GREENVILLE, S.C. — Despite a large, orange-clad turnout in Greenville, South Carolina, the Lady Vols’ performance kept the crowd quiet.
Alabama embarrassed the Lady Vols in the second round of the SEC Tournament, winning 76-64 at Bon Secours Arena. Tennessee (16-13, 8-8 SEC) came out of the tunnel flat, and the Crimson Tide (23-9, 7-9) ran them out of the arena. With the loss, the Lady Vols are one-and-done in the tournament for the first time since 2017.
There were very few, if any, areas to be proud of in the loss. Senior Janiah Barker’s 20-point performance will be overlooked for her seven turnovers and lack of effort in the loss. Senior Zee Spearman was a slight positive, posting 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and six rebounds in the loss. The senior also blocked two shots, but lost the ball twice.
From the opening whistle, Tennessee’s unorthodox defense was picked apart.
The Lady Vols never took the lead, falling behind 27 seconds into the game after a layup. Tennessee was constantly stuck in a rut, having to dig itself out of a pit to avoid falling further behind.
The Crimson Tide’s layups would be a staple of the first half. They scored 18 points in the paint in the first quarter, going 7-for-10 on layups. Tennessee struggled to replicate Alabama’s inside presence, taking three layups and scoring six points in the paint in the first frame.
Though Tennessee fell behind early, it only faced a seven-point deficit after the first 10 minutes. The Lady Vols shot 3-for-6 from the 3-point line, but the Crimson Tide still led 25-18.
After Tennessee turned the ball over four times in the first frame, that issue continued to spiral. The Lady Vols doubled that number in the second quarter, giving the Crimson Tide 12 points off them.
“We had too many turnovers tonight,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “I think we got outworked, outplayed and outcoached from the very start.”
While Tennessee held Alabama to 14 points in the second quarter, its offensive struggles proved to be too much to overcome. The Lady Vols managed 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, falling behind 39-29 heading into halftime.
Though Tennessee had beaten Alabama 70-59 earlier this season, this was unprecedented territory. The Lady Vols fell behind by 10 in the first quarter but managed to take a seven-point lead into halftime during the first matchup. This time around, the Crimson Tide avoided making that mistake.
The absence of Talaysia Cooper also amplified Tennessee’s struggles. The redshirt junior played 10 minutes in the first half and two in the second. She had four points on 1-for-4 shooting with two steals, two assists and a rebound.
“Who knows if it was the right call,” Caldwell said about Cooper not returning to the game. “We’re trying to find combinations that work.”
Facing a 10-point deficit, the Lady Vols headed into the quarter in which they struggled the most. They had been outscored in the third quarter of the last five matchups, and this one proved to be no different. Alabama continued to throttle Tennessee, outscoring them 22-17 in the third frame.
The Lady Vols turned the ball over five more times, giving the ball back to the Crimson Tide every time they got a break. Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was essentially over.
Alabama led 61-46 heading into the final quarter and continued to force the Lady Vols into mistakes. Though only turned the ball over once, the Lady Vols’ lack of urgency and space buried their chances to win.
Tennessee shot 5-for-12 and 1-for-6 from the 3-point line, scoring just 18 points. Alabama churned out 15 more points, winning 76-64 to knock the Lady Vols out of the SEC Tournament.
With the loss, Tennessee will await its fate. The Lady Vols still have a chance at the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Selection Sunday on March 15. Tennessee is projected as a seven-seed as of March 5, but it will certainly take a tumble.
“I think we played the hardest schedule in the country,” Caldwell said. “The majority of that came in February, but we have significant wins and we hope to get in.”
