KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee women’s basketball team’s two opponents so far this season have been from the Southern Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, and Lady Volunteers coach Holly Warlick knows there are tougher nights ahead for a Southeastern Conference team with four freshmen playing key roles.
But as she evaluated her players after Wednesday night’s 89-60 win over James Madison at Thompson-Boling Arena, the tone of her voice dropped for a moment to what is best described as an urgent whisper with a tinge of giddiness.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in them,” she said.
A performance like the one Tennessee put on against the Dukes can help with that. The 13th-ranked Lady Vols (2-0) shot 55 percent from the floor, had 21 assists and forced 17 turnovers against James Madison (1-2), which is favored to win its league.
Tennessee’s Jaime Nared (31) goes for a basket over James Madison’s Kelly Koshuta (33) during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 in Knoxville, Tenn. (Daryl Sullivan/The Daily Times via AP)Senior wing Jaime Nared led Tennessee with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while senior center Mercedes Russell added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds.