Mike Siroky’s SEC Report: Looking For The Close Out

By Mike Siroky

The best conference in women’s basketball – the Southeastern – is winding up the regular season.

Purists among us favor the marathon winner of the regular season rather than the sprint of a league tournament.

 The tournament is the official bid winner for the NCAA eliminations. It does not guarantee positioning. Six or seven others will receive bids based on regular-season play.

We have been writing for years that every SEC Team that hits 20 wins has gotten in, even some with 19. Tennessee can still do that this season, despite being written off earlier this month by the wonks at ESPN. The five with 20 are in. A sixth has a chance with two to go.

This league is so tough that a six-game win streak is the longest active.

Using the national marker of the final five games if the season, only Mississippi State has won all three played so far. 

That makes the season-ending game at Carolina the league title game. And sets the top seed in the league tournament, though they will likely meet again in that final game.

Only State can win a top seed in the NCAA eliminations, again counter to the pap ESPN had been feeding us.

On Sunday, the best teams all won. 

Much more interesting was the competitive Ole Miss-Arkansas game, the Razorbacks tying Tennessee with 17 wins,  and Missouri staying true to form and losing again at 20-win Auburn. 

The Big Four -- the ranked teams—in conference remain unreachable for everyone else, assured of the double-byes in the league tournament after separating from the less thans. The league will close the season with four Top 20 teams.

Here’s how the league’s ranked teams did in the past week.

No. 5 Mississippi State (25-2)

OK, so state rival Mississippi is not a real competitor. 

It was important if they want to win 30, a mathematical possibility, before the NCAA eliminations. And it kept them in first place.

The Rebels started 62 percent from the floor when it was 12-all. Jordan Danberry had five of those. It was just 17-16 after one. State is a fourth-quarter team when it needs to be.

Teiara McCowan rose to 13 points by the end of the half, with 10 rebounds. They blew it out to 49-35 in the third and could have coasted. But they were aware they were back in first place alone and that nobody was undefeated at home.

Danberry was already at 18. State had 14 more rebounds, had forced 11 turnovers. 

Ole Miss was shooting 20 percent less than the hot start. A 26-14 third made the lead 21. Anriel Howard matched the double with 15 and 10.

State hit its averages in the 80-66 win. Howard had 21 with 10 rebounds. Danberry scored 18. They drew 4,125.

McCowan had 15 with 12 rebounds. The team had 40 rebounds, 17 more than the home team. They forced 15 turnovers.

“That is life on the road right there,” coach Vic Schaefer said. “For us it was a grind tonight. It didn’t seem like we could do much. In stretches we were really bad in the first half.  

“In the third quarter, we were much better. I thought the Rebels played awfully well. Give them credit. It wasn’t our best night defensively.”

 League basement owners Vanderbilt came to StarkVegas next.

State had won five straight in the series. MSU wore adidas uniforms inspired by the Harlem Renaissance on Sunday as a part of the Celebrating Black Culture program.

 The Bulldogs also hosted a bone marrow registry drive during the game in conjunction with Bulldog Sports Properties and Be The Match.

Vandy was, of course, candy to the ’Dogs.

The Commoners stayed competitive, only down by three at half, six early in the third.

But McCowan and Andra Espinoza-Hunter each had 19, Danberry 17.  They actually trailed in rebounds by one.

At the 86-70 end, Howard had 20 points and double with 10 rebounds. McCowan sat 11 minutes with three fouls but still scored 23 with two steals and a block. 

Jazzmun Holmes had six steals and five assists. Espinoza-Hunter scored 20, 7-of-11 from the field. It is the first time in this decade that a trio of Bulldogs hit 20 or more. The league-best crowd of 9,566 appreciated it.

Florida junior forward Mariella Fasoula scored 29, 14-of-16 from the floor. 

Vanderbilt shot 29-of-51 (57 percent) and hit 5-of-10 3-pointers, but the Commodores faded when State forced 23 turnovers. The ’Dawgs had five turnovers.

“First of all, glad to get the victory today,” Schaefer said. “These games are not getting any easier. I really want to commend Stephanie (White) and her staff.

“ Coach White and those kids really played well today. We kind of started out a little slow and flat-footed. We picked it up a little bit toward the end of the half.

“I certainly love what we are doing offensively in the second half with 48 points. I’m certainly concerned defensively, giving up 70 points. Twenty-three turnovers caused is a good thing.”

Espinoza-Hunter continues to gain momentum, after starting in place of Chloe Bibby, lost to an ACL, as the only non-senior starter.

“Coach’s encouragement and the encouragement of my teammates just helps so much,” she said.

