Lady Vols Tournament Run Ends With 76-64 Loss To Louisville

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Rae Burrell. Photo: Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

The Lady Volunteers’ successful 2022 season came to an end this weekend, losing to No. 1 seeded Louisville 76-64 in the Sweet Sixteen in Wichita, Kansas on Saturday (March 26).

Tennessee and Louisville started off relatively even. The Cardinals took an early 19-13 lead after the first quarter, but a massive second quarter from Louisville gave them a 39-28 lead. After halftime, the Lady Vols scored 22 points, cutting Louisville’s lead to 55-50. But this wasn’t enough to pull off an upset as the Cardinals scored 21 points in the final quarter, solidifying their trip to the Elite Eight.

“You never know when that last game is coming. It’s always so abrupt,” said Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper in a postgame press conference. “I’m disappointed that we don’t get to keep playing basketball because this group has been so much fun to coach and work with every day. But Louisville is really good and they’re tough on both ends of the court. We needed to play with a few less mistakes on both ends of the court. You’ve got to make your free throws, you’ve got to be low turnover, and you’ve got to finish around the basket. We didn’t do that enough.

“I’m really proud of our team. They don’t have any quit in them. They’re going to fight. They cut it to 2 and gave ourselves a chance there in the fourth quarter. I love them for that, for their competitiveness and how they have represented the Lady Vols.”

Senior Rae Burrell played her final collegiate game and went out with a bang, scoring 22 points and rebounding six. Guard Jordan Walker scored 10 points for Tennessee and was the only other player to score in double digits.

“[Playing for this team has] meant so much. I get to be a Lady Vol for life, and that means a lot to me,” Burrell shared. “I’ve been here for four years, and it’s been a great ride. I’m just very grateful for my team and the people that have helped me along the way.”

The Cardinals played excellent and were led by the offensive prowess from Hailey Van Lith and Emily Engstler who scored 23 points and 20 points, respectively. Engstler picked up a double-double as well, rebounding 10. Louisville also combined for 11 steals and eight blocks, scoring 21 points off of 18 Tennessee turnovers.

The Lady Vols finished their season with a record of 25-9 and an astounding home record of 16-2. Outside of Burrell, Walker and two other graduate students, Tennessee will be welcoming back a huge chunk of its roster, including leading scorer Jordan Horston who averaged 16.2 ppg and 9.4 rpg.

Steven Boero
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