The Tennessee Lady Vols continued their late-season surge on Thursday night, defeating SEC rival Alabama 88-80 at Thompson-Boling Arena. This victory marks their 20th win of the season and matches last year’s total, a significant accomplishment in Kim Caldwell’s inaugural year as head coach on Rocky Top. With three regular-season games remaining, the Lady Vols are trending upward at a pivotal moment.
Despite Alabama’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt, Tennessee asserted dominance with timely runs and resilient play. The Lady Vols closed the first half with a 10-0 run and opened the second half with an 11-0 burst, creating a cushion that proved decisive. Turnovers in the first half allowed Alabama to stay competitive, but Tennessee’s consistency ultimately carried them to the finish line.
Jewel Spear shone brightly, leading Tennessee with 20 points on an efficient 66% shooting from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Zee Spearman anchored the defense and dominated the boards with nine rebounds, the game-high.
While celebrating the win, Caldwell acknowledged room for improvement in closing out games.
“I wish we could have finished it a little better, but any time you can win in this league against a top-ranked opponent, you’ll take it,” she said. “I think we’re trending in the right direction, but we need to finish games better. In these last two home games, we had double-digit leads that could have gone to 20 or 30, and we just didn’t finish.”
The victory capped a successful three-game homestand for the Lady Vols, with wins over Auburn, Ole Miss, and Alabama. As the regular season winds down, Tennessee faces crucial road tests. The Lady Vols travel to Gainesville on Sunday to face the Florida Gators before taking on SEC rival Kentucky in Lexington next Thursday. Both matchups will be key in maintaining momentum and solidifying postseason seeding.
With a renewed focus on consistency and execution, the Lady Vols are positioning themselves as a force in the SEC. Can they carry this momentum through the road stretch and into the postseason? One thing is certain: the Lady Vols are peaking at just the right time.
Stay tuned as Tennessee looks to turn this momentum into magic and make a deep run this season.
