KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 16th ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers lost a heart-breaker to 8th ranked LSU on senior day.
Tennessee clawed its way back from an 18 point deficit, finishing the game on a 13-1 run.
However, the comeback was too little, too late.
Tennessee trailed by three points with 04 seconds to play. Tennessee called a time-out to advance the ball, setting up for a sideline out-of-bounds play. Head coach Kellie Harper said postgame, the play was designed to set up multiple looks from behind the arc. A questionable entry pass from freshman Sarah Puckett forced a turnover.
The Lady Vols fell, 57 to 54.
At halftime, Tennessee trailed 36 to 22. Then, the Lady Vols opened the third quarter on an 8-4 run and out-scored the Tigers in the third quarter, 14-8.
At the half, the emphasis was on getting the ball inside in the second half. In comparison, Tennessee had just 10 points in the paint in the first half but finished the game out-scoring LSU inside, 36-24.
Tamari Key had six quick points and came up with three huge blocks to spark the Lady Vols' comeback. The junior finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and three blocks.
Rae Burrell, Alexus Dye, and Keyen Green were all honored for senior day.
Dye finished with 10 points while Burrell added a quiet 11 points.
Despite all the adversity this team has faced, the Lady Vols finish top three in the SEC. No. 1 South Carolina clinched the top seed, followed by LSU, Tennessee, and Ole Miss.
South Carolina has won six of the last seven SEC tournaments, including the last two.
The SEC Tournament begins on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Tennessee's top three finish earns them a double-bye and they will play Friday at approximately 9:25 pm EST.