“Chloe is my best friend. Having her on the bench whenever I come out to help me means so much. It’s just getting in the gym for workouts.

“I’ve gotten more comfortable in my game. When I was at Connecticut, I was a little timid.”

 She said the other guards are fast, even in a race, that it pushes everyone.

“Coach said Jordan can get to any spot on the floor and she can. Jazzmun is just amazing with her speed. T is a walking double/double right there and the defense starts with her. We feel it out there, we connect and we say ‘Yes!’ ”

The home loss to Missouri at home hurts. They remain in the Top 5 nationally. But they are a game ahead with two to go. 

If they end in a tie, Kentucky can be the technical tiebreaker as the next highest team in the standings to beat one and lose to the other, for the purposes of conference tournament seedings only.

With 20 more points, McCowan will become the fourth best scorer in program history and likely go no higher. 

Those above her played as four-year starters, did not take breaks when the game was out of reach by the opponents.

 One of them ended her season in 2003, the other in 2010. The fourth is her three-year runningmate, Victoria Vivians.

State has won all three of its final five. No one else has. They have Senior Day in StarkVegas then decide the regular season title at South Carolina. If they tie, the tiebreaker ought to be SC’s loss at home to Kentucky.

McCowan is a semifinalist for the national Naismith Defensive Player of the year award. She won it last season.

 No.11 Kentucky (23-5)

 The Kats welcomed in the shadow that used to be LSU, a team in need of a regime change.

They celebrated Senior Day for Paige Poffenberger, LaShae Halsel, Taylor Murray and Maci Morris in a pregame  ceremony. They drew 6,911. 

The game sponsor was UK HealthCare. Pediatric patients from the Kentucky Children’s Hospital met the starting lineup. Cat face fans were distributed.

After the conference-scrambling road win at South Carolina, the first in the series for the seniors, the Kats assumed the longest conference win streak, five.

The Ben-Gals are desperately trying to be an add-in to the NCAA eliminations even if recent history shows they seldom last long.

The Kat defense allowed single digits in the first two quarters, which showed the trend. It was doubled, 30-15, at half. 

More of the same in the thirds, as UK held steady in an even quarter.

Murray and Wyatt each had scored 17 and freshman guard Rhyne Howard 10. 

UK was shooting 10 percent better from the field, 11-of-14 from the floor. The non-starting seniors never got in. The Ben-gals won rebounds by 17.

LSU won the fourth quarter, 20-12 and still lost, 57-52.

UK senior Taylor Murray hit 7-of-8 from the field and lead four in double figures with 18.

Mitchell focused on his seniors, players who stayed when other fled to start at other major programs.m

“I think it feels like it’s gone fast because I love them so much and enjoy being around them so much and they’ve meant so much to our program and they’ve meant so much to me personally. I feel like they’ve helped me grow as a coach and as a person.

“You never feel like you have enough time with these players and on the other hand it flies by. We wanted to honor them on a Sunday when everyone could come out. So I really want to thank the crowd, tremendous crowd in Memorial Coliseum today and showed a lot of love and support for those seniors, which they deserve.”

He said Taylor Murray is just special.

“Taylor was very shy, very quiet coming in and is really running our team right now. She had it under control there in a strategic standpoint there in the fourth quarter. 

“She and I were having great conversations. She was checking in with me and everything she was saying was right on point so she has a good grasp of what we’re trying to get done. 

“She has grown so much with her ability to come out of her shell and just be a wonderful representative of our program. We’re real proud of her and she’s playing some awfully good ball right now.”

Murray said, “It’s just the matter of staying aggressive, especially if they’re denying Maci or Rhyne (Howard). I’m just taking advantage of that situation. I’m not the top scorer on our team, but whenever I’m given the opportunity I’m going to take the shot.

“(Senior Day) is just payback and redemption for when we played Arkansas and I missed both free throws. But, I made both free throws. Just the matter of staying focused and hitting the shots whenever I’m given the opportunity.

“We’re all happy for each other because it’s Senior Day, but we all play for each other each game. This was a gutty win because we were able to handle adversity while staying consistent.

“I would just remember playing for my teammates while playing with each other. You also have a great coaching staff that helps develop you both on and off the court. You work from June to now, but you also have the chance to develop great relationships.”

Morris said: “Like Taylor said, you just meet so many people at Kentucky. You build great relationships and you have both good times and bad times that you get to share with your peers. 

“That’s how you build those strong relationships. Like Taylor said, your teammates, coaches, staff, other classmates, everybody has such a big impact on you and that is what I’m going to remember the most.

“Just trying to enjoy the moment and be thankful, I have a lot of gratitude for everyone that came out and supported us today. It was just amazing to see all of the fans supporting us.”

