Lady Vols basketball got drubbed on the road at Kentucky a year ago, but got theirs back this time around. On Thursday night, No. 17 Tennessee downed the No. 11 Wildcats 60-58 in Knoxville.
Here are three quick thoughts from the win.
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Talaysia Cooper Struggled For Three Quarters, Then Turned It On
With Janiah Barker out, it was going to take a little more from everyone to make up for her absence. While Talaysia Cooper doesn’t necessarily play the same position as Barker, her stepping up as a scorer and rebounder could’ve gone a long way against Kentucky.
Instead, Cooper struggled to find her footing at first. She entered the fourth quarter with just two points and wasn’t making much an impact. However, in the fourth, she turned it on during spurts. She would finish the game with seven points, but on 3-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from range. She also contributed five rebounds, three assists and five steals.
Tennessee is going to need more out of Cooper going forward. The Lady Vols have a tough matchup on the road at Ole Miss on Monday, and Cooper not playing at a high level could mean a loss. If she’s playing well, she’s a potential first-round WNBA draft pick and one of the best players in the country, though.
Finding some sort of consistency will be very important going forward. When tournament play arrives, Tennessee needs to know what it’s getting out of Cooper for an entire game.
Freshmen Came to Play
With Barker out and Cooper struggling to start, it was a trio of freshmen who stepped up and were absolutely critical. Again, Mia Pauldo shone the brightest.
The SEC Freshman of the Year candidate and possible front-runner took over as a scorer. She finished with 21 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field. She also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Behind her, Deniya Prawl dropped nine points while making all three shots from the field and a 3-pointer. She added four rebounds, four steals and a block.
Also playing well was Jaida Civil. She posted eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Defense Clamped Down, Limited Clara Strack
The Lady Vols got blown out in Lexington a year ago. Though it was with a different team and lower-level roster, Kim Caldwell’s Marshall team also couldn’t hold up against Kenny Brooks and Clara Strack at Virginia Tech in 2024.
That wasn’t the storyline this time, though. Instead, the Tennessee defense clamped down on the Wildcats and made things consistently tough for Kentucky’s offense. Overall, UK shot 38.3% from the field and turned it over 21 times while only scoring 58 points.
As far as Strack, she got hers, but didn’t take over by any means. She finished with just nine points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field and a critical missed three late in the game. She also grabbed 15 rebounds, came up with two steals and blocked a shot. However, she turned it over four times.
To limit Strack, who is one of the best forwards in the country, is impressive in its own right. To do so without Barker and just one true big makes it even more impressive.
Final Stats
Up Next
The Lady Vols will be back on the road next. Tennessee heads to Ole Miss to play the Rebels on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPNU.
After that, the Lady Vols will host Mississippi State on the following Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on SECN+.
