In some cases, there’s even more to like about this Tennessee Lady Vols team after their first loss of the season. UT, ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll, fell 87-86 Sunday at home to the Oklahoma Sooners, who are ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll.
Kim Caldwell’s team nearly erased 19-point deficit in the third quarter and had a chance to win at the end, but Sara Puckett missed a wide open three. Their three-point shooting finally came back own to earth, as they were 10-of-36 from the outside.
At the heart of the loss, though, is the curse of Caldwell’s tempo: unless they force turnovers, the Tennessee Lady Vols seem to have an issue defending the half-court game. OU shot 30.8 percent from three, which wouldn’t blow anybody away, but they kept finding ways to get buckets.
Now, Tennessee certainly had its fair share of forced turnovers, playing Caldwell’s game to perfection there. They forced 31 on the day and came away with 19 steals, including an incredible nine from Talaysia Cooper, who also had 16 points and seven rebounds.
When they weren’t forcing steals, though, they were giving up buckets, and they also had trouble scoring out of their own half-court sets. The offense was all based on transition and three-point shooting, which is why they only shot seven free throws…and missed five of them. OU was 11-of-16 from the line. That was another huge difference.
Jewel Spear was once again the star of the game and did everything she could to help UT complete the comeback, as she dropped 28 points and was 6-of-11 from three. Samara Spencer had 16 points as well, and Ruby Whitehorn had 13. Spear and Spencer each had three steals, and Puckett and Alyssa Latham each had two off the bench.
Caldwell’s system doesn’t call for a lot of half-court play, so maybe this just isn’t something that will be a staple of this program, but the Tennessee Lady Vols then have to hit their free throws and shoot better from three to outscore opponents. Recruiting may help with the consistency there, as UT has a lot of talent coming in.
Up next for Tennessee, who falls to 13-1 and 1-1 in SEC play, is another top 10 matchup, as they welcome the LSU Tigers, who are No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 4 in the Coaches Poll, to Knoxville Thursday. OU, who improves to 13-2 and 1-1 in SEC play, will visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs Thursday.
