Lady Vols basketball easily downed the Winthrop Eagles on Sunday afternoon, winning 112-40 behind a strong second quarter. Despite playing a lesser opponent, the No. 18 Lady Vols (7-2) played with an intensity that hasn’t been seen for most of the season. Winthrop (7-5) falls to 2-5 against the Lady Vols, winless since 1974.
Tennessee began the game shooting an impressive 7-for-9 inside the arc, but a mere 3-for-14 from 3-pointer range. High percentage looks from the paint helped the Lady Vols jump out to a 16-point lead, but even more impressive was their defensive effort.
They held Winthrop to 2-for-13 shooting from the field in the first quarter, giving up just nine points. Tennessee committed seven personal fouls, giving up nine attempts at the free-throw line. The Eagles connected on five, but the Lady Vols took a 27-9 lead into the second quarter.
“We said to stop fouling,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “We said to stop fouling all game long, but they finally listened.”
After setting her career high in points with 14 last week at Stanford, freshman Mia Pauldo exploded for 12 first-quarter points. She shot 3-for-5 from the field but also tacked on four more points off free throws.
“I would definitely say the first few games, I was trying to get comfortable,” Pauldo said. “But now that I’ve found my rhythm, found my game, my confidence and my trust. My teammates trust me to put the ball in the basket as well as my coach, so the least I could do is provide for them.”
After scoring 27 in the first quarter, Tennessee’s offense looked even better in the second. The Lady Vols shot 6-for-11 from the 3-point line, a significant jump from their first-quarter numbers. Senior Nya Robertson and Pauldo led the team from beyond the arc, with both contributing two 3-pointers.
Tennessee spread the ball well, with 10 different players scoring in the Lady Vols’ 37-point quarter. Tennessee took a 66-17 lead heading into halftime, holding the Eagles to 4-for-17 shooting in the second period.
Pauldo was the engine behind Tennessee’s big first-half lead. While she led the team with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting, she also contributed four assists and three rebounds.
“I just think she’s playing with more confidence,” Caldwell said. “With freshmen, the more games they get under their belt, the stronger they’re going to look down the stretch. She’s great and when she’s on our team we look better.”
Already boasting a 49-point lead, the Lady Vols elected to slow down in the third quarter and put fresh faces on the court. Mya Pauldo, Lauren Hurst and Kaiya Wynn all took the floor in the second half after not playing in the first.
Despite the new faces, the Lady Vols still outscored the Eagles 27-13 and took a 93-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
The final period would be Tennessee’s worst scoring output of the contest, but it still surpassed Winthrop’s best of 13. The Lady Vols took just 13 shots, their lowest of the game. They connected on seven of those shots for 19 points to round out the game as Tennessee won 112-40.
Senior Janiah Barker was Tennessee’s most important player in the second half. After nine points and two rebounds in the first half, she contributed 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting in the second half. She also added eight rebounds in eight minutes.
“I think the best part about her game is how efficient it was,” Caldwell said. “She didn’t miss many shots, she didn’t take very many bad shots. She passed up some to her teammates. She was very, very efficient and I think for her going forward, she needs to continue to be efficient.”
Tennessee will be back in action in Brooklyn against Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m. ET. The Lady Vols will look to pick up their first ranked win of the season against the No. 22 Cardinals after falling to 0-2 against top-25 teams this season.
“I thought it was a better offensive day for us, which we desperately needed,” Caldwell said. “The one thing I wanted today was to push the pace in transition. I want to share the ball. That is really what we needed, really what our focus was, was our offense coming into this game. Hopefully, this can be a big step for us.”
