Lady Vols basketball freshman point guard Mia Pauldo will officially make her way back to the court on Thursday. Pauldo was not listed on Wednesday night’s availability report ahead of the game against Texas A&M, indicating that she is active.
Caldwell had not given any firm updates on a timeline for when Pauldo would return during the three-game stretch she missed. However, she did note that the injury took place during the loss to South Carolina and not at any ensuing practices.
Without Pauldo, Tennessee hammered Missouri, lost narrowly to a top-five Texas team and came up well short on the road against a ranked Ole Miss squad this past Tuesday. In her place, it’s been Nya Robertson starting at point guard.
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Pauldo has emerged as one of the best players for the Lady Vols this season. She is averaging 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on the year.
She’s elevated her game in SEC play, as well. In conference play alone, she’s posted 14.4 points per game. This is the 16th-highest mark in the SEC so far and the second-best on the team. Talaysia Cooper’s 18.18 points is the only Lady Vols’ mark that is higher.
Cooper also isn’t listed on the report, which is good news for the Lady Vols. She suffered an injury late in the game at Ole Miss, but returned to the floor after a brief trip to the tunnel. Texas A&M will be without Vanessa Saidu for the game.
With just a day in between its most recent game, the matchup with the Aggies is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+. Then, it’s another big road bout. The Lady Vols play No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
