Game Thread: Winthrop v Lady Vols, Sun Dec 29th ; Home game; 2 PM Eastern; SEC+ stream

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Coach Jumper

Coach Jumper

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From Hoops Central:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 15/13 Tennessee (11-0) and Winthrop (6-6) will close out the 2024 portion of their schedules on Sunday, as the Eagles visit Food City Center for a matinee. The teams will clash at 2 p.m. ET in a contest broadcast live on SECN+. UT's final tuneup before launching into SEC play on Thursday night at Texas A&M. Tennessee returns home after winning its first true road game of the year at Memphis on Dec. 18 (90-75) and then claiming a pair of neutral site victories at the West Palm Beach Classic over RV/NR Richmond (92-67) and Tulsa (102-61) on Dec. 20 and 21. The Big Orange will attempt to open the year 12-0 for only the second time in the past 19 seasons and join the 2017-18 (15-0) Holly Warlick-coached squad in beginning their campaigns that way.

A 12-0 start to a season would mark only the seventh time in program history UT has compiled that record during a campaign's outset. UT also aims for its ninth straight triumph at home, dating back to last season, and it would be the best spree since a nine-game home win streak by the 2017-18 squad. Winthrop, coached by LVFL Semeka Randall Lay, was 5-3 as of Nov. 29 but has dropped three of its past four, including two straight entering Sunday's contest. The Eagles are coming off a 76-71 home setback on Dec. 20 vs. N.C. Central (1-12), a team the Lady Vols defeated by a 139-59 count on Dec. 14. Kim Caldwell's team enters the match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in six statistical categories. UT is tops in the NCAA in scoring offense (97.4), three pointers per game (12.6), three point attempts per game (38.3), offensive rebounds per game (21.5), turnovers forced per game (27.18) and winning percentage (100.0). It is third in steals per game (14.7) and turnover margin (12.55).

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS​

Lady Vols' 41-Point Second Quarter Fuels 102-61 Win Over Tulsa Cooper's 15-Point Third Frame Helps No. 18/16 UT Repel Spiders, 92-67 No. 18/16 Lady Vols Improve To 9-0 With 90-75 Win At Memphis No. 19/18 Lady Vols Hit 30 Threes in 139-59 Win Over NC Central