 “It just keeps building and hopefully we can make it even more special if we continue to win at a high level. Just trying to compete in the tournament, so we’re going to try to make it our best year yet.”

Howard said she learned all season from the senior starters.

“Always have high energy in practice and in games and do what the coaches say.”

 UK closes February in the A&M game and the season at Georgia. They own the double-bye in the conference tournament right now with an undeniable third.

They moved up five positions in the national rankings.

Howard continued her incomparable string as SEC Freshman of the week, repeating again. Just give her the season honor now.

Taylor joined McCowan as a semifinalist for the national Naismith Defensive Player of the year award.

No. 13 South Carolina (20-7)

This did not go as planned for the home team.

The Gamecocks became the last SEC team to lose at home when Rhyne Howard and Taylor Murray each scored 17 and No. 16 Kentucky solidified its hold on third in the conference, 65-57. 

It’s the best defense against SC all season. It ended a nine-game series losing streak, six in Columbia, and allowed the UK seniors to finish with at least one win over SC.

Murray tied a season high with eight rebounds, adding five assists and four steals in the win, Kentucky’s fifth in a row, creating the longest conference win streak at the moment.

Kentucky got 12 points from senior Maci Morris, 10 in the second half.

The Kats forced 21 Gamecock turnovers, including 14 UK steals, and turned those into 19 points. The Gamecocks scored 16 points off 16 Kentucky turnovers.

This evened the season series, each winning on the road. It is a premonition of a tiebreaker should SC win its final home game against Mississippi State. Each team would have win at home. But SC now has lost to the next-highest ranked team that State has defeated.

The Kats opened a 7-2 lead made it stand for a 13-11 lead after one period.

Before halftime, Kentucky had another surge, 11-2 run, including eight in a row by Howard. They increased the lead to 26-17 a 30-24 advantage to 30-24 at the half.

South Carolina started 8-0 run to take the  lead with 6:34 left in the third and led 43-40 after three periods. 

Murray scored six of Kentucky’s 10 points in the quarter.

South Carolina had a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, 45-42, when Morris hit her first basket of the game, a step-back 3, to tie it at  45. 

A one-plus contributed to an 8-0 run 5:49 to play. After South Carolina cut the lead to 50-48, Howard scored five in a row.

The Kats answered every Gamecock basket and built their lead to 60-51. 

SC cut five more off the lead, but UK settled in with 5-of-6 from the line to seal the deal before a league-best 11, 887.

 Four Gamecocks finished in double figures, led by 12 each from Alexis Jennings and freshman Destanni Henderson. Tyasha Harris and Bianca Cuevas-Moore each added 10.

Moving on to Tennessee and a wire-to-wire 82-67 win was a good antidote and a 230th win.

The Vols were expected to lose two and they did. They will recover to win two this week and end with 19.

The Gamecocks got career games from seniors Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Doniyah Cliney to earn their first Game in Knoxville since 2016. 

As dominant as SC has been, Tennessee has challenged them.

 Cuevas-Moore scored a career-high 28, 50 percent from the field in a career-high 39 minutes. Cliney’s 16 points is also a  career best.

 Another senior, Alexis Jennings scoring 13 of 15 points in the second half. Tyasha Harris rounded out the Gamecocks in double figures with 11, adding a career  and SEC-high 14 assists for her second double-double in the last three games. 

They were without leading scorer Te’a Cooper, left home with an illness, denying her a return to her original school.

Cuevas-Moore, a redshirt  senior, scored from the start, often getting behind the defense as they broke a weak attempt at a press throughout the first period. 

The Gamecocks capped the quarter with a 13-0 run, seven of which came from Cuevas-Moore, to gain a 27-11 lead, determining the rhythm of the game.

 The Carolina surge continued in the second quarter as it extended to a 19-2 run with buckets from reserve  Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Cuevas-Moore, building the lead to 20. 

Herbert Harrigan’s defense changed the game, with three blocks, including two in one possession.

 Harris had eight assists in the half which the Gamecocks , 43-27.

UT coach Holly Warlick had no answers.

In the third, Jennings took over offensively for Carolina. She scored seven points during the quarter, including two straight baskets to open it. Tennessee kept fouling and SC kept hitting free throws, eight of its first 12.

Jennings continued to dominate in the fourth. 

The senior forward sank the opening basket again and scored six more. UT had 16 turnovers, SC scoring 17 off turnovers and 16 fast break points.

“We dug ourselves into a hole in the first quarter, and they were more physical than us, and we just didn’t handle them. We just have to start the game off better,” Warlick said in yet another post-mortem.

