Lady Vols Fall to Rival UConn, Lose Third Straight Road Game
HARTFORD, Conn.– Two Thursdays ago, Tennessee lost to unranked Auburn and followed it up with a big overtime win over Arkansas. This past Thursday, Tennessee lost to unranked Florida and played their worst game of the season, but the Lady Vols' showing against UConn could not have been more different than their performance against Arkansas.
The No. 7 Lady Vols lost to rival No. 10 UConn in the XL Center 75-56, dropping their third straight road game and making it three losses in the last four games. Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper is now 0-3 against UConn and Geno Auriemma as a head coach, and Tennessee has lost three straight against the Huskies since the rivalry renewal.
The once seemingly invincible, gritty and overly resilient Lady Vols have lost their luster and looked lost in Hartford Sunday. Tennessee could not guard the Huskies' three-point game and could not make shots to combat it. The Lady Vols finished the disappointing outing with a 28.8 field goal percentage, making only 17 shots on 59 attempts. UConn's late success helped their numbers, but the Huskies weren't shooting that well, either. Geno Auriemma's squad finished the day with a solid 44.8 field goal percentage, shooting 12-26 from deep.
UT simply could not get any offensive rhythm going, and every time they started to go on a run, a Huskie would drill a three to deflate the orange and white balloon.
Jordan Horston was the bright spot for Tennessee, putting up a second career-high 26 points. Horston got to the line often and was terrific, making 10 of 11 free throws.
Outside of Horston, the Lady Vols did not show up. Rae Burrell was second on the team with 11 points, and five came late. Tamari Key had eight points, and Sara Puckett made two threes against UConn to earn herself six points. Only six Tennessee players scored a point, and Alexus Dye had one.
UConn was led by first-time starter Azzi Fudd's 25 points. Fudd filled in for Caroline Ducharme, who was declared out during pre-game warmups. Ducharme was the Huskies' leading scorer, while UConn's best player, Paige Bueckers, was sidelined. But the Huskies did not miss a beat, with Fudd setting a career-high in points, drilling seven threes in the process.
Tennessee could not keep up with UConn offensively and did not out-rebound the Huskies. The Lady Vols had only one block to UConn's seven. In Hartford, many things went wrong for this once-dominant Tennessee Lady Vols team, showing there is a lot to improve on if Kellie Harper's squad intends to make a deep run in March.
Let's get into it.
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Three Ball Buries Lady Vols At Every Turn
Uconn made 12 of 26 attempted three-pointers, with Azzi Fudd making seven of nine. The three-point game, much like it did against Arkansas, was something Tennessee could not stop. Against Arkansas, the Lady Vols could combat Amber Ramirez's magic with some offensive firepower, but it did not exist in Hartford on Sunday.
And the threes were happening at the most gut-wrenching times for the Lady Vols. Tennessee came into the second half trailing by seven with the game, having held tight with UConn in the first half. The Huskies blew it open to start the third quarter, going on a 14-0 run in the first three minutes and 40 seconds. Nika Muhl and Christyn Williams combined for all 14 points in that span, and nine came from beyond the arc. UConn ended the third quarter with a 100% three-point shooting percentage (4-4) and outscored UT 23-10. After limping to half, Tennessee needed to come out ready in the second half, but whatever Kellie Harper said did not work.
UConn entered the final frame up 21 points, meaning the Lady Vols needed a miracle to pull off the road win.
It didn't happen, but Tennessee did go on a 19-6 run to end the third quarter and start the fourth to cut the Huskies' lead to 13 points. At that moment, just under six minutes remained, and Rae Burrell had made back-to-back shots to give Tennessee the most momentum they had all game.
Aaliyah Edwards rapidly took that momentum away as she drilled a three on the other end of the floor, followed by an Azzi Fudd triple to bury the Lady Vols' hopes. Fudd wasn't done, either, as the freshman bucketed two more triples in the ensuing 10-0 UConn run to go up 25 points.
Every time the Lady Vols started to gain confidence and string together some makes, UConn would show why they are ultimately the better team.
Shots Aren't Falling
The Lady Vols shot an abysmal 29 percent against the Huskies, going as low as 20 percent from the field in the fourth quarter. Tennessee has struggled with going on long, cold offensive stretches this season, but nothing like the last two games. Fifty-nine points against an unranked Gators team followed by 56 points against an all-time rival is not how Kellie Harper wants her team to play. Tennessee must find a way to get shots to fall, as the way they performed in Hartford is beginning to catch up to them.
