DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Tennessee has been lower age 14 items next to 11th-seeded Kansas, a good unheralded collection in which few nevertheless could check this famous Lady Vols .
Feisty sophomore Meighan Simmons bought Tennessee the actual improve them needed to help survive in addition to enhance that will yet again regional final.
Simmons scored 16 of your ex twenty two items from the counter within the following one half in addition to Tennessee rallied past the Jayhawks 84-73 Saturday and also sophisticated that will its following directly regional final in addition to 25th around thirty-one years.
Glory Johnson included 18 details for any second-seeded Lady Vols (27-8), who'll match undefeated and top-seeded Baylor upon Monday nighttime for just a spot in the Final Four.
It had been your 1,098th win pertaining to Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who proclaimed with August she'd happen to be determined with first attack dementia, Alzheimer's type, plus offers nevertheless to click with training up coming season.
"The initial half most of us are inclined to receive ourself in a very hole, but most of us fought against back," stated Tennessee associate head train Holly Warlick. "I thought each of our bench was outstanding."
The Lady Vols trailed 26-12 while in the first half, but lower your debt to 35-30 by way of halftime. They needed the steer permanently with a 19-9 run to available cost-free half.
Angel Goodrich had a game-high 23 factors as well as Aishah Sutherland had 19 to get Kansas (21-13), which fell to 0-3 around regional semifinals.
Simmons assisted grab this sloth-like Lady Vols.
"She has a scoring mentality. We've claimed she's by no means observed a opportunity your lady didn't like. But I tell you what, plenty of these game she takes your woman makes," Warlick said. "If you can easlily learn from the girl and also recognize that wonderful stuff can easily happen when you experience a lot of heart, many of us wouldn't find lower of that ranking in the first half."
Tennessee would not perform something right for the primary 11 minutes, dropping behind to your Kansas workforce in which done below .500 in the Big 12.
But there may be reasons your Lady Vols often seem to be inside the local finals. The Jayhawks discovered in the opening seconds from the minute half, any time Tennessee's top-quality interesting depth plus athleticism just overwhelmed the actual underdogs.
"The second-chance points about the glass, that unpleasant rebounds, that is certainly what they've always been about," Kansas train Bonnie Henrickson said. "They experienced us from the bothersome glass, they got into people in transition. That's just how that they bought the spliting up in the subsequent half."
The Lady Vols as a final point took the particular lead, 44-42, with thanks largely in order to back-to-back 3s from Ariel Massengale, and a pair of free of charge throws managed to get 53-46 Tennessee by using 11:07 to help go.
Freshman submit player Chelsea Gardner have the girl finest to maintain the Jayhawks close using 14 factors as well as 10 rebounds. But Simmons hit a layup off of a give-and-go from Baugh to give the actual Lady Vols their first double-digit lead, 63-53, with 7:07 left.
Shekinna Stricklen acquired 16 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee, which in turn result 51. a few p'cent while in the next half.
This looks like the final word mismatch at the outset. Kansas was enjoying with simply just its lastly regional semifinal, when Tennessee was participating in within it is 30th and snapping shots for just a track record 19th Final Four.
But early on on, this Jayhawks looked geared up to the late morning hours start.
Gardner bullied her way to get four on the inside buckets from the cracking open five minutes, and also back-to-back layups from the paint by simply Goodrich gave Kansas your surprising 18-10 lead. The Lady Vols named timeout in an effort to be able to quell the run, although Goodrich plus Tania Jackson intered 3s to assist force the bring about fourteen points.
"The first number of mins most people became available which includes a lots of energy with defense and offense. We were punishing a lot of shots," Gardner said. "We simply had superb defense."
That's upon deficit which will acquire your attention. They Lady Vols arrived of an timeout having even more energy, responding together with a good full of energy 19-5 set you back reunite within 31-29.
Kansas lost legend Carolyn Davis to some sort of knee damage past month, although rallied that will earn its very first regional semifinals berth considering that 1998 along with upsets associated with Nebraska along with third-seeded Delaware.
Tennessee's older persons now take over the method to stop becoming the best four-year school in education story to help skip the particular Final Four. They got it with significant section due to operate connected with Simmons. She helped contribute 41 along with points, in comparison to 11 with regard to Kansas.
"Since it's actually a a single and also accomplished sorts of thing, this just brings that energy inside me. Seems including I have got that modify ego," Simmons said. "I would like to move out right now there and confirm a stage this I'm as good as what people talked about me. I need your seniors to venture to the Final Four."
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