For the first time since 2007, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers have beaten the Connecticut Huskies.
A highly anticipated showdown between the two teams lived up to expectation and saw Tennessee come away with an 80-76 victory.
Before the win on Thursday, the Lady Vols hadn’t won a game against a ranked opponent since Dec. 7, when they knocked off then-No. 19 Iowa.
With Iowa no longer being a top 25 team, this was Tennessee’s first true win against a ranked opponent. It is a huge weight lifted off the shoulders of Kim Caldwell’s team.
A 13-0 run in the third quarter gave the Lady Vols a nine-point lead that was ultimately too much for UConn to overcome. The Huskies went over four minutes without scoring during the Tennessee scoring run.
Being able to hold Paige Bueckers (14) and Sarah Strong (18) to just 32 combined points was also a huge part of Tennessee’s win.
Bueckers (19.0) and Strong (17.0) average 36.0 points combined per game, so allowing four less than that may have ultimately decided the Vols’ four-point victory.
The usually efficient Bueckers was just 5-for-16 (31.2%) from the field, well below her season average of 54.4%.
Tennessee will have a chance to keep the momentum going Sunday when they travel to Baton Rough to face No. 6 LSU.
UConn will travel to Providence on Sunday.
