Tennessee basketball overcame a poor showing to defeat Belmont 68-58 at the Food City Center on Thursday evening.
The Lady Vols (3-1) went on a 14-2 run in the final 4:21, narrowly edging out the Bruins (1-2) in a game that was neck-and-neck through the first 36 minutes.
Guard Talaysia Cooper scored 22 points on 9-for-22 shooting, adding 14 rebounds and three steals in the win.
The first quarter began like many others this season, with a slow start from the Lady Vols.
After falling behind 8-7 halfway through the first quarter, Tennessee turned it around on both ends of the court. Tennessee held Belmont to 1-for-7 shooting at the end of the quarter, finishing on an 18-3 run heading into the second quarter.
The first quarter would also prove to be Tennessee’s most efficient shooting quarter of the night. The Lady Vols shot 11-for-19 from the field, making their last six shots. Guard Mia Pauldo connected on a deep 3-pointer in the closing seconds, giving Tennessee a 25-11 lead despite shooting 2-for-8 from beyond the arc.
After getting out to a 14-point lead, the script quickly flipped.
The Lady Vols struggled to score in the second quarter. They shot a poor 3-for-21 from the field, including 0-for-11 from beyond the arc. Cooper was the only player to score for the Lady Vols, adding seven points in the quarter on 3-for-7 shooting.
With the Lady Vols struggling, Belmont was able to begin bridging the deficit. The Bruins managed 15 points, cutting Tennessee’s lead to six at halftime.
“I would definitely say the energy changed (between the first and second quarter),” Pauldo said. “We felt like we went on a run and we calmed down a little bit, but coach Kim told us before this game that it’s going to be a game of runs. I feel like we finally realized that we have to have some urgency and some energy.”
Despite shooting 14-for-40 from the field and 2-for-19 from the 3-point line, the Lady Vols took a 32-26 lead heading into halftime. Cooper was Tennessee’s most efficient player, scoring 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting in the first half. She also added eight rebounds and two steals in 12 minutes.
After a seven-point second quarter, the Lady Vols took a slight step forward offensively. They shot 5-for-19 and 1-for-9 from beyond the arc for 14 points. But on the other side of the court, the Bruins kept fighting.
They responded with 23 points, shooting 9-for-18 and 5-for-6 from the 3-point line. Former Lady Vol, Avery Strickland, contributed 11 points as Belmont closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run.
Facing a 49-46 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, Tennessee needed to find some offense. The Lady Vols knocked down their first three 3-pointers of the quarter, but a foul on senior Janiah Barker wiped the last make off the board.
After relinquishing the lead one more time, it would be all Lady Vols basketball down the final stretch. Kaniya Boyd gave Tennessee the life it needed, knocking down two big 3-pointers in the final quarter.
“I stay ready,” Boyd said. “I just know my team needs that in the moment. The energy that I have to bring to make my team go at that time, I just stay ready.”
Both teams showed physicality down the final four minutes, but the Lady Vols went on a 14-2 run to secure the win.
After scoring 15 points in the first half, Cooper’s offensive numbers took a hit. She shot 2-for-10, scoring seven points in 17 minutes in the second half. She pulled down six more rebounds, helping lead the Lady Vols to a win through a rough second half.
“We’re not playing great right now,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “We haven’t really had a lot of practice time or space to fix it. Just the way our schedule has been loaded, it’s been a grind. It’s good to get out of here with the win because it was touch-and-go at times. We knew that that’s a great team, and now we finally do have some time to fix it.”
After having four games in nine days, the Lady Vols will finally get a break. They’ll be back in action next Thursday, Nov. 20, against the MTSU Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Murphy Center.
