It’s been three full weeks since Lady Vols basketball took the floor in Food City Center and over a week since it’s played in general. There were no signs of rust, though, as Tennessee jumped out to a quick start and defeated Winthrop 112-40 in Knoxville on Sunday afternoon.
Here are three thoughts from the Lady Vols’ victory to move to 7-2 on the season.
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Lady Vols Dominate Out the Gates
The Lady Vols didn’t mess around to begin this one. Tennessee jumped on Winthrop out of the gates, taking a 17-1 lead into the media timeout in the first quarter. Winthrop wouldn’t even hit a shot from the field until there were less than two and a half minutes remaining in the opening frame.
The result was a 27-9 lead after 10 minutes of action. The Lady Vols held the Eagles to just 2-for-13 shooting from the field and forced seven turnovers. While UT struggled to get the three-ball to land at first, it still got plenty of good attempts inside the arch to build up its lead.
By halftime, the Lady Vols had built the lead all the way up to 66-17. Tennessee connected on 54.5% of shots from the field and 36% of 3-pointers in the opening half. On the other end, Winthrop shot just 20% from the field and missed all eight 3-point attempts.
Mia Pauldo is Hitting Her Stride
Expectations were sky-high for Mia Pauldo in her freshman season. However, she got off to a bit of a shaky start following the exhibition. She appears to be turning the corner, though. Following an impressive game against Stanford, she turned around and topped it against Winthrop.
By the end of the first half alone, Pauldo had recorded 18 points on four made threes to go with three rebounds, four assists, two steals and no turnovers. She would finish with a double-double, notching 18 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, four steals and not a single turnover.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said this about Pauldo leading into the game:
“She’s been really good,” Caldwell said. “Her turnover numbers have been great. She was hitting shots, she was playing with confidence, she’s been really good in practice ever since, so hopefully that was a good momentum builder for her.”
Alyssa Latham is Playing Her Role at a High Level
The Lady Vols don’t need Alyssa Latham to be a star in her junior season. They just need her to do all the little things at a high level. So far this season, she’s been up and down, but did have to miss a few games due to personal reasons.
The past two games, she’s looked much better, though. Against Winthrop, she was particularly fantastic in her role. She would finish with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks. Strong defense and rebounding will go a long way for the Lady Vols this season.
The piece that Tennessee is going to need her to improve in his her shooting from the perimeter. Her jumpshot looks a bit different from what it did a year ago and almost has a hitch in it. So far, she hasn’t been able to get it to drop. If she can refind her shot from three, she could be the complete role player.
Final Stats
Up Next
Next, the Lady Vols will head north to Brooklyn for a clash with Louisville. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and will air on FOX. It is a part of the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic, in which Tennessee defeated Iowa in a season ago. After UT’s game, the Hawkeyes and UConn will square off in the same building.
Then, the Lady Vols face Southern Indiana on Dec. 22 in Knoxville to round out the pre-SEC slate. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+.
