KNOXVILLE – For a half Sunday, things appeared to be getting back to normal for the Tennessee women’s basketball team.
Unfortunately for the Lady Vols, that was the first half against Georgia. In the second half the issues that have plagued them recently – poor shooting, mainly – came back to haunt the team.
The Lady Vols lost a third consecutive game for the first time since 1986, 66-62 at Georgia, and Monday dropped from 13th to 20th in the Associated Press poll. Tennessee’s losses at home against Missouri and Kentucky and on the road to the Lady Bulldogs have been by a combined eight points.
The Lady Vols led by as many as 17 points in the first half Sunday, holding a 36-24 lead at the break on the strength of a dominating defensive performance. Georgia shot 28 percent in the first half, but in the second half it was the opposite.
Tennessee made only eight of 33 shots after halftime. Take out Evina Westbrook, who was 5-for-9 in the second half, and the Lady Vols were 3-of-24.