Lady Vols basketball will be without a key contributor for its road game at Auburn on Sunday afternoon. Junior forward Alyssa Latham, who was playing her best basketball heading into the game, is ruled as out. She was listed as probable on Saturday night.
Latham missed time earlier this season due to personal reasons, but looked like a different player in her return. She quickly found her rhythm, becoming an effective defender and scorer in Kim Caldwell’s system.
In her last time out, Latham played 30 minutes and scored nine points to go with eight rebounds, an assist and two steals.
“I thought Alyssa’s been really good since we’ve come back,” Caldwell said after the game. “She’s put great practices together. We’d like to build it to where we can keep her on the floor for a little longer. She doesn’t play outside of her role. She does her role perfectly and I think that’s something we talk about, too, is being great in your role.”
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Latham is averaging 4.5 points per game on 44.1% shooting from the field this season. She also has contributed 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists.
This is her second season inside the Tennessee program. Last season, Latham produced 3.9 points per game on 47.8% shooting from the field and 31.3% on 3-pointers. She also contributed 3.7 rebounds per match in 34 games played and five starts. She was on the floor for an average of 14.2 minutes per game that year.
Latham transferred in after spending her freshman season at Syracuse. With the Orange, she posted 8.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 32 appearances and 26 starts. This made her one of the most sought-after players in the portal once she entered.
The game against Auburn is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on The Plains and will air on the SEC Network.
