CORVALLIS — Holly Warlick walked into the Gill Coliseum media room and let out an exhausted sigh. The Tennessee coach quipped that she felt as if she had just exerted herself on the court for 40 minutes — and probably looked like it, too.
Warlick had just been in the thick of a contest against No. 7 Oregon State that had quickly turned from blowout into a down-to-the-wire thriller. In the end, the No. 14 Lady Vols survived while the Beavers' furious rally fell short in a 53-50 Saturday-night battle that left both coaches feeling like the experience could define the rest of their team's respective seasons.