Back to Square One: Lady Vols Week in Review 2/24-3/2
Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics
By Dawson Wise
It was bound to happen at some point.
No team is perfect. Even the best teams have tough moments and many have moments where it feels like everything is crashing down. At times, that’s how it felt this week.
Sometimes, it is the wake up call a team needed. One that makes them respond in kind, elevating their play and going on to be just fine. Other times, it can completely derail a season.
That’s where the Lady Vols are now. It’s an inflection point.
Coming into the week, all Tennessee had to do was go 1-1 and it would likely host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and receive a bye in the SEC Tournament. All was looking good. A good resume, a revolutionized offense, a stifling defense, and playing their best basketball at the perfect time. It seemed like nothing could go wrong…right?
Wrong. UT went 0-2 this week, including a blowout road loss to top-15 Kentucky and an inexplicable home loss to unranked Georgia on Senior Day of all things.
Now, the host spot is gone for the time being and Tennessee (as of the time of writing this) had to play the opening day of the conference tourney. Everything they had scratched and clawed for was gone in an instant. Everything felt like it was crashing down.
This team has a chance to respond. The season isn’t over by any means. This week was a reminder that this team, like many, is not perfect. It was also a reminder of how ruthless both the SEC and women’s college basketball have been this year. Anybody can lose to anybody on any given day. You have to come prepared.
Tennessee did not. In either game. They looked like the old version of themselves. Poor shot selection, offensive stagnation, defensive lapses. The same issues that had been solved.
On top of that, the Lady Vols lost their star guard, Talaysia Cooper, to a lower body injury against the Dawgs. As of the time of writing, though, she has returned to the lineup, but in the moment, the team looked lost.
They will need to snap and clear in time to make a run in Greenville and hope for the best from the seeding committee. It may take an upset over South Carolina on Friday to get back into the top 16. If any team can do it, though, it’s this one.
Let’s look at the disastrous week leading into the SEC Tournament.
Kentucky, 2/27
Kentucky jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Alyssa Latham put UT on the board, but the Cats answered with a 10-4 run to take a 14-6 lead at the media break. They moved the lead to 12 shortly after, 18-6. Cooper added a 3 to stop the drought, but Georgia Amoore’s layup put an end to the quarter and had the Lady Vols down 11 at the end of 1, 20-9.
Two more quick buckets made the lead 24-9 and forced a Tennessee timeout. Tess Darby hit a 3 to cut the lead to 12 and a Kaniya Boyd steal and score and another Cooper three brought it back to within 11. Again, Tennessee tried to respond, with Samara Spencer hitting a 3 to once again pull UT within 12, 32-20. Clara Strack’s layup ballooned the lead back to 16. Another Lady Vol response saw a pair of Zee Spearman free throws and a Ruby Whitehorn layup again draw the lead back to 12, but a 9-2 Wildcat run gave them a 45-26 advantage at the half.
Kentucky continued to pour it on after halftime. A quick 8-2 run pushed the lead to 25, forcing another Lady Vol timeout. A pair of free throws, a Latham layup, and a Cooper layup looked like a sign of life, but the Cats just kept pushing, carrying a 61-34 lead into the media break. Tennessee actually scored its highest number of points in the third with 19…but Kentucky scored 29 and the lead had grown to 74-45.
The teams traded buckets the first 6 minutes, and Kentucky held an 80-51 lead at the media timeout. The Lady Vols closed the game on a 7-0 run powered by a Sara Puckett jumper, a Spencer three, and a Jillian Hollingshead make to bring it to a final of 82-58 Wildcats.
Tennessee fell to 21-7 overall and 8-7 in conference. Talaysia Cooper had 25 and was the only Lady Vol in double figures. It was UT’s lowest point total and worst shooting night of the year.
Kentucky improved to 22-5 and 11-4 in SEC play. The Cats had 4 players in double figures. Clara Strack led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Georgia Amoore and Teonni Key (sister of LVFL Tamari Key) added 18 a piece. Dazia Lawrence tacked on 13.
