned way that briefly cut UT’s advantage to four fragile points.
“You just can’t do that,” Warlick said at the close of this 77-67 victory inside UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena.
“I’d much rather have these games end with a 13- to 20-point win. That would be fun. I feel like this team doesn’t want me to have fun.”
For anyone who watched Pitt break our own University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs’ hearts Saturday, the most fun in this game was watching Kiesel end her career scoring a game-high 32 points.
Warlick was so impressed she stopped Kiesel in a Boling Alley hallway after the game and asked her if the player would want to go to Spokane, Wash., with the Lady Vols for this weekend’s Sweet 16 game against Gonzaga.
“We’d find some kind of uniform for her,” the Tennessee coach joked.
But perhaps what ultimately was best was seeing how this program has weathered a very tough, emotional three seasons since Summitt was forced to retire due to Alzheimer’s at the close of the 2012 season. After losing the first game she ever worked as head coach during a trip to Chattanooga, Warlick not only has reached three Sweet 16s but traveled to the Elite Eight her first season on the job.
Beyond that, Monday night was her 29th win of this season, a personal best that included an 18-0 home mark.
“I didn’t know that,” Warlick said. “That’s awesome. Your record is a reflection of your staff and great players. We’re on the course of doing what we want to do. We want to keep winning one more and one more.”
Pittsburgh forward Yacine Diop (12) shoots against Tennessee forward Cierra Burdick (11) during the first half of a college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA women’s tournament Monday, March 23, 2015, in Knoxville.One game at a time was what Summitt did best. Actually, one play at a time. One pass at a time. One defensive stop at a time. And with Summitt touchingly in the stands Monday to watch her last recruiting class play its final home game, senior guard Ariel Massengale was eloquent in her praise of the coach who recruited her to Tennessee.
“It was a great feeling (seeing Summitt),” Massengale said. “She gave (the seniors) the opportunity to wear the Lady Vol uniform. We hope we’ve made her proud.”
They have, of course: Massengale, Cierra Burdick and injured center Isabelle Harrison.
And both Massengale and Burdick exited their home court for a final time in great style, Massengale scoring 16 points and Burdick 14 to ably back leading scorer and rebounder Bashaara Graves, who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Added Burdick regarding Summitt’s presence: “To do this in front of Pat was an awesome feeling.”
The game certainly started out awesomely for the Lady Vols, who took less than five minutes to lead 14-4.
How different was this game than Pitt’s win Saturday? Consider this: With a little over 10 minutes to play in Monday’s first half, the second-seeded Lady Vols had 21 points, the same number UTC’s Mocs had at halftime. Tennessee led Pitt 35-23 at the break. The Panthers led UTC 25-21.
“We were a little nervous, a little rattled,” Panthers coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said of her team’s first half. “It was one of my calmest halftime speeches I’ve given all year.”
Appropriately steadied, Pitt didn’t go quietly into Monday’s warm, good night. The Panthers scored the first seven points of the final half, forcing Warlick to burn her second timeout of the game. A Thompson-Boling Arena that was less than half full — most of the upper level was blanketed in black curtains — instantly was filled with 5,712 spectators overcome by nervous energy, heavy on the nerves.
When Kiesel scored inside to pull Pitt within 35-32 immediately after that timeout, the tension briefly increased.
However, there was a reason why the Lady Vols entered this tournament with a No. 2 seeding and Pitt a No. 10. Despite the Panthers’ brief rally, UT’s touch and toughness soon took over. Scoring from both near and far, the Big Orange led 56-43 with 9:16 to go.
Yet here came Pitt one final time, sparked by its irrepressible Kiesel, who scored 24 of her 32 points in the final half, including that three-point play inside the final 40 seconds.
But then time ran out on the underdog. The Spokane Region’s No. 2 seed scored the game’s last six points. And moved on to face No. 11 seed Gonzaga, which stunned Oregon State.
Could the Mocs have done better? Could they have repeated their November upset of UT if they’d gotten by Pitt? We’ll never know. But Pitt coach McConnell-Serio gave a hint.
“(Tennessee) is just very good,” she said. “They move the ball well. They make a living on the offensive glass. They have five scoring options on the floor at all times. They see the next play.”
Now if they could just start winning these NCAA tournament games easily enough for their coach to have a little fun.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.