Jordan Horston was the bright spot for the Lady Vols with 26, and she was finding a way to get to the line. The only aspect the Lady Vols excelled in was free-throw shooting, making 19 of 21 tries. However, Horston cannot carry the entire team. Jordan Walker, Alexus Dye and Tess Darby (all three starters) were a collective 0-16 from the field. Horston's seven turnovers were a team-high, but the junior was the only one who could get any offensive rhythm going for Tennessee. Tennessee could not get going if the ball was in anyone else's hands. Rae Burrell was the only other Lady Vol to provide a spark, but the senior hobbled off during the game and did not seem right until late in the fourth quarter, when she scored five straight points.
Tennessee will get a chance to have a rebound shooting performance against Mizzou on Thursday in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Keyen Green's Loss Still Affecting Lady Vols
Kellie Harper noted in the post-game press conference that the team still has not recovered from Keyen Green's injury.
"The biggest thing for us is we lost Keyen Green," Harper said. "We just have not recovered form that yet. We haven't. And right now, the team is still searching. And we aren't getting her back so we have to step up, and we have to be mature. We have to tweak some things systematically and find confidence in what we are doing. And that right now is the biggest drop-off for us in the past two weeks."
The Lady Vols have struggled to find consistent post play behind Tamari Key, and Key has even struggled since Green's injury on offense. Tennessee lost a major leader on the floor in Green and a great rebounder. With the confidence this low according to Harper without Green, the Lady Vols desperately need that leadership, maturity and consistent play down low to come from another source.
And it doesn't look like small sets or Emily Saunders have provided anything to write home about, especially against UConn. Alexus Dye logged a mere 15 minutes.
Is It Time to Panic?
The losses are undoubtedly worrisome for the Lady Vols, and their potential of a National Championship or Final Four run is not there.
Right now, anyway.
The Lady Vols still are an elite team. They've been punched in the mouth three times in the past ten days. There's still plenty of SEC play left, and it should not take long to get back in the Top-10 if the Lady Vols can garner some eye-opening conference wins.
The confidence is not where it was within this team earlier in the season, but if Kellie Harper can find a way to get this team back playing the basketball it was a month ago, the Lady Vols will be right back in the thick of things.
The response to Auburn was great. The response to Florida was awful. The response to UConn will show if the November-January Lady Vols team is a thing of the past or if it is still alive.
Stat Corner
-The Lady Vols, who have shown the ability to turn things around at any moment after the first quarter, have stringed together back-to-back games with abysmal mid-game performances. Tennessee scored 23 total points in the second and third quarters against the Gators, and they put up 26 points in the second and third quarters against UConn. Tennessee's slow starts are beginning to extend past the first quarter and into the second half.
-Tennessee: 38 rebounds. UConn: 38 rebounds. The Lady Vols lead the nation in rebounds and rebound margin, but Tennessee was out-rebounded against Florida and tied the Huskies. Every time Tennessee has tied or lost the board battle this season, they have lost the game.
-Karoline Striplin grabbed two boards and made two layups in the closing stages, and the freshman looked good playing in the post in garbage time.
-UConn's guard Evina Westbrook and former Lady Vol scored 14 points, her highest total in 2022.
-Jordan Horston's 26 points were a second career-high
-The 15-point margin between leading scorer Jordan Horston (26) and second-leading scorer Rae Burrell (11) ties for the highest point differential between the highest and second-highest scorer in a game for the Lady Vols (Texas) and is the most in conference play
-Tennessee yet again had more turnovers than their opponent (15 to 14)
-Tennessee averaged .747 points per possession to UConn's 1.056
Up Next
The Lady Vols will take a much-needed trip home to Knoxville and host the Missouri Tigers on Thursday, February 10, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
INLINE
-The Vols defense matched the offense's terrific performance in the second half, as Tennessee finished the game with ten steals to the Gamecocks' six. The Vols outscored SC 48-28 in the second half.
-Kennedy Chandler had the highest +/- of any Vol on the afternoon with 28 (JJJ was second with 25). The freshman also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists to go with his co-team-high three steals. With Zeigler and James lighting up the scoreboard from deep, Chandler's performance is overshadowed but should not be ignored.
-John Fulkerson shot 75% from the field and scored eight points in 23 minutes, filling in for most of the time after Olivier Nkamhoua left with an injury.
What's to Come for Tennessee
Tennessee will stay on the road and take on Mississippi State next Wednesday, February 9, at 9:00 p.m. ET in Starkville. The Vols will come into that game having scored 171 total points in the previous two games in which they defeated Texas A&M and South Carolina by 34 collective points.
The Vols return home to Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday, February 12, for their rematch with Vanderbilt. The Commodores will be the second opponent the Vols sweep this season if they can pull off the victory, as the Gamecocks became the first on Saturday afternoon.
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