Lady Vols basketball got plenty tested in out-of-conference play, and it seems it’s paying off. Tennessee beat Mississippi State 90-80 on the road on Thursday to improve to 3-0 in conference play.
Here are three thoughts from the win.
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Tennessee Answered the Rebounding Call
The Lady Vols were acutely aware of how important rebounding was in this game. Kim Caldwell said it in her pregame press conference on Wednesday, and the same sentiment echoed throughout the practice that followed.
If you look at Mississippi State’s past games, when it rebounds well, it plays well. When they get beat on the glass, the Bulldogs get beat on the scoreboard.
Tennessee answered the coaches’ call on Thursday night. The Lady Vols only lost the battle on the glass 37-35 and were right there in step with Mississippi State throughout. Leading the way were Talaysia Cooper and Janiah Barker, who both grabbed six.
Offensively, Tennessee produced 16 rebounds in the matchup. This resulted in 12 second-chance points.
Lady Vols were Pretty Effective from Range
Tennessee has been hit-or-miss from range, with a lot of miss. That wasn’t necessarily the case on Thursday, though, and it went a long way in the win.
In the first half, UT connected on 6-of-15 threes. This was paced by Mia Pauldo, who hit 2-of-3 attempts. It was five total players in that half to make one.
By the end of the game, the Lady Vols shot 10-of-27 from beyond the 3-point line. Pauldo, Janiah Barker, Talaysia Cooper and Zee Spearman all made multiple attempts.
While 37% isn’t the best mark you’ll ever see, it’s still an improvement given the quantity Tennessee took.
Mia Pauldo Looks Like a Five-Star Point Guard
Mia Pauldo is truly hitting her stride at a great time. With SEC play starting, Pauldo has been one of the Lady Vols’ best players on a consistent basis. Without her, I’m not sure Tennessee is 3-0 to start the conference slate.
This was Pauldo’s best collegiate game yet. She finished the matchup with 26 points on an extremely efficient 8-for-12 shooting from the field. She also shot 2-for-5 from range and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Outside of her scoring prowess, Pauldo passed for three assists, grabbed two rebounds and came up with two steals. She only turned the ball over twice. In 28 minutes, she was a +9.
Pauldo is looking like one of the most important players on the team and appears to be in contention to be the SEC Freshman of the Year if she keeps it up.
Final Stats
Up Next
The Lady Vols will head back home now to play Tennessee. That game is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. ET. It will air on SECN+.
Then, it’s a week off before heading back to the road to play at Alabama the following Sunday.
