While Lady Vols basketball is on the rise, it still has ground to make up.
The Lady Vols fell 99-77 to the UCLA Bruins on Sunday evening in Westwood, California. The No. 14 Lady Vols (5-2) played from behind nearly the entire game, possessing the lead for only 1:32 of the game. The No. 3 Bruins (8-1) looked like the far superior team in the second half, outscoring Tennessee 50-38
Janiah Barker had one of the best games of her young Tennessee stint. The former Bruin shot 9-for-17 and 3-for-7 from the 3-point line. She had 25 points, three rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes.
It was hard to look past UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez in the first quarter. The senior guard lit up Tennessee’s defense for nine points in the first 10 minutes, a premonition of things to come for the Lady Vols’ defense in the matchup. She connected on both of her 3-pointers and made all three of her free throws to begin the game.
On the other side of the court, the Lady Vols were hanging with the Bruins. Barker shot 4-for-7 for 11 points in the opening quarter. She also shot 2-for-4 from the 3-point line, including a buzzer-beater to cut UCLA’s lead to 26-21.
The second quarter looked similar to the first for UCLA’s offense. Jaquez continued to find the bottom of the net, adding another 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Tennessee kept fighting through poor shooting, tallying eight points on 6-for-20 shooting in the second quarter.
Heading into halftime, UCLA led 49-39. While Jaquez was 4-for-5 from deep, the Lady Vols had other issues to worry about. The Bruins led the way in points in the paint, scoring 22 to Tennessee’s 10. The Bruins also had plenty of chances from the free-throw line, shooting 9-for-11 from the stripe in the first half.
After a fast start in the first quarter, Barker’s production took a hit. She led the team in points with 14 but shot an inefficient 5-for-12 in the first half. She added one rebound and one steal before the break.
Facing a 10-point deficit, the game wasn’t out of hand for the Lady Vols yet.
A poor defensive showing allowed UCLA to score 27 points in the third quarter. Jaquez contributed eight, but Gianna Kneepkens added nine of her own as the Bruins took a 20-point lead into the final quarter.
Senior Nya Robertson was a bright spot for Tennessee coming out of halftime. After playing just six minutes in the first half and not taking a shot, she shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
Facing a 20-point deficit heading into the final quarter, the Lady Vols needed a miracle to make the game look competitive. They ripped off a 13-0 run to begin the quarter, but it was too little too late. The Bruins went on an 8-0 run right after, crushing any sort of Tennessee momentum.
The two teams went back and forth the rest of the quarter, but ultimately it would be UCLA pulling off a 99-77 win over the Lady Vols. Jaquez finished the game with 29 points on an efficient 10-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-6 from deep.
The loss snaps the Lady Vols’ five-game win streak. Tennessee also moves to 0-2 against ranked opponents this year.
The Lady Vols will be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 9:15 p.m. ET. They’ll take on the Stanford Cardinal on the road to conclude their West Coast trip.
