DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Tennessee had been straight down age 14 details alongside 11th-seeded Kansas, an unheralded bunch that several though could examination the actual infamous Lady Vols .
Feisty sophomore Meighan Simmons presented Tennessee the particular enhance it needed to survive as well as improve to be able to yet another regional final.
Simmons scored of sixteen of the woman's twenty two details over common in the second 50 % in addition to Tennessee rallied previous the actual Jayhawks 84-73 Saturday and also sophisticated to help it's second direct regional finalized in addition to 25th inside 31 years.
Glory Johnson additional eighteen points to the second-seeded Lady Vols (27-8), who'll connect with undefeated along with top-seeded Baylor with Monday nights for your place while in the Final Four.
It was the 1,098th acquire for Tennessee trainer Pat Summitt, which announced in August she'd recently been clinically determined with beginning onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, as well as features yet to help invest in coaching next season.
"The first 50 percent most people are likely to receive ourselves from a hole, but many of us fought back," explained Tennessee companion head trainer Holly Warlick. "I notion our regular had been outstanding."
The Lady Vols trailed 26-12 in the initial half, but reduce your debt in order to 35-30 through halftime. They needed the head forever with a 19-9 cost start cost-free half.
Angel Goodrich had a new game-high 23 points and also Aishah Sutherland had nineteen pertaining to Kansas (21-13), which will dropped in order to 0-3 within local semifinals.
Simmons aided pick and choose upwards the grumpy Lady Vols.
"She is known for a scoring mentality. We've explained she is under no circumstances seen a new shot the girl didn't like. But I tell you what, a great deal of those people shots your lady calls for your woman makes," Warlick said. "If you can easliy know out of your girlfriend in addition to recognize that great things can happen any time you do have a lots of heart, we all is not going to get down prefer that while in the earliest half."
Tennessee couldn't carry out something proper for your initial 11 minutes, falling powering to your Kansas crew of which finished underneath .500 within the Big 12.
But there's reasons the Lady Vols always seem to often be in the regional finals. The Jayhawks observed inside the best a matter of minutes of the next half, whenever Tennessee's top-quality degree along with athleticism easily overcome that underdogs.
"The second-chance factors around the glass, your offensive rebounds, which often is usually precisely what they've generally been about," Kansas guru Bonnie Henrickson said. "They found myself in us all inside bothersome glass, many people found myself in us within transition. That's the method they acquired the particular split from the second half."
The Lady Vols finally needed the actual lead, 44-42, thanks basically for you to back-to-back 3s from Ariel Massengale, and a set of zero cost tosses made it 53-46 Tennessee using 11:07 in order to go.
Freshman post person Chelsea Gardner would the woman best and keep the Jayhawks close with 14 tips and also eight rebounds. But Simmons hit a layup away from a give-and-go from Baugh to supply the Lady Vols their primary double-digit lead, 63-53, by using 7:07 left.
Shekinna Stricklen have sixteen details as well as nine rebounds to get Tennessee, which will shot 51. 5 percent within the next half.
This looked like the ultimate mismatch in the outset. Kansas had been trying to play in mere it's third regional semifinal, though Tennessee has been actively playing in its 30th and shooting for just a history 19th Final Four.
But early on, the Jayhawks looked geared up to the overdue morning start.
Gardner bullied your ex approach to get four on the inside buckets inside cutting open all 5 minutes, and also back-to-back layups through the fresh paint simply by Goodrich offered Kansas a a revelation 18-10 lead. The Lady Vols called timeout throughout a good energy to be able to quell the run, nevertheless Goodrich as well as Tania Jackson smothered 3s to support push your result in fourteen points.
"The initial couple of a matter of minutes we arrived that has a many energy on defensive and also offense. We ended up reaching a lot of shots," Gardner said. "We just had wonderful defense."
That's the kind of debts which will acquire anyone's attention. They Lady Vols arrived on the scene of an timeout along with considerably additional energy, reacting by using an enthusiastic 19-5 function to obtain again in just 31-29.
Kansas lost superstar Carolyn Davis to a knee injury past month, although rallied to generate its first regional semifinals berth seeing that 1998 by using upsets of Nebraska in addition to third-seeded Delaware.
Tennessee's senior citizens at this point have the possiblity to avoid becoming that very first four-year class around institution background to overlook the particular Final Four. They acquired that with substantial part due to the do the job of Simmons. She helped lead 41 regular points, when compared with eleven to get Kansas.
"Since it is a one as well as performed form of thing, the item merely produces this power within me. Seems including I have got that alter ego," Simmons said. "I prefer to move out right now there and verify some sort of position which I'm a lot better than exactly who considered me. I wish our golden-agers to visit the actual Final Four."
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