No. 18 Tennessee women’s basketball suffered a setback Sunday, falling 72-69 to Georgia in its regular-season finale. Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell did not hide her frustration with her team’s performance.
“Incredibly disappointing, that was our response,” Caldwell said, as reported by Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The Lady Vols (21-8, 8-8 SEC) struggled with consistency, particularly in the second half. Tennessee had a late 60-57 lead after a 3-pointer and layup from Samara Spencer but failed to capitalize, going without a field goal for over three minutes. Georgia (12-18, 4-12) took advantage, closing the game on a 15-9 run, including crucial free throws in the final minute.
Mia Woolfolk led Georgia with 20 points, while De’Mauri Flournoy added 18. The Lady Bulldogs built a 39-26 halftime lead, shooting 50% from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Tennessee, in contrast, shot just 25% in the first half and made only 3-of-19 from three-point range. Despite a third-quarter rally, which included a 13-0 run largely fueled by free throws, Tennessee could not sustain momentum.
Jewel Spear paced the Lady Vols with 20 points, followed by Zee Spearman with 19 and Spencer with 11. Tennessee also lost leading scorer Talaysia Cooper to a right ankle injury late in the second quarter, and she did not return.
Caldwell noted the team’s inconsistency, pointing to a stark contrast between Sunday’s performance and the Lady Vols’ upset win over UConn less than a month ago.
“We were all locked in,” Caldwell said of the UConn preparation. “All of us were focused on that, and I think when you get towards the end of the year, maybe people start focusing on the wrong things.”
Tennessee women’s basketball now turns its attention to the SEC Tournament, where it enters as the No. 9 seed. Tennessee will face Vanderbilt, with limited time to regroup.
“We’re going to have to come up with something, because we have one day of practice before we hit the road,” Caldwell said. “And we have to try to play ourselves out of this.”
The SEC Tournament begins Wednesday in Greenville, South Carolina with Tennessee looking to regain form before postseason play intensifies.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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