Offensive execution gives Lady Vols important win over No. 18 Alabama
In their quest for seeding in the SEC Tournament and home court in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Vols notched their 20th win with an 88-80 victory over No. 18 Alabama.
And for Kim Caldwell’s team, much like in their win over UConn, their last ranked win, it was offensive execution down the stretch that was the difference.
The Lady Vols saw their 15-point fourth quarter lead get cut to 4 forcing Caldwell to call a timeout with 3:15 to play. Caldwell liked her teams approach in the huddle.
“I am seeing our team talk to each other during the timeouts before I get there which is huge. It’s exactly what I want out of a team. I would love to call a time out and not even have to talk to them. It’s addressed. It’s handled. They are on the same page by the time I get to them,” Caldwell said.
Out of the time out, the Lady Vols were on the same page. It was a quick 5-0 run to stretch the lead to nine. Tennessee didn’t have an empty possession scoring points on 5 straight offensive trips.
“I think that is where we are improving,” Caldwell said. “We are able to score down the stretch. I think our shot selection is getting better.”
Tennessee also took much better ball in the second half only turning the ball over 3 times after 12 first half turnovers.
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“I think we played a little more under control,” Caldwell said. “I don’t think we really changed anything. I just think we shared the ball a little better. Found the open spots and settled in. More people touched the ball each time down the floor which is when our offense looks it’s best.”
The Lady Vols dominated the glass (+14 in rebounds) and the paint with 48 points in the paint. Tennessee had 38 fast break points and 17 second chances points. Nine players scored led by Jewel Spear, who had 20 points including 11 at the free throw line. Talaysi Cooper had 16 but only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble. Zee Spearman added 13.
After three straight games at home, Tennessee hits the road playing at Florida on Sunday and then at top 15 Kentucky on Thursday. The message from Caldwell is simple — finish.
“I think we are trending in the right direction,” Caldwell said. “I think we just need to finish games. I think all of the games at home, the last two specifically we had double digit leads that could have easily gone to 20-25, maybe even 30 and we just didn’t finish.”
Added Spear, “I think at times we kind of relax. When we get a big lead we can tell when people start to wear down and get tired. We have to keep our foot on the gas and keep on going instead of relaxing.”
Tennessee and Florida tip off at 1pm ET on the SEC Network.
