By Lohan Sutton
KNOXVILLE, Tenn— The New Year kicked off right for the No. 23 Tennessee Lady Volunteers as they played host to Florida to start SEC play with a gutsy 76-65 victory.
This marked the fourth time in program history that the Big Orange has opened SEC play on Jan. 1st. The last time was in 2017, when Tennessee beat Kentucky 72-65.
The Vols have been perfect in New Year’s games, with a 4-0 record including today’s.
Tennessee has been in control of the series with the Gators, winning five straight and 27-2 all-time against Florida in Knoxville. Also, holding a 59-5 advantage in the series that began in 1980.
Tennessee had a tough offensive test against the Florida defense, which has held 14 of 15 opponents to under 70 points.
Today’s game got off to a fast start on both ends of the court for Tennessee. Defensively, the Vols had five steals and one block in the first quarter.
The Volunteers charged the offensive shooting, going 7-for-16 in the first quarter. The rebounding helped Tennessee on offense, grabbing 11 boards.
Foul trouble by Florida put Tennessee in the bonus with lots of time left. The Big Orange capitalized, going 6-for-7 at the line.
Offensively, Nya Robertson split the tough Florida defense with six points to get Tennessee up 22-12 at the end of quarter one.
Shooting went off the rails for Tennessee in the second quarter, with questionable shot selections. The offense went 5-for-17 from the field.
The Florida offensive efficiency, led by sophomore guard Liv McGill, brought the Gators back in the second quarter. McGill racked up nine points in the second quarter to close the gap.
McGill has been the spark for the Gator offense, averaging 24.4 points per game this season.
Despite being outscored in the second quarter, Tennessee held the lead 37-30 at halftime.
The Volunteer defense struggled in quarter three, getting outscored 20-9 at the midway point. Florida took a brief lead near the end of the quarter.
Head Coach Kim Caldwell has been pushing mental toughness and maturity to overcome adversity.
“They recovered from the meltdown, not allowing it to lead to a 20-point loss,” said Caldwell.
An offensive surge by Talaysia Cooper, scoring seven, put the scoring differential at 22-18. The Lady Vols were back on top, 55-52 at the end of quarter three.
“We need leadership from the returning players when opponents go on scoring runs,” said Caldwell.
Late in the game, the Volunteers relied on ball movement to gain scoring opportunities.
“Playing selfless and having what it takes to win,” said Alyssa Latham.
The Volunteers built their momentum into the fourth quarter, with Zee Spearman scoring five points early in the quarter.
Tennessee would go on a 12-2 run through the midway point of the quarter to gain a 72-60 lead. Florida would also go five minutes without scoring a field goal, going 1-for-7.
To close out the game, Tennessee outscored Florida 21-13 in the fourth quarter. The Volunteer defense disrupted the Gator offense to just 5-for-14 from the field, and 0-for-5 from three.
Physicality from both sides led to flagrant fouls on McGill and Spearman.
A tough stand by the Lady Vols in the second half sealed a 76-65 victory over Florida.
Tennessee freshman Mia Pauldo is coming off a productive December with four games scoring double-digit points, averaging 15.3 points per game.
After a slow start scoring only two points in the first three quarters, Pauldo scored eight points in the fourth quarter. Going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and 1-for-1 from the field.
Caldwell has been pushing mental toughness and maturity to overcome adversity all season.
“They recovered from the meltdown, not allowing it to lead to a 20-point loss,” said Caldwell.
Cooper, Spearman, and Pauldo finished the game with double-digit scoring. Cooper led with 17 points.
Spearman claimed her second double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Today’s hard-fought victory marked the 250th career win for Caldwell.
Tennessee will hit the road for the next two contests, beginning with a matchup in Auburn on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. EST.