No, 9 seed Tennessee women’s basketball suffered an 84-76 loss to No. 8 seed Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday, marking the first time in program history that the Commodores defeated the Lady Vols twice in a single season.
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell attributed the loss to fatigue and inconsistency, acknowledging that her team has struggled in recent weeks.
“We could have managed our load a little bit better,” Caldwell said, as reported by Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “I think our last two weeks have shown we’re a little fatigued, we’re a little banged up and we need some rest.”
Tennessee (22-9) fell behind early, as Vanderbilt (22-9) opened the game on a 17-5 run. The Lady Vols responded in the second quarter with a 12-2 run to briefly take the lead, but Vanderbilt regained control with a decisive 13-0 run in the third quarter. Freshman Mikayla Blakes scored nine of her game-high 24 points during that stretch, helping the Commodores build a lead that grew to as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Caldwell acknowledged that Tennessee has not been at its best in recent games, even in wins.
“It’s been a really disappointing last week, week-and-a-half,” Caldwell said. “I don’t think we played well. Even some of the games we won, we didn’t play well. We need to rest, get healthy and get back to it.”
Vanderbilt capitalized on Tennessee’s struggles, with Blakes and Iyana Moore (23 points) leading the way. Khamil Pierre added 16 points and 15 rebounds. Tennessee was led by Ruby Whitehorn with 14 points, while Samara Spencer, Talaysia Cooper, and Jewel Spear each scored 13.
Despite the loss, Caldwell believes her team must learn to stay composed in difficult situations.
“That’s just continuing to show them on film, you can put 15 points together in three minutes,” Caldwell said. “Don’t look at the scoreboard, get down on yourself. I think that comes with kind of experience. You have a lot of new players. You have to step up and lead. You (need) people that will command a huddle whether their shot is going in or not.”
The Lady Vols have now lost three of their last four games and, according to Alexa Philppou and Charlie Creme of ESPN, do not have a path to the top-16.
With the SEC Tournament over for Tennessee women’s basketball, the Lady Vols will look to regroup ahead of the NCAA Tournament, where they hope to regain form before March Madness begins.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
The post Tennessee women’s basketball coach reveals what’s to blame for Vanderbilt loss appeared first on ClutchPoints.
