Lady Vols Suffer Second Conference Loss in Blowout Against Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla.– The No. 7 Lady Vols suffered their third loss of the season to Florida on Thursday night in Gainesville, dropping their conference record to 8-2.
Tennessee’s star players Jordan Horston, Rae Burrell, and Tamari Key combined for a measly 22 points, while Florida had four players in double digits. Tennessee struggled on defense, allowing Florida to score nine points in the last two-and-a-half minutes to their zero. The disappointing ending was the backdrop of a brutal excursion for the Lady Vols, who struggled the entire game against a hot Gator team on the road.
For starters, Lady Vols star and offensive juggernaut in Horston had a frustrating outing against the Gators. The junior logged 26 minutes and scored a season-low five points Thursday night, only making two of her nine attempted field goals.
UT is not incredibly gifted when it comes to the offensive side of the court, but their performance against Florida was distressing. Tennessee only shot 37.5% from the field and had eight assists. Alexus Dye played the least amount of time among the starters and still was UT’s highest scorer with a mere ten points. The Lady Vols bucketed four three-pointers, and a starter made only one. The Lady Volunteers also had the ball stolen from them 11 times.
Tennessee’s defensive performance was dreadful, sparking a hard loss against the unranked conference foe. The Lady Vols' identity is to play physical defense, but they allowed the Gators to score 84 points in the Stephen O’Connell Center, a season-high for any team against the Orange and White. The Gators also shot 62 field goals at a 53.2% clip. Tamari Key did not block a shot, and the team only amassed five steals. The Lady Vols have won every board battle of the season except in the Florida game and the Stanford game, and both resulted in losses.
The Big Orange Women also grappled with ball control, turning it over 18 times and enabling the Gators to score 26 points off said turnovers. Having a high number of turnovers has become commonplace for the Lady Vols, whereas the home squad only surrendered the ball nine times, allowing for five points off turnovers.
Another low light for the Lady Vols was a sub-par performance at the free-throw line. UT made a meager 46.7% of their free throws for only seven points while their opponents made 57.1% at the line, adding a 12-point advantage in that area.
What does this loss mean?
With the Lady Vols losing back-to-back games to unranked opponents, optimism for a national championship run lessens.
If there is anything to take away from Tennessee's overall performance this season, it is that this team wants to win. However, with Keyen Green's absence affecting the Lady Vols significantly on the defensive end and cold shooting nights happening often, Tennessee will have to find a way to adjust and get back in their groove.
Monday's win over Arkansas was impressive. It was huge for the Lady Vols to take it to overtime in a comeback and eventually win. But that team did not come close to showing up in Gainesville. It is hard to imagine Tennessee was capable of such a blowout loss. The loss to Stanford was understandable, and coming out flat against the, at the time, 0-7 SEC, underrated Auburn wasn't that unimaginable. But to no-show against Florida after a big win with a game against UConn three days away in which UT needs to have the utmost confidence is staggering.
The Lady Vols scored 59 points, were out-rebounded, and Jordan Horston had five points. Those three stats spell disaster: a disaster no one saw coming for Kellie Harper's squad. Sure, a loss would not have been that surprising, as the Gators knocked off LSU, hung tight with South Carolina and destroyed Kentucky in their last three.
But a loss like this? It's worrisome for the Lady Vols' potential.
What's to come?–All eyes are now pointed to Sunday's game.
The devastating loss to the Gators happened to an already delicate Lady Vols team. Having lost to Auburn last Thursday and garnering a slim overtime victory against Arkansas, Tennessee needed a bounce-back win to prove they are still a top-tier team and gain more confidence heading up north. An aggressive Florida team and a sorry all-around performance shattered that goal.
Now, Tennessee must head to Connecticut to take on No. 10 UConn in a historic rivalry game after their most significant loss of the season, making facing the Huskies all the more unfavorable.
All eyes will be pointed to see how the Lady Vols respond, a team that was once projected to host in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper met with the media following the loss in Gainesville. Her entire press conference is in the video above.
Photo Credit: Tennessee Athletics
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