Kim Caldwell’s 2026 Lady Vols continue to trek into unknown territory for the program, as they have now lost eight of their last 10 matchups, with Thursday’s meeting against LSU adding to the list.
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Despite starting the game strong and leading through the first quarter, the Tigers downed the Lady Vols on their senior night. The final score was 89-73.
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The Lady Vols (16-11, 8-7) sink deeper and deeper into the hole they’ve dug. Since the start of February, they’ve won just two games, which is the opposite direction any team hopes to be trending this time of year.
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The No. 6 Tigers (25-4, 11-4) won the final three quarters, using a strong third quarter as their big push. Junior Mikaylah Williams led the scoring with 20 points on an efficient 10-for-16 shooting. She added ten rebounds and five assists to her stat line as well.
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As for the Lady Vols, freshman Jaida Civil continues to step forward and emerge as a bright spot in a rather dull stretch. She finished her day against LSU with a team-high 17 points while going 5-for-10 from the field. She tallied eight rebounds and two steals as she continues to break out.
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Civil’s last game against Oklahoma saw her earn a career-high 21 points; now she follows up her best game with her second-best total in points.
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Things started off strong, and felt a little different from the starts of the last few games for the Lady Vols. They led 20-16 after the first 10 minutes, but a telling sign even then was the Lady Vols allowing a Jada Richard three-pointer as the clock hit zero.
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Rather than enter the second up seven, they led by just four. Basketball is a game of runs. The tiniest of switches can mean a win or a loss for teams like the Lady Vols, who have struggled to find much footing.
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The lack of consistency was evident in the second quarter. After shooting 42% as a team through the first two quarters, the defense began to slow down as the Tigers traveled to the free-throw line 10 more times in quarter two compared to quarter one.
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The Lady Vols trailed by just one after the half, but alas, the big Tigers’ third quarter arrived to squash any hope.
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The Tigers outshot the Lady Vols 63% to 37%. They took the lead and didn’t give it back, though the Lady Vols made runs at times; it wouldn’t show on the final score, which is all that counts.
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Tennessee shot less than 30% as a team in the fourth quarter. It did the Lady Vols no favors, and they couldn’t catch up.
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Standings-wise, the Lady Vols move to just one game over .500 in the conference standings, and stand at seventh place as of the conclusion of the game. The Lady Vols’ final game of the regular season is back home against No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday at 2 pm ET.