Lady Vols shoot past Toledo, advance to second-straight Sweet 16
Under Pat Summitt, Tennessee consistently earned a spot in the final rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
However, the transfer to the Holly Warlick era wasn't seamless. Following her fourth year in 2016, the Lady Vols were held out of the Sweet 16 for a five-year stretch.
Last season, this finally changed. Kellie Harper pushed her team into the third round in just her second NCAA Tournament as Tennessee's coach.
With a chance to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, Harper led the Lady Vols (25-11) to a 94-47 win over Toledo (29-5) to earn the spot.
"It just shows that we work hard and the growth," said Jordan Horston. "This program has such rich history. It just shows that we're still trying to bring that back. We're working hard every day. We're grinding it out, facing adversity and overcoming it."
Last year, it took late-game heroics from Sara Puckett to move past Belmont in the Round of 32. Tennessee's eventual win was never certain as the match came down to the final moments.
However, this year, it was all Lady Vols from start to finish. By halftime, they led 50-22.
This first-half push featured extremely effective shooting. Tennessee shot 8-for-14 on 3-pointers to reach the high point total.
"We can't take any possession off," said Horston. "You never know. You might look back and the first possession might be a big possession and you wish you had that back. We don't want to have any regrets."
Leading the way was Jasmine Powell who scored 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers. Sara Puckett also drilled a trio of deep balls to reach nine points.
On the defensive end, the Lady Vols held the Rockets to just 22 points on 29.6% shooting from the field. They also forced eight turnovers.
In the second half, the rampage continued. Tennessee outscored Toledo in each quarter as it cruised to a win.
Typically, it's Rickea Jackson and Horston leading the way for the Lady Vols but they had quiet nights for their standards. Jackson finished with 12 points and Horston ended the game with 10.
Although they both reached double-digit scoring marks, neither was the leading scorer.
Instead, it was Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead who finished the night with 13 points. Puckett missed just two shots from the field and was perfect from range. Hollingshead connected on a 3-pointer, as well.
"Honestly, I just went in the game and I was just going to let -- take what the defense was giving me, and I felt like that's what I did," said Puckett. "I was very confident in myself today I felt like, more than past games, so I'm just going to continue on with that. And I knew everybody around me was confident my me, too.
Powell also finished with a high mark after a strong first half as she totaled 12 points without missing a shot. She added two assists and two steals, as well.
Ultimately, the team shot 46.7% from the field and 52.4% on 3-pointers. The offense was scorching hot throughout the game despite emptying the bench. 11 of the 13 players to see the floor scored a point.
On the other end, the defense continued to suffocate. Toledo earned just 47 points on 29% shooting from the field.
Next, Tennessee will play Virginia Tech in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The game will be held in Seattle with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight.
A win would mark the team's first Elite Eight appearance since 2016. However, the Lady Vols have already fallen to the Hokies at home in the regular season without Jackson.
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