Since starting out with a 15-0 record, the No. 12 Tennessee women’s basketball team has gone cold as of late, losing four of its last six games, including a disappointing 70-59 loss to the unranked LSU Tigers on the road.
The Lady Vols are hoping to get back to their winning ways and the level of play that got them to 15-0.
“It all just starts in practice,” freshman Evina Westbrook said, “Yesterday we had a really good practice, and it just brought back those old vibes and that team spirit we had the beginning.”
Tennessee will have the chance to showcase this revitalized spirit against a familiar foe when the Lady Vols welcome the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies to Knoxville on Thursday.
On Jan. 11, Tennessee traveled to College Station, Texas, to take on the Aggies for the first time this season. Although Texas A&M did not score for almost the entire fourth quarter, they were able to take the Lady Vols to overtime.
The Aggies would eventually overcome the Lady Vols, 79-76, to hand them their first loss of the year. Westbrook, who had a rough game, hasn’t forgotten about how she felt after the contest.
“I looked back at it a lot,” Westbrook said, “Especially me and Coach went over the game. After the game they told me we have a lot of games left, we just have to move on.”
One of the main reasons the Aggies were able to beat the Lady Vols was due to the sheer amount of Tennessee turnovers. This has been an area of gameplay that has plagued the Lady Vols all year, and they had 16 total turnovers the first time around against Texas A&M.
For the players, it all boils down to effort.
“We were playing really hard (before the losses),” senior Mercedes Russell said, “We need to get back to that. Just playing hard for the full 40 minutes.”
“Small-ball” lineups have wreaked havoc against Tennessee so far. In three of their four losses, including the Texas A&M game, the Lady Vols’ opponents have started at least three guards.
While Tennessee mainly focuses on power, with tall players like Russell and 6-foot-2 forward Rennia Davis patrolling the paint, other teams have utilized speed, and it has been effective.
The “small-ball” lineups that the Lady Vols have faced caused disarray for the passing game that Tennessee prides itself on. In those three losses, Tennessee averaged 19 turnovers to just under 14 assists for a -5 margin.
The Aggies will likely try to counter Tennessee’s power with a small and fast press in order to force turnovers and easy baskets to take an early advantage.
Tennessee also will need to do a better job of rebounding if it is to avenge its prior loss to the Aggies. In their loss to the LSU Tigers, the Lady Vols were outrebounded 44-32, allowing 23 offensive rebounds.
In their prior game, the Aggies were able to slightly outrebound the Lady Vols 45-44. However, Tennessee allowed Texas A&M to pull down 15 offensive boards.
“We definitely worked on (boxing out) for a while during practice,” Russell said.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in Thompson-Boling Arena, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