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
  • ANOTHER 20-SPOT FOR COOP: Talaysia Cooper led all scorers with 24 points vs. Richmond on Dec. 20, hitting 20 or more for the sixth time in a seven-game stretch.
  • FEAR THE SPEAR: After working through an injury, Jewel Spear has hit her stride of late, notching 18 points (3-7 3FGs) vs. Memphis and 16 (4-9 3FGs) vs. Tulsa.
  • STEADY RUBY: Ruby Whitehorn has a five-game streak of double-figure scoring, averaging 13.4 ppg. over that span.
  • SARA GOT HER GROOVE BACK: Sara Puckett went 7-for-12 vs. Tulsa (3-5 on 3FGs) for a season-high 17 points with a season-most seven boards on Dec. 21.
  • ZEE SPREE: The last three games, Zee Spearman is averaging 13.7 ppg. & 10.0 rpg.
  • 11-0 WITH 10 DIFFERENT FIVES: UT has begun the year 11-0 with 10 different starting lineups and nine different players appearing in the first five. UT repeated a previous quintet vs. Memphis but had new ones the past two contests.
  • GREEN LIGHT ON 3s: Thirteen of the 14 active players on UT's roster have hit at least one trey this season, a program-best total replacing the 12 in 2022-23.
FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE
  • PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense, generating 97.4 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in ppg. is No. 4, where she was in 2023-24 (85.3) at Marshall.
  • MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: UT ranks No. 1 in 3FGs made per game at 12.6 and has hit 10+ treys seven times, eclipsing the school record vs. Memphis for most games with double-digit totals in a season.
  • ELITE ON O-BOARDS: UT is No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 21.5. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
  • TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 1 in turnovers forced per game (27.18) and No. 3 in turnover margin (12.55) after Tulsa piled up 23 miscues for the eighth 20+ turnover game by a foe in 2024-25.
  • RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 3 nationally in steals per game, averaging 14.7, and its total of 162 in only 11 contests has surpassed last year's tally of 159 in 33 games.
  • THAT'S A 10-COUNT: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 13 times in 11 games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • A NUMBER THAT COUNTS: UT is tied with eight teams at No. 1 nationally with a win percentage of 100 through Dec. 26.
  • SEEKING A 12-0 START: With a win over Winthrop, Tennessee would open up 12-0 for the first time since 2017-18 (15-0) and the seventh time in program history.
  • FAST STARTS FOR CALDWELL: UT's 11-0 start is the second-best opening of a season in Kim Caldwell's nine years as a head coach behind her 29-0 start at Glenville State in 2021-22 on the way to 35-1.
  • UT'S BEST COACHING START: The win over N.C. Central on Dec. 14 gave Kim Caldwell (now 11-0) eight straight to open her tenure, making it the best coaching debut in the rich history of Lady Vol basketball.
  • UT HOOPERS STAND ALONE: UT is the only school with undefeated women's (11-0) and men's (12-0) basketball teams.
  • UT NO. 21 IN NET RANKINGS: UT is No. 21 in the NCAA's NET rankings, with wins over No. 25 Florida State, No. 30 Iowa, No. 36 Richmond and No. 58 Middle Tennessee.
  • NO. 28 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols' cumulative schedule ranks No. 28 on the NCAA's Toughest Schedule report.
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
  • Senior forward Sara Puckett scored 12 of her season-high 17 points in the second quarter, aiding a 41-11 Big Orange blitz in that period that sent No. 18/16 Tennessee on its way to a 102-61 victory over Tulsa on Dec. 21 at the West Palm Beach Classic.
  • Puckett finished seven of 12 from the field, including 3-of-5 marksmanship from long range, and added seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. She knocked down five of seven field goal attempts in the second period, including two three-pointers in three tries, as her team broke open a 22-20 game after the opening period.
  • Joining Puckett in double figures were Jewel Spear, who fired in 16 via four treys, junior Zee Spearman, who added 15, and redshirt sophomore Talaysia Cooper and junior Ruby Whitehorn, who chipped in 13 each. Spearman finished one shy of a double-double with a team-high nine boards.
POSTGAME NOTES VS. TULSA
  • ELEVEN WINS IN A ROW: In her first year as the head coach of the Lady Vols, Kim Caldwell has guided the team to an 11-0 start, marking only the second time in 13 seasons UT has opened a campaign with that many wins. The 2024-25 squad joined the 2017-18 (15-0) unit in opening their years that way. UT won its first 11 contests for only the 10th time in program history, and Caldwell has built her second-best start to a season in her ninth year as a head coach. Top honors go to her 2021-22 GSU squad that started 29-0 on its way to 35-1 and an NCAA Division II national title
  • TREYS FOR DAYS: Tennessee carded its seventh performance with ten or more three-pointers in a single contest, hitting 14 against Tulsa. The Big Orange was on target often, hitting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. Nine Lady Vols knocked down a three-pointer, with Jewel Spear and Sara Puckett leading the charge with four and three, respectively. In addition to the double-digit team three-point effort vs. the Golden Hurricane, Tennessee drained an NCAA, SEC and school-record 30 treys vs. N.C. Central and had 15 vs. MTSU, 14 vs. Liberty, 12 vs. Memphis, and 10 vs. Western Carolina and Samford.
  • 100-POINT DUB: The Lady Vols tallied their fifth 100-point game of the 2024-25 season. That gives the program 92 all-time regular-season scoring efforts of 100 or more points through the Tulsa contest. Prior to Saturday's matchup, UT had 101 in the opener vs. Samford on Nov. 5, 109 vs. Liberty on Nov. 16, 102 vs. Western Carolina on Nov. 26 and a school and SEC-record 139 vs. N.C. Central on Dec. 14.
  • PRESSURE SPARKS SUCCESS: The Lady Vols forced Tulsa to turn the ball over a total of 23 times during Saturday's win, posting a 27-13 advantage on points off turnovers. Eight of Tennessee's foes thus far have committed at least 22 miscues, including N.C. Central (44), Samford (37), Western Carolina (37), UT Martin (31), Iowa (30), Liberty (25), Tulsa (23) and Middle Tennessee (22). Tennessee also forced a 10-second violation versus the Golden Hurricane, with UT's press now resulting in 13 10-second violations by opponents through 11 games.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
  • Winthrop is scoring only 64.8 points per game, but it also is only surrendering 58.8 per contest and holding foes to 38.3-percent shooting from the field.
  • The Eagles are averaging 9.0 steals per game and forcing opponents into 19.8 turnovers per contest.
  • The most points WU has allowed is 85 to Georgia Tech in the season opener on Nov. 4, but the second most came the last game when N.C. Central tallied 76 in a five-point win on Winthrop's home court.
  • Amourie Porter, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard/forward leads the Eagles offensively, shooting 56.6 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line while averaging 12.0 ppg.
  • Marissa Gasaway, a 5-11 senior forward, is the team's second-leading scorer (9.8 ppg.) and its top rebounder (6.9 rpg.).
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
  • LVFL Semeka Randall Lay is 40-86 in her fifth season as head coach at Winthrop, and 109-305 in 15 seasons overall with other leadership stints at Alabama A&M (2013-18) and Ohio (2008-13).
  • After serving as the interim head coach for the 2020-21 season, Randall Lay was named the 17th head coach in Winthrop women's basketball history in April 2021.
  • A standout guard at Tennessee from 1998-2001, Randall-Lay earned Kodak All-America First Team honors in 1999 and 2000. She was an integral part of Tennessee's 1998 NCAA Championship team that went 39-0, averaging 15.9 points a game while earning honorable mention All-America recognition.
WINTHROP'S LAST GAME
  • In a contest that featured 16 lead changes and 13 ties, N.C. Central grabbed a hard-earned first victory of the season at Winthrop, 76-71, on Dec. 20.
  • Shakiria Foster led three NCCU players in double figures with 21 points, while Kyla Bryant and Morgan Callahan added 20 and 16, respectively.
  • Olivia Wagner and Marissa Gasaway paced WU with 18 and 16 points, respectively, while Blessing Okoh pulled down 13 boards.
  • Winthrop drew to within three points heading into the fourth frame, but N.C. Central won the final 10 minutes, 21-19, to take the five-point win.
UP NEXT
  • Tennessee opens SEC play on Thursday, Jan. 2, as it makes the trip to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.
  • Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) at Reed Arena, with the contest being carried on SECN+ but paired with the Aggies' radio broadcast.
  • UT fans can turn down the SECN+ sound and listen to the Lady Vol Network radio broadcast by Brian Rice.
  • Rice's voice can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.
 
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