Kim Caldwell reveals Tennessee's biggest flaw in 1-point Vanderbilt loss
01/20/2025 07:46 PM
The Tennessee women's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 71-70 loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday, marking their third one-possession defeat of the season. Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes tipped in the game-winning shot at the buzzer, snapping a streak of Tennessee victories in the rivalry dating back to 2018-19.
Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell didn't hold back in her postgame comments, calling out her team's inconsistency and missed opportunities.
“I would have something good to say about that if it wasn’t the third time that this has happened,” Caldwell said, as reported by Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “That’s just who we are. We’re inconsistent … If they could just figure out how to be consistent, we wouldn’t keep having this problem.”
The loss was a culmination of recurring issues, including poor rebounding, fouls at critical moments and subpar shooting by Tennessee. Tennessee missed nine of its first 11 shots, shot just 26-for-68 overall and went 6-for-26 from 3-point range. The Lady Vols also struggled to contain Blakes, who finished with 23 points, including the decisive offensive rebound and tip-in.
Tennessee mounted a strong second-half rally, outscoring Vanderbilt 44-34 after halftime. Senior guard Jewel Spear hit key shots late in the game, scoring eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter. However, it was not enough to overcome Spear's 0-for-6 start from beyond the arc in the first half.
Tennessee women’s basketball defeated by Vanderbilt for just 11th time in 90 games
The Lady Vols trailed by 11 points at halftime after a second quarter in which they were outscored 16-5. Caldwell emphasized the importance of maintaining effort and focus throughout the game, noting that lapses have repeatedly cost the team close contests.
"We show them every possession that cost us the game,” she said. "And we’re either not good enough to fix it, or we just don’t think it matters.”
This is now just the 11th time in 90 games that Vanderbilt has defeated Tennessee, and first win at home in the series since Jan. 12, 2014, according to The Associated press.
With a 15-3 record and a 3-3 mark in SEC play, the Lady Vols face a tough road ahead as they travel to play No. 7 Texas on Thursday. Vanderbilt, now 15-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play, will host Arkansas in their next matchup, also on Thursday.
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