KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee women’s basketball team showed it was capable of at least competing against top-level competition Thursday in a 15-point loss to Notre Dame.
While that extended a losing streak to six games, it also gave hope to some that this team could turn things around.
The Lady Volunteers will get another chance to show that Sunday in Southeastern Conference play.
Tennessee (12-7, 1-5) hosts LSU in a “Live Pink, Bleed Orange” game at 1 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Tigers, coached by former Tennessee player and coach Nikki Fargas (formerly Caldwell), are 12-6 and 3-3 in the SEC.
Tennessee’s 77-62 loss to the top-ranked Fighting Irish wasn’t meant to be a moral victory, but it could have been that. In the first half, the Lady Vols were the crispest they have been this calendar year, if not all season. It’s what aided them to a 34-31 lead at the break.
While the Irish were able to force seven turnovers in a third-quarter run to change the tide of the game, it was enough to be eye-opening to a young team that at times played with four freshmen and a sophomore against the upperclassmen-heavy 2018 national champions.
“I think if we come out the way we did for all four quarters, it’s going to be really, really hard to beat us playing like we did,” point guard Evina Westbrook said afterward. “I definitely think that’s a confidence booster for this team. It shows that we can play like that, and that’s Tennessee basketball.”
The losing streak has caused a lot of frustration with the fan base, with social media and message boards calling for the firing of coach Holly Warlick. While the players were aware of everything going on around them, on Thursday they chose not to let that distract them.
“We’ve just stayed engaged within the team,” senior forward Cheridene Green said. “There’s a lot of noise, but we just have to focus on the goal. We just need to stick together and execute.”
At times, they did just that. Too many times Thursday, they didn’t, and that’s what caused the back-breaking third quarter that proved to be the difference. From here on out the Lady Vols won’t be able to rely on moral victories; for them to be able to qualify for the NCAA tournament – something they’ve done every season since 1981 – they’re going to have to earn some wins on the court.
“We need to win every game,” Warlick said. “Whether we were 23-0 or not, we need to win every game, and it starts with our practices. These young ladies focus. I’ve just seen a different group and a different feel. They understand and they battled hard, we just didn’t get it done.
“We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. It’s up to them to get themselves ready, to get themselves to compete. They’re all going to have a chance to play, so we’re going to keep pushing them, staying on them, coaching them and putting them in a situation where we can win a basketball game.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.