The Green Bay Phoenix were playing in their 16th NCAA women’s basketball tournament and led for more than half the game. But when it was all over, the Tennessee Volunteers pulled out a 59-53 win over the Phoenix in Tempe, Arizona.
The victory puts Tennessee (20-13) into the second-round on Sunday against number-two seed Arizona State (26-6).
Green Bay finished the season with a 28-5 record. They got 15 points from Allie LeClaire, 12 from Kaili Lukan and 11 from Jessica Lindstrom.
Te’a Cooper had a game-high 15 points for the Volunteers.
Green Bay led by eight points at halftime, but the Phoenix, which relies on long-range shooting, was just 3 for 17 from three-point range. Junior Tesha Buck was 0 for 11 from the field and 0 for 8 from three-point range.
The Phoenix made just 4-of-17 from the field in the fourth quarter and went scoreless for more than six minutes in the final frame.