KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee women’s basketball team lost 72-55 to eighth-ranked Mississippi State on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, falling to 17-5 overall and 7-3 in the Southeastern Conference.
Playing without junior leading scorer Rennia Davis, who was out sick, the No. 23 Lady Volunteers were unable to sustain a hot start from the field. They needed more than two quarters to match the 21 points they scored in the first 10 minutes as they hurt themselves with a rash of turnovers and hurried shots that missed the mark against the Bulldogs (21-3, 9-1), the reigning league champions.
Tennessee returns to competition at 7:30 p.m. EST Thursday at LSU, and the Lady Vols will have a chance to complete a series sweep after beating the Tigers 63-58 on Jan. 26 in Knoxville.
First, though, here are three observations from Tennessee’s second straight loss after back-to-back wins against LSU and Vanderbilt:
1. Turnovers explained: The biggest concern with Tennessee’s turnovers is that there hasn’t been an easy fix. The turnovers aren’t about practicing more or anything else observers might want to say. The problem is that Tennessee just doesn’t have a lot of reliable scorers. Aside from Davis, sophomore Rae Burrell – who scored 20 points Thursday – and freshman Jordan Horston, there really aren’t many options, and that has resulted at times in too many passes. Looking to score might be a skill that can be developed, but too many times this season the Lady Vols have given the ball away because they’ve been unwilling to shoot it.