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Tennessee Lady Vols fall 57-55 at Georgia: Three takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

Feb 21, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rennia Davis (0) shoots over Georgia Lady Bulldogs forward Jordan Isaacs (20) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rennia Davis (0) shoots over Georgia Lady Bulldogs forward Jordan Isaacs (20) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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With two chances to tie or beat the Georgia Bulldogs on the road at the end of the game, the Tennessee Lady Vols suffered a turnover and then a blocked shot. In the process, they couldn’t maintain their momentum after a huge win over the South Carolina Gamecocks last Thursday, falling to the Georgia Bulldogs 57-55, suffering a season sweep at the hands of the program.

Ranked No. 21 in both polls, UT fell to 13-6 and 7-4 in the SEC. They were down 10 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. but couldn’t ever complete the comeback against the UGA Dawgs, who are ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll and improved to 17-4 and 9-4 in the SEC. Joni Taylor’s team beat Kellie Harper’s team twice this year by a total three points.

Up next for the Tennessee Lady Vols is a trip to the Missouri Tigers this Thursday before they close out the season at home against the Auburn Tigers Sunday. Georgia will hot the Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators respectively on those same days. Here are three things we learned from this game Sunday afternoon.

1. Turnovers became a problem.

It’s bad enough when UT shoots 2-of-13 from the three-point line while Georgia shoots 6-of-20. Rae Burrell had an off-day with just 10 points. However, the Lady Vols can’t afford to have other mistakes if that’s the case, and they committed 20 turnovers on the night. Sure, Georgia had 18, but in a close game like this with the shooting disparities, turnovers can be the dagger.

This manifested itself at the end of the game. Rennia Davis was the one to commit the turnover on Rocky Top’s first offensive possession while trailing 57-55. She did have 22 points as the team’s only efficient scorer and only had two turnovers on the night, but that one was crucial. Jordan Horston, despite three steals, had four turnovers off the bench as well.

2. Inside game wasn’t dominant enough.

If the Tennessee Lady Vols aren’t going to have a solid three-point shooting night, they can’t turn the ball over against a good team, but they also have to dominate inside, where they have the advantage. That didn’t happen here. In fact, combining the two, center Kasiyahna Kushkituah led the team with five turnovers. She only had four points. Tamari Key only had nine.

Kushkituah did have 13 rebounds, and UT had 51 on the day. Georgia, though, kept it close with 47 rebounds. Given the fact that the Dawgs slightly won the turnover battle and shot way better from outside, Harper needed her post players to dominate. They didn’t. Key did have four blocks, but the team had seven. UGA had 12 blocks. Jenna Staiti had six, and Jordan Isaacs had three.

3. This team still doesn’t quit.

There is one positive about Rocky Top. They proved once again they can come back. After trailing USC by 16 Thursday and then 15 in the second half before coming back to win a shocker, they trailed UGA by 10 in the first half. This one was harder, as it was much more of a defensive struggle, but they still had a great chance to win in the end.

Now, it’s safe to say the Tennessee Lady Vols should not continue to dig these holes that they have to crawl out of, but at least they have developed a level of mental toughness they didn’t have in the past. It didn’t work on Sunday, but this team still has lots of positives.