Tennessee coach Pat Summitt waits for her players during a timeout in the second half of an NCAA women’s college basketball tournament regional final against Baylor, Monday, March 26, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. Baylor won 77-58.DES MOINES, Iowa – With one last chance to get to the Final Four, Tennessee’s seniors ran into the most imposing hurdle of all.
Try as they might, they just couldn’t get it done against Brittney Griner and the Baylor Lady Bears.
Baylor rolled past the Lady Vols 77-58 Monday night to reach the Final Four for the second time in three years. It ended a difficult, emotional season for Tennessee and its Hall of Fame coach, Pat Summitt, who is battling early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.
Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and the other members of their senior class became the first group of four-year players at Tennessee to go through their careers without reaching the Final Four. But Johnson took solace in their effort against a team that’s now two victories from going 40-0.
“We played them as strong as we could,” Johnson said. “If you don’t leave everything out on the floor, whether you’re winning or losing, it was the last opportunity to show people what type of player you are. I definitely left it all out there, Shekinna left it all out there, Vicki (Baugh) left it all out there.