WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell’s frequent substitutions during games make sure even her most-used players get enough rest on the bench.
And that allows the Lady Volunteers to make sure their opponents get no rest on the court.
An aggressive approach on both ends continues to work well in Caldwell’s first season leading 18th-ranked Tennessee, which improved to 10-0 with a 92-67 win over Richmond (9-3) at the West Palm Beach Classic on Friday.
Tennessee redshirt sophomore Talaysia Cooper, a 6-foot guard, scored 17 of her 24 points in the second half as the Lady Vols pulled away from the Spiders less than 48 hours after winning 90-75 at Memphis in their first true road game of the season.
“We were just pressuring on defense, playing our game, getting steals and making our rotations in the back of the press, and just playing together,” Cooper said in a postgame interview posted to the UT athletics website.
Ruby Whitehorn added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Samara Spencer scored 11 with six assists for the Lady Vols, who came up short of their nation-leading averages of 97.4 points and 12.9 3-pointers per game but made up in other ways for being a bit off pace.
In their second game since setting an NCAA record with 30 makes from 3-point range during last Saturday’s 139-59 home win against North Carolina Central, the Lady Vols went 9-for-31 (29%) behind the arc against Richmond. In Caldwell’s scheme, the plan for the Lady Vols when they’re off target isn’t much different than when they’re on: Keep shooting (a lot), but perhaps a bit more carefully.
“I still think our shot selection needs work, but I hear them (talking about it), so I know that they see it now and they’re recognizing it,” Caldwell said in a postgame interview posted to the UT athletics website. “So they’ve just got to be able to fix it.”
Tennessee shot 51% from the field overall, however, and the Lady Vols’ relentless defensive pressure eventually wore down Richmond in the second half. The Lady Vols, ahead just 23-21 after the first quarter while dealing with foul trouble for key players, increased a 47-39 halftime lead to as much as 25 points in the third quarter.
Cooper scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the period while Tennessee outscored the Spiders, who were 4-of-10 with eight turnovers, 26-11 to take a 73-50 lead into the fourth quarter. Cooper had five of Tennessee’s seven steals in the game.
“I think we just picked up our intensity, played with more pressure,” Caldwell said. “And that’s something we’ve been harping on them since right after the Memphis game.”
Rachel Ullstrom had 19 points to lead Richmond — which reached the NCAA tournament last season as the Atlantic 10 Conference champion — while Maggie Doogan and Ally Sweeney added 13 points apiece and Addie Budnick scored 12. The Spiders got three points from their reserves; Tennessee had 35.
The Lady Vols also had a 37-28 rebounding advantage — Zee Spearman’s nine boards were a game high — and forced 17 turnovers they turned into 26 points. In the first half, Tennessee used a 23-10 rebounding advantage to put up eight more shots as both teams shot 50% over the first 20 minutes.
“I think pressure looks like different things,” Caldwell said. “And that’s a 40% 3-point shooting team, and they shot 27% (for the game). And it wasn’t because we were in their face. It’s because they were tired.”
Tennessee, which used its ninth unique lineup combination in 10 games this season, has another quick turnaround in preparing for its third game in four days. The Lady Vols will face Tulsa (6-5) at 11 a.m. Saturday to wrap up their time at the West Palm Beach Classic.
After that, they won’t play again until hosting Winthrop at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29. That’s the final nonconference tuneup before the Lady Vols tip off their Southeastern Conference schedule four days later at Texas A&M.
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com.