Lady Vols basketball had no issue handling Arkansas, beating the Razorbacks 85-50 at home to advance to 4-0 in SEC play. However, Tennessee was without its leader in points, assists and steals, Talaysia Cooper, in the game.
Afterward, Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell was asked about the status of Cooper. She said the timeline for her return is currently unclear after she got hit in the head with a ball during shootaround.
UT was also without guard Kaniya Boyd for the second-straight game. Her timeline remains uncertain after suffering a high ankle sprain.
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Cooper is averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.4 steals and 0.5 blocks per game heading into Sunday. She is considered a potential first-round WNBA draft pick, and her play to start the SEC slate has helped boost her stock.
However, heading into the recent game against Mississippi State, UT head coach Kim Caldwell challenged her. She said she had more in her and would like to see her get to the rim on a more consistent basis.
“Yeah, she still has more in her – and I’m going to go ahead and challenge her publicly,” Caldwell said. “She still has more in her. She can get to the rim more. She did a better job vs. Florida, but she can get to the rim whenever she wants on one or two people, and she needs to start doing that because we don’t have time to waste.”
Cooper responded with a strong game. In Tennessee’s 90-80 win at Mississippi State, she produced 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.
Tennessee will now have a week off before its next game to get healthy. The Lady Vols travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama next Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air on the SEC Network.
