All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Lady Vols fall 80-63 to UCLA in Battle 4 Atlantis: Three takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 9, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey entertains the crowd during the second half against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey entertains the crowd during the second half against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Once again, the Tennessee Lady Vols failed to get above .500 and laid an egg against a Power Five foe. This time, it was to an unranked opponent from the Pac-12 on a neutral court rather than a ranked foe at home or on the road from the Big Ten.

UT, ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, fell 80-63 to the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Kellie Harper’s team scored the first two buckets, but UCLA then went on a 10-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way.

With the loss, Rocky Top falls to 2-3 and will face the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Nassau’s Imperial Arena for the consolation game at 2:30 p.m. ET Monday. UCLA improves to 5-0 and will take on the Marquette Golden Eagles, who beat Gonzaga, at Noon ET Monday. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ loss.

1. There was no defense for UCLA’s shooting.

Honestly, this was one of those games where everything the other team threw up went in. The Bruins, who start four guards, had one of those red-hot shooting afternoons that nobody was going to be able to slow down, and it’s the biggest reason for their win.

UCLA was an insane 16-of-30 from three. They also shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line. It didn’t matter that they couldn’t really score inside the arc.  They were so red-hot outside that they weren’t going to lose this game. UT shot 3-of-10 from outside, which isn’t bad but wasn’t going to compete with this one.

2. Post game wasn’t dominant like it should be.

Outside shooting always comes and goes with other teams and even the Tennessee Lady Vols, but they are supposed to offset that by dominating in the post. That didn’t happen in this game. Rocky Top was an abysmal 17-of-42 on two-pointers, and they actually got outrebounded 41-30.

Rickea Jackson did have 14 points, but she was 2-of-9 from the field. It was her going 10-of-12 on free throws that boosted her numbers. Tamari Key had three blocks but took just one field goal. Jordan Horston was at least aggressive with two steals and 11 points, but she crowded