Steadied The Ship: #15 Lady Vols Sink Mississippi State

Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics

By Dawson Wise

Last week, I talked about how important it would be to see how this team responded after real adversity. Back to back gut wrenching losses are hard for any team to get past, let alone a team that was somewhat thrown together with a first year head coach.

The Lady Vols answered emphatically.

Now, as another week comes to a close, Tennessee moves to 3-2 in conference play with back to back solid wins against Arkansas and now Mississippi State.

I know what you’re probably saying, “Oh, they’re not ranked! How is this an impressive win?”

The Bulldogs got votes in the poll last week. There may not be a number next to their name, but that is because there is a wealth of talent in women’s basketball, both across the country and just in the SEC.

Mississippi State is a talented team. Between talented returners, another good transfer class, and the sound coaching of Sam Purcell, this is by no means a pushover opponent. They are extremely gritty on the defensive end and have a way of wearing teams down with their physicality and offensive efficiency.

How did Tennessee attack that? They had one of their best three-point shooting days of the year, stood in and took the Bulldogs’ best punch offensively, and still played their style all the way to a double digit win. Oh, and their takeover players (the list continues to grow to now include Ruby Whitehorn as well) once again put up game-changing performances.

This team continues to make statements. First, it was that they could score in obscene amounts by playing this uptempo, constant pressure style of basketball. After that, it was that they could beat a nationally relevant (and ranked) opponent in Iowa. Now, they are telling the country that adversity will not keep them down. They can win in this conference, and they can take the best of the best to the wire. With the biggest games of the year approaching, they needed to right the ship this week, and that’s exactly what they did.

Let’s go through the win against Mississippi State.

First Quarter

Score: Lady Vols 17, MSU 15.

FG: Lady Vols 7-17 (41%), MSU 6-17 (35%).

3P: Lady Vols 3-6 (50%), MSU 1-6 (17%).

Rebounds: Lady Vols 10, MSU 11.

Turnovers: Lady Vols 4, MSU 4.

Highlight: Despite the slowest start of the entire season offensively, Jewel Spear and Samara Spencer hit threes on back to back possessions to give Tennessee the lead after 1.

Second Quarter

Score: Lady Vols 43, MSU 34.

FG: Lady Vols 17-37 (46%), MSU 14-31 (45%).

3P: Lady Vols 8-15 (53%), MSU 4-12 (33%).

Rebounds: Lady Vols 19, MSU 19.

Turnovers: Lady Vols 6, MSU 11.

Highlight: A lightning fast 9-2 run at the close of the half (Spear 3, Spencer 3, Spencer 3 at the horn) pushed the lead from 2 to 9, ultimately proving to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.

Third Quarter

Score: Lady Vols 64, MSU 56.

FG: Lady Vols 24-53 (45%), MSU 22-45 (49%).

3P: Lady Vols 10-21 (48%), MSU 6-17 (35%).

Rebounds: Lady Vols 27, MSU 25.

Turnovers: Lady Vols 10, MSU 15.

Highlight: Tennessee’s defense came alive to force 3 straight turnovers by Mississippi State as the constant pressure began to wear them down. Also, Denim DeShields, sister of LVFL Diamond DeShields, hit a 3 in her first game in Knoxville.

Fourth Quarter/Final Stats

Score: Lady Vols 86, MSU 73.

FG: Lady Vols 32-73 (44%), MSU 27-59 (46%).

3P: Lady Vols 12-26 (46%), MSU 8-23 (35%).

Rebounds: Lady Vols 40, MSU 33.

Turnovers: Lady Vols 12, MSU 20.

Points off TO: 30-14 Tennessee.

Second Chance: 12-9 MSU.

Bench: 27-23 MSU.

Paint: 34-28 MSU.

Fast Break: 21-13 MSU.

Blocks: 4-0 MSU.

Steals: 9-7 MSU.

Assists: 17-15 MSU.

Highlight: Tennessee hit 2 more threes to grab one of its best shooting performances of the year from beyond the arc.

Scoring:

Tennessee: Ruby Whitehorn-20, Samara Spencer-18 (5 rebounds, 4 assists), Talaysia Cooper-16 (10 rebounds, 7 assists), Jewel Spear-13 (5 rebounds), Zee Spearman-7 (8 rebounds), Tess Darby-6, Jillian Hollingshead-3, Sara Puckett-2, Kaniya Boyd-1.

MSU: Jerkaila Jordan-17, Debreasha Powe-16, Destiny McPhaul-11 (7 assists, 6 rebounds), Eniya Russell-6 (5 rebounds), Chandler Prater/Quanirah Montague-6, Kayla Thomas-4, Madina Okot-4 (11 rebounds), Denim DeShields-3.

Takeaways

The overarching takeaway with this team to me is that they never looked panicked. Sure, teams go on runs against them. Sure, the shots don’t fall at times during a game. Despite this, it never feels like they are flustered. They always have an answer. Defensive stops, steals, offensive bursts, clutch shooting…the ability to respond to adversity, both in-game and otherwise, is a trait that elite programs possess. For this team to already have that will to be in games and win them is truly impressive.

It is a testament to a staff that is serious about winning, something that the Lady Vols haven’t seen since Pat Summitt walked the sidelines. A month ago, maybe this was a stretch. I’m not so sure anymore.

Offensively, when this team is fluid and constantly moving, the offense is one of, if not the most dangerous in the country. Any player that comes off the bench can find a bucket when the opportunity presents itself. It is especially dangerous when the takeover players are rolling. Talaysia Cooper, Samara Spencer, Jewel Spear, and Ruby Whitehorn have elevated themselves to be game-changing players. When this team wins a big game sometime soon, it will be because of one or more of those players. Cooper has a clutch gene that can’t be taught. Spencer is masterful as a ball handler and has range. Spear can do it at all 3 levels. Whitehorn is a pure shooter, especially from the mid range. These are takeover-type abilities, and these players will lead that charge.

The defense continues to be almost more impressive than the offense. The one thing I thought was seriously lacking with the defense was transition defense, whether off a miss or off a turnover. It really struggled against Florida State and Oklahoma. It seems as if that issue is being fixed. Thursday was a notable step forward in that department. Players got back faster and forced the Bulldogs to set up or take tough shots. Add this to the usual pressure and forced turnovers and the defensive unit is going to keep this team in games and maybe even win them games come tournament time. The buy in, hustle, and precision has been shockingly good for a first year team. Tally on another performance of 20 turnovers forced, as well.

Overall, it’s another convincing win for a Tennessee team that continues to break barriers and redefine the kind of success a coach can have in year 1. There are several tough tests on the horizon. The Lady Vols will be ready.

Up Next

The Lady Vols head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Sunday, January 18, at 3 PM EST (2 PM local). The game will air on SEC Network.