By Mike Siroky
In this new Tennessee era, the Lady Vols finally moved the Notre Dame game out of the conference season.
This was a Holly Warlick move, but new coach Kellie Harper Is the one who benefits. It is the earliest confrontation since 1986.
UT might have earned a Top 25 positioning on the road and ending a program record 11-consecutive week absence, though across seasons, by going to an ice-covered South Bend and melting the No. 16 home team, 74-63, Monday night.
This is Tennessee’s all-time tallest team. It showed up in a 32-12 rebound advantage in the opening half.
ND this night stood for No Defense.
Because of Injuries and defections, the Irish started two transfers and three freshmen. So much for tradition.
Tennessee also has dealt with a major defection and lost sophomore guard Zaay Green, its best scorer, to a torn ACL in the previous game. They started two freshmen and one transfer.
The Irish missed seven straight shots at one point in the opening quarter and UT scored seven straight.
The 21-14 opening quarter for the visitors set a comfort level they never lost.
It was 36-28 at the half.
Notre Dame had zero offensive rebounds.
UT had 10 blocks.
ND could do nothing to counter and coach Muffet McGraw was lost.
Harper was in control.
Unlike previous Tennessee coaches, she even kept her jacket on.
UT was up by 14 with eight minutes left in the third. They pushed it to 18.
The third-quarter advantage was 60-47.
Tennessee’s Rennia Davis, the last holdover from what was once the best recruiting class in America, had 33 points and 10 rebounds, the best performance in those two categories combined since Candace Parker doing something similar against Notre Dame in 2008.
No ND player was close. Rebounds were 42-22, UT.
The fourth quarter got sloppy on both sides.
ND rallied for its 7,809 loyalists and cut it to 11. Tennessee was still hitting 47 percent from the floor, holding ND to 29.
ND had not shot so bad since the 2015 national championship game against UConn.
Davis had not scored for 10 minutes.
UT’s halfcourt game was diminished. But only six minutes were left.
Davis scored. ND answered with a 3.
It was a 10-point lead with three minutes left.
That first-quarter splurge was still holding.
ND began fouling behind by nine. When you cannot get the rebound on a miss, however, it does not help.
The game skittered to a natural end.
Davis had a career-high five 3s among her 33 points. Freshmen Jay Horston had a dozen and Tamari Key 11.
“I was hitting shots, but we wanted to play on the defensive end from the start,” said Davis. “We showed we have heart.
“We are taking the defensive end seriously. We did not do that last season. I am so proud of my teammates.”
“Davis was just too much for us to handle today,” said McGraw. “Our game was not to drive on and get it blocked, but we did get it blocked.
“It’s gonna be like this all year long. It’s rebounding. When we have our center popping for a 3, there is nobody to get the ball. Our guards did a poor job.”
“We knew this gonna be a tough place to play,” Harper said. “I had never been here before, none of my assistants had been here.
“We obviously had players step up. Our defensive effort was really solid.”
“We did a nice job rallying around Zaay. It gives us one less guard to work with.
“Rennia is a good player. She’s the one we want to get shots for.
“All of our players were so locked in. I really wanted to win it for them. I got a little emotional early in the day because I just wanted it so bad for them.”
Harper started her career in fine fashion with a statement win.
She defended the SEC vs. the ACC. She served notice this team will play well in conference, at least as the fourth or fifth-best team which is plenty to the rest of America.
All of this is not apparent to the participants, of course.
But when the success of Tennessee’s third coach is established, when folks asked where it started, it was here on the road on a frozen night in northern Indiana when it was least expected.
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