Talaysia Cooper was really good in this one. Back to her usual self on both ends. She attacked the basket well and controlled her own play. She seems to be out of her rut. I thought the response to end the game on a 7-0 run was notable. This team continued to fight and scrap and play their game no matter the circumstances. Tennessee looked unprepared. They could not stay in front of their matchup, the physicality was lacking, the press had gaps, and the rebounding was virtually nonexistent (52-31 in favor of Kentucky). There were no adjustments once things went wrong, which is an issue going forward that needs to be addressed. The biggest issue is it seems this team sees their effort level slack off a little bit when things don’t go their way offensively. On nights when the shots don’t fall, everything else suffers and it happened again in this one. Headed into postseason play, you simply cannot have that happen.
Georgia, 3/2
Tennessee went 0 for its first 9 from the field and was forced to call an early timeout after falling behind 8-0. UGA continued to shut out UT, taking an 11-0 lead at the 4:23 mark, but the Lady Vols finally got on the board at 3:24 via Zee Spearman. Georgia continued to push, leading 18-2 shortly after, but Tennessee rallied with 8 straight points via free throws and a late Jewel Spear three to trim the lead to 18-10 at the end of the quarter.
Mia Woolfolk’s baseline jumper capped another 7-0 Bulldog run and forced another timeout for Kim Caldwell. It didn’t help, as UGA pushed the lead to 33-10 on a 15-0 total run. Tess Darby’s three ended the drought. Spear’s three, a Jillian Hollingshead layup, and a Talaysia Cooper jumper trimmed the lead to 13, 35-22. Twice Georgia pushed the lead back to 15, but Zee Spearman’s buzzer-beating layup kept the deficit at 13 at halftime, 39-26.
The Lady Vols scored the first five points of the third. An Alyssa Latham layup, Hollingshead free throw, and Kaniya Boyd layup cut the gap to 39-31. Tennessee used another 8-0 burst to tie the game at 39 behind 8 free throws from Spear, Boyd, and Samara Spencer. Georgia responded to retake the lead, 46-40, but free throws from Spear and Boyd as well as another Spearman layup cut it to 48-46 UGA at the end of 3.
The Dawgs used a 7-4 start to the fourth to lead 55-50, but the Lady Vols responded with an 8-2 run that saw a Samara Spencer three give them their first lead of the game, which they would extend to 60-57 on a Spencer layup. A De’Mauri Flournoy three and Woolfolk jumper again evened the game at 60 and 62, respectively. A Roxane Makolo layup gave UGA a 64-62 lead that they would not surrender. The visitors built the lead to 6 at 72-66 before a late Kaniya Boyd three near the horn made it a 72-69 final score.
Tennessee fell to 21-8 and 8-8 in conference play with the loss. Jewel Spear fired in 20 points in her final regular season game at home. Zee Spearman added 19 and Samara Spencer added 11.
Georgia improved to 12-18 overall and 4-12 in conference play. The Dawgs had 5 players in double figures. Mia Woolfolk led the way with 20. De’Mauri Flournoy had 18, Asia Avinger and Trinity Turner each added 11, and Roxane Makolo had 10 points. Fatima Diakhate had 11 boards to help win the glass battle for her team, 38-33.
This loss is inexcusable. The offense reverted back to old habits, taking quick shots and not going to the basket. The press again had cracks and it seemed like the same problem of effort from Thursday seeped into this game. The beginning and end of the game both faltered, problems that were solved from earlier in the season. The dismal start was another in a pattern of them. This type of game could not have happened at a worse time with seeding implications on the line. Despite all this, the third quarter was a sign that there is still very much a pulse with this team. Spear and Spearman again had really solid efforts, a pattern for both in SEC play. Tennessee was also able to get UGA in foul trouble and get to the line a lot, which contributed to the comeback and will pay dividends if they can continue it into the postseason.