“We’re not making shots. We had 54 shots in and around the paint. We’re just not making shots. This is a physical game, and we didn’t finish shots. 

“In the first half, we turned it over too much, we gave up too many layups, and we just mentally were not focused. And then once we got through that first quarter, we were fine, but we just can’t get ourselves in a hole.

“It is (frustrating). Again, we let our offense control our defense, and we weren’t in tune the first quarter defensively, because we were pressing and then we weren’t talking. 

“Nobody was back on the press, so we had so many mental mistakes. You can’t blame it on youth; we’re playing five kids that have been mainly starting the whole year. 

“We just cannot let us not making buckets dictate how we were playing on defense. I mean, we let Bianca (Cuevas-Moore) get too many threes, and you know, she had a great game. 

“She hit shots when they needed it, hit free throws when they needed it. So, we’ve just got to get out of the gate quicker.”

“We’re missing shots. It’s been our M.O. for a while, and we just missed some easy shots. You can’t do that against South Carolina; they’re a great basketball team.

“ You can’t spot them 27-11. 

“That’s an uphill climb, and we’ve got to get better at that. It’s ok. We’re not going to make every shot, but you can control what you do defensively, and you can control what you do on the boards.

“ You know who’s a three-point shooter, you know who’s a penetrator. We had 16 fouls, we have to get better on the defensive end.”

“We’ve talked about how getting down the stretch that you need the games. They know it. They know, and they understand it. It’s all over social media; they read it, so they know. 

“They know, we all know. We got ourselves in this hole, so you have to climb out of it and you have to get these next two games, absolutely.”

“We went to a more experienced lineup,” Staley said, “ because coming in here we knew we would see a lot of different options.

“ I thought we would go with someone who was more experienced who could handle the press. We knew Tennessee would press us a little bit more, especially considering the way we played against Kentucky.

“ We needed to come out to a fast start, because we have not come out to fast starts in the past couple of games. It was good to put 27 points up in the quarter; it gives you a great feel for what the game would be like for the rest of the time. We were not at a 27-point quarter pace, but it was enough to see where we could find our advantages. 

 ”We wanted to go inside-out if they took angles away from us. Not being able to get the ball inside to Alexis, you just try to get ahead of the possession.

“ Fortunately for us, I thought Ty  did a great job of facilitating and finding the people that needed to shoot the ball. A lot of the time Bianca Cuevas-Moore was the recipient of that. (Harris) had 14 assists which is a career-high; she did what point guards are supposed to do in a game like this.”

 She was impressed with her senior forward.

 ”Alexis picked up a quick foul in the first quarter, so she sat a little bit more than we wanted her to. I thought Tennessee mixed up their play with a little more zone, so we could not really get the angles to get her the ball.

“ The moment they went man, we got the opportunity to isolate her down in the paint, and she delivered to us.”

 Then they got a little winded in the second quarter.

 ”It looked that way, mentally. We played minimum players a lot of minutes. We have lulls. The third quarter has been a hard quarter for us. 

“I think we did a good job of when we did not have good scoring output, we did not allow them to. I think the fourth quarter was a great quarter for us. We established ourselves in the paint, and we did a good job of not allowing the open looks.

 ”I didn’t talk to anyone in particular, because you do not want anyone having the pressure of taking improvised shots. Throughout the course of the game I wanted Ty (Harris) to shoot a little bit more, and she did that. 

“I want her to be her best; I told her at halftime that she was going to have to take up the shots. When she misses shots she pretty much goes into a shell and looks to facilitate. She had a big bucket for us in the fourth quarter where she drove the baseline and got two feet under and we opened the lead.”

 Cliney said it was a necessary recovery.

“We just needed to bounce back,” she said. “We prepared very well for this game, so that was a good thing for us. We wanted to show Coach Staley we still are good as we are, so I think that was pretty much it.

“It’s always been emphasized since the season started. Coach Staley is always wanting us to play fast; we just made sure we stayed true to our system and do what we do and run in transition.”

“We just had to make up for everything that Te’a contributes when she is on the court. I mean, players like Bianca, Shay and myself and Te’a included, we all just try to put our head to the basket and score when we have the opportunity.”

Cuevas-Moore said it is all about following a game plan.

“We’ve just got to pick up the all the things that work best for us -- compete, be competitive, and, you know, try to outwork other teams.

“We live for moments like this. Me and Doniyah have been around a long time, so I think we have what it takes at the end of a game like that to come back and, you know, execute our game plan and get the W.”

So it comes down to the showdown and a little home luck this week. First they must execute contentious Auburn on the road.

They fell to No. 14 with the loss. Two spots in the poll. They have been ranked all season, even if they did fall to No. 25 before the SEC started.

