From the opening tip, Lady Vols basketball was outmatched on the glass.
Texas grabbed nine boards before Tennessee got one. The trend continued throughout the game, proving to be the difference in a 80-76 win for the Longhorns.
No. 7 Texas (19-2, 5-1 SEC) out-rebounded the No. 17 Lady Vols (15-4, 3-4) by a 39-24 margin in the win. The Longhorns earned 25 second-chance points compared to just five for Tennessee, including a second-chance bucket in the final minute to help win the game.
Despite the Lady Vols getting decent shots down the stretch, Texas got more shots, and that won out.
“We didn’t crash the glass well enough to get those second possessions that we normally do,” acting Tennessee head coach Jenna Burdette said. “So that was a major problem over the shots.”
Tennessee’s 24 rebounds are by far their fewest this season, nine short of the previous low against Oklahoma. Tennessee also set new season-low marks on both the offensive and defensive glass.
In head coach Kim Caldwell’s system, rebounding has to come from all five players on the floor. When that effort from all players isn’t there, the results can single-handedly lead to losses.
“I think our posts did a good job battling with them,” Burdette said. “At the end of the day, we talk about rebounding being a collective effort. It wasn’t a collective effort today.”
Tennessee had to undergo a major change prior to the game. Caldwell gave birth to her son, forcing her absence. Tennessee’s coaching staff had been planning for this day for a while, but it finally came.
Burdette knew she would be the acting head coach well ahead of Thursday’s game, but it was just a question of when she would take over. When Caldwell had to miss a game, she was ready to step in.
“We had a plan set in place,” Burdette said. “Whenever baby Caldwell decided to arrive, we knew what was going to happen, so we’ve been prepared for it.”
In situations with uncertainty, a team’s leadership has to step up. That happened for the Lady Vols, who saw the team’s leadership group play a part in facilitating Burdette’s role.
That led to minimal changes on the court on Thursday and the Lady Vols putting out a similar performance to prior games.
“I don’t really think that we missed a beat,” Tennessee guard Tess Darby said. “Our coaches are always there to step up. We can go to any coach, and I think that showed tonight.”
Although Caldwell wasn’t in Moody Center, Tennessee still couldn’t get out of its own way. The Lady Vols picked up 22 fouls in the game compared to just 10 for Texas and never got the press going, forcing 12 turnovers. With all factors combined, the Longhorns took 10 more shots than the Lady Vols.
Tennessee came into Thursday’s game against Texas looking for consistency. The Lady Vols weren’t consistent in close losses to Oklahoma, LSU and Vanderbilt, and Thursday’s game in Austin was supposed to be different.
Instead, Tennessee failed to be consistent again, losing for the fourth time by four points or less.
“Consistency was our word of the week for sure,” Burdette said. “We talked about it again in the locker room, and it’s just something we can’t get over at the moment.”
