Ahead of Schedule: Lady Vols Upset #17 Iowa
By Dawson Wise
Welcome back to the spotlight, Lady Vols.
Kim Caldwell’s team entered Saturday’s game still flying under the national radar. Despite beating two tournament-caliber teams already, the lack of a ranked win kept the talk confined mostly to outlets here in Knoxville.
How did they respond, you ask? Well, they went and beat a ranked team.
In a game where many things did not go their way, Tennessee found a way to get the job done and vault itself back into the national conversation around women’s basketball; and this time, it’s not just hype.
This group has something special about them. There is a grit and a will to win that not many teams, especially recent groups here on Rocky Top, have possessed. They simply will not be denied. Perhaps it is the unique mix of players, from established veteran holdovers to electric transfers to some budding young stars. Maybe it’s the style of play, one that has not been widely implemented yet across college basketball as a whole, men’s or women’s. It could be a number of things.
Whatever it is, it makes for an exciting season ahead. Marquee matchups still await. Everything is still to play for. Coach Caldwell has everyone pulling in the same direction. The team is ranked for the first time since early last season. The excitement both here in town and across the Lady Vol fanbase is beginning to swell to levels we have not seen in a long time. They are succeeding ahead of schedule, much like Josh Heupel’s football Vols, Tony Vitello’s BaseVols, and Rick Barnes’ BasketVols did. Now, she can add ranked win to her growing list of accomplishments.
Let’s take a quick look back at Saturday’s win over the Hawkeyes.
First Quarter
Score: Tennessee 18, Iowa 22.
FG: Tennessee 9-24 (38%), Iowa 7-15 (47%).
3P: Tennessee 0-11, Iowa 1-6 (17%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 7, Iowa 15.
Turnovers: Tennessee 2, Iowa 9 (this will become a pattern).
Highlight: Tennessee jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead before Iowa stormed back and went on a 20-8 run of their own to close the quarter as both teams struggled to find their footing.
Second Quarter
Score: Tennessee 35, Iowa 35.
FG: Tennessee 16-40 (40%), Iowa 12-25 (48%).
3P: Tennessee 2-16 (13%), Iowa 3-11 (27%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 14, Iowa 25.
Turnovers: Tennessee 7, Iowa 18.
Highlight: As Talaysia Cooper went to the bench with foul trouble, Clemson transfer Ruby Whitehorn stepped into the role of primary scorer, grabbing 9 of her eventual 16 points in the second frame.
Third Quarter
Score: Tennessee 55, Iowa 52.
FG: Tennessee 22-62 (35%), Iowa 17-39 (44%).
3P: Tennessee 4-24 (17%), Iowa 3-12 (25%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 26, Iowa 39.
Turnovers: Tennessee 7, Iowa 23.
Highlight: Talaysia Cooper re-entered the game and immediately began to take over, scoring on several possessions in a row and garnering 13 points which, along with some clutch shooting from veterans Tess Darby and Sara Puckett, gave UT the lead headed to the final frame.
Fourth Quarter/Final Stats:
Score: Tennessee 78, Iowa 68.
FG: Tennessee 30-77 (39%), Iowa 23-50 (46%).
3P: Tennessee 7-29 (24%), Iowa 3-14 (21%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 33, Iowa 48.
Turnovers: Tennessee 9, Iowa 30.
Highlight: Tennessee ended the game on a 16-2 run. Down 4 late in the going, the defense tightened up, Talaysia Cooper got to the basket and again, the veterans shot well in the clutch from deep, allowing the Lady Vols to take and keep the lead for good.
Points off TO: 42-4 Tennessee.
Second Chance: 11-7 Tennessee.
Bench: 21-10 Tennessee.
Paint: 44-34 Tennessee.
Fast Break: 17-9 Tennessee.
Steals: 18-4 Tennessee.
Scoring:
Tennessee: Cooper-23 (6 reb), Whitehorn-16, Darby/Spencer-11, Puckett/Latham-5, Hollingshead-3, Spearman/Boyd-2.
Iowa: Lucy Olsen-23, Addison O’Grady-17, Kylie Feuerbach/Hannah Stuelke-8, Ava Heiden-4, Teagan Mallegni/Aaliyah Guyton-3, Sydney Affolter-2.
Takeaways
Tennessee had a lot go against it in this game.
Offensively, it was another relatively cold shooting night. Despite a good start, the numbers show that the efficiency still isn’t where it needs to be. It may be just a frustrating part of this style of basketball that we have to get used to. I thought the offensive rebounding was lacking in this game as well. Credit Iowa’s size advantage and physicality. Even with all of that adversity, though, the shots fell in the most important moments. This team can score in bunches in the clutch and they did so again. That’s what elite basketball teams do. They find a way to win the game.
On defense, this was the most impressive performance of the year up to this point. The high pressure, full court defensive scheme worked nearly to perfection, forcing countless Iowa turnovers and mistakes and keeping the Lady Vols in the game. By the end of the night, the Hawkeyes were exhausted, both physically and mentally. This is exactly what this team needs to do against higher ranked opponents. Forcing 30 turnovers is mind-boggling as it is, but against a talented, well-coached team like Iowa, that number jumps right off the page. If Tennessee continues to do that, they will have a ton of success moving forward.
The biggest negative takeaway would be the foul trouble. Talaysia Cooper was forced to sit for most of the first half with multiple fouls. Several other players approached that point in the second half. Naturally, you’re going to have that in a physical, fast-paced game like this one was. You’d rather it not be Talaysia Cooper that gets into that scenario, but this team has the depth and talent to work around it. It made the middle portion of this game tough, but in the end, you still get the job done. The resiliency continues to be notable.
Overall, this team is here and ready to compete now. This year’s group, although somewhat thrown together, has gelled well and is playing a much higher level of basketball than many may have expected by this point. Everything is still out in front of this team, and they seem to have all the tools to go and take it.
Next Up
The Lady Vols return home to host North Carolina Central at Food City Center on Saturday, 12/14, at 2:00 PM EST. The game will be aired on SEC Network+.