The State game season finale will also be Senior Night, during which contributors to the National Title twp seasons ago will be honored.

A double-bye in the league tournament is assured.

 

No. 19 Texas A&M (20-6)

The third straight home game was Tennessee’s visit this week. 

A&M was seeking to end UT’s mini streak and to win a third straight in Aggieland in the series. 

Vol Rennia Davis is the league Player of the Week as she has fully recovered from the slump in the six-game losing string. Had she hit her average then, UT would be ranked and have 20 wins. This team is that close.

UT is playing better but both losses were expected, as was the South Carolina game at home. 

Now UT can finish with two wins.

Chennedy Carter chose not to finish the loss at Mississippi State, disqualifying herself with a second loudmouth technical to referees.

It was all butterflies and balloons this time.

She is the best scorer (23.1) in league games.

A&M had its 20th win. They stayed strongly third in the league and in line for the double-bye in the league tournament, as well as a possible No. 4 in an NCAA Regional which means two more home games.

“We’re trying to get the best seed we can possibly get,” said A&M coach Gary Blair. “Which is huge.

 “If we can stay consistent between the ears, and play hard for long periods of time, we’re going to be fine,” added Blair.

That was his only public reference to the Carter meltdown.

UT had won five of six. The Lady Vols have four players averaging double figure points, Evina Westbrook (15.8), Davis (14.8), Meme Jackson (11.1) and Zaay Green (10.7).

 “We know they’re a great team; we can’t underestimate Tennessee,” said Carter. “They have a bunch of great players who are capable of making it a challenge for us.” Blair said this was the “post-season push.” They had lost two straight.

It started slowly, which is to Tennessee’s advantage as they always start slowly. UT doesn’t fold like it used  to. They were diving on the floor in a one-point game with seconds to go in the first. 

The possession maintained the 17-16 deficit. Balanced scoring on both sides.

But A&M’s Cierra Johnson picked up a crucial second foul in the final scramble. For a team with no bench that could be disabling.

Rennia Davis, hot of late, had but one basket for Tennessee and that was again the difference. A&M’s Kayla Wells  scored 13, 5-of-7 with 3-of-4 3s. Carter had 10.

Neither coach had submitted to tradition and flung aside a jacket.

 Despite winning 22-6 in the paint, Tennessee trailed by seven in the third. Davis’ dismal effort was chilling. Carter (15) and Wells (18) were dominating guards. The lead grew to an insurmountable 20 in the third and ended 79-62.

Wells finished with 29, Carter 28.

Based on past performance foreshadowing new performances this was supposed to be a two-games lost week for Tennessee. The first one fell as anticipated. But UT can sweep the final two and get to 19 wins, as we projected weeks ago.

A&M got its 20th. They stayed third in conference. They drew 3,789.

Carter said, “We had a terrible game against Mississippi State. We went out and practiced hard. We had great practices. Tonight we played harder than them and I’m just proud of my team. We outhustled them.

“I’m really proud of Kayla Wells. She had an outstanding game. Many people don’t know this, but she is the first one in the gym and the last to leave. It’s her confidence. Kayla is getting a lot of confidence.

“When they went to man, I found my shot one-on-one. Easy.

“Tennessee’s a great defensive team miss or make, they press. So coach said all we gotta do is sprint back and guard ’em. We got a lot of points off their misses.”

Blair said, “It’s how do you respond to adversity. We have got to learn how to get the ball to the hot person.

“We stayed with them on the boards in the first quarter and that little difference is what put us on top.

“I have been playing Tennessee since 1980,” Blair said. “I respect the orange. I don’t fear the orange, I respect the orange.”

With that respect comes the opinion that Tennessee has nothing to fear come tournament selection.

“They’re not on the bubble,” Blair said. “They are in, even if they go 7-9.”

“That team is not finished winning. Tennessee is going to win some more. They’ve got three games left. They just get to seven, they’re in, because of their strength of schedule and who Tennessee is.”

A&M are next to play at bottom-feeder Florida.

Senior Funda Nakkasoglu leads Florida with 16.3 points per game and is the conference’s leader in 3-pointers made.

 The Gators, under second-year head coach Cameron Newbauer, have picked up two-point conference home wins against Missouri and Alabama, as well as a key non-conference victory over Texas Tech.

 “What we got to do is take advantage and go inside against Florida,” added Blair. “We want to be able to get Ciera Johnson and N’dea Jones a lot of shots inside.”

The final two are breaking the third-place tie at Kentucky and home for Senior Day and Arkansas to start March. They have won the double bye in the SEC tournament.

With the wins,  they moved up two in the national rankings.