Lady Vols lose NCAA tourney game at home for first time [photos]

Oregon State defeats Tennessee, 66-59

AP photo by Wade Payne / Tennessee center Kasiyahna Kushkituah, left, and center Kamera Harris watch during the second half of a second-round NCAA tournament game against Oregon State in March 2018.
AP photo by Wade Payne / Tennessee center Kasiyahna Kushkituah, left, and center Kamera Harris watch during the second half of a second-round NCAA tournament game against Oregon State in March 2018.

KNOXVILLE - Oregon State women's basketball coach Scott Rueck insulated himself from much of the media coverage leading into the NCAA Tournament.

But struggling to sleep at 2 a.m. Sunday before his Beavers faced host Tennessee in the second round, Rueck stumbled upon a preview from ESPN. In the article, he noticed a nugget about the Lady Volunteers having never lost at home in the NCAA tournament and thought, "How often in life do you have a chance to do something for the first time?"

After informing his players at their shootaround about the shot at history, the Beavers went out and added another chapter to their renaissance.

Senior center Marie Gulich had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seeded Oregon State to its third straight Sweet 16 appearance with a 66-59 win over third-seeded Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena. Next up for the Beavers is the Lexington Regional semifinals.

"We had an opportunity to do something today that is really special and that is a first," Rueck said. "So when the clock was ticking down right at the very end and we knew we had it, I just couldn't hardly believe how far this team has come."

Rueck can say the same in a broader sense for his program. The former Pac-12 Conference doormat has become a perennial contender with expectations to make deep tournament runs and share the stage with programs such as tradition-rich Tennessee.

The Lady Vols had been 57-0 at home in NCAA tourney play, with most of those victories coming under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who led the team to eight national championships. This is the second straight season Tennessee has lost in the second round of the NCAAs, and the Lady Vols will miss the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in their 37-year tournament history.

Tennessee (24-8) and Oregon State (25-7) played an intense game befitting two teams separated by only one spot in The Associated Press Top 25 entering the tournament - the Lady Vols were 12th, the Beavers 13th.

Tennessee's swarming pressure defense flustered Oregon State early, forcing turnovers and contested shots. The national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage this season, the Beavers started 1-for-7 from behind the 3-point line.

The Lady Vols went on an 11-2 run in the first quarter, punctuated by a Jaime Nared 3-pointer, to take a 17-7 lead. But Oregon State switched to a zone defense in the second quarter that slowed Tennessee's offense, and the Beavers began hitting shots on the other end to claw back.

They embarked on a 13-2 run to take their first lead on two free throws by Kat Tudor with 2:44 remaining in the half. But then Rennia Davis hit a deep 3-pointer to send Tennessee into halftime with a 26-24 advantage.

"I think it just made us stagnate," Tennessee senior Mercedes Russell said of the Beavers' zone defense. "We were standing around on the perimeter a lot, not really passing and cutting and moving the defense, which we should have. We didn't really make them work defensively."

The teams battled through a physical third quarter, with Oregon State attacking the basket and drawing fouls to end the quarter on an 11-2 run for a 44-39 advantage. The Beavers grabbed two offensive rebounds to keep a possession alive to start the final quarter, and Mikayla Pivec capitalized with a 3-pointer to set the tone.

They gradually built their lead to 13 points. The Lady Vols made a desperate attempt to rally in the final minutes, but they came up short and lost to Oregon State for the first time in five meetings.

Russell finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and four steals, and fellow senior Nared scored nine points - on 3-of-14 shooting - with five assists. Anastasia Hayes had 10 points off the bench, while Davis grabbed 11 rebounds.

Although second-round exits won't satisfy Lady Vols fans - the only other time they failed to reach the Sweet 16 was in 2009 - the future should be bright for coach Holly Warlick's team. Tennessee loses its senior cornerstones, but this season it started two freshmen (Davis and Evina Westbrook), had another named Southeastern Conference sixth woman of the year (Hayes) and has signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation.

Oregon State started the season as a young team in rebuilding mode, but now it has matured into another Sweet 16 squad ready to carry on the legacy.

"It's amazing to see this program grow. I've been a Beaver fan since I was a little girl, and once Scott got here it just got better and better," said McWilliams, a junior. "I am so happy to be able to play for this team and that we are making this Sweet 16 run again."

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: Although second-round exits won't satisfy the Tennessee fan base, the future should be bright. The Lady Vols lose senior cornerstones Russell and Nared, but they started two freshmen (Davis and Evina Westbrook), had a freshman named SEC Sixth Woman of the Year (Anastasia Hayes) and have signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation. The only other time the Lady Vols failed to reach the Sweet 16 was 2009.

Oregon State: The Beavers were not an average No. 6 seed, and proved it. The switch to a zone defense in the second quarter changed the game for the Beavers and contained a Tennessee team that thrives on uptempo offense.

TESTS KEEP COMING

Oregon State hasn't just been studying its NCAA opponents this weekend. The Beavers are scheduled to take finals next week before heading to Lexington. Pivec, a Bio-Health Science major with a 3.98 GPA, has finals in Health, Psychology 202, Physics and Organic Chemistry.

UP NEXT

OSU advances to the Sweet 16 to play No. 2 Baylor or No. 7 Michigan in Lexington, Kentucky.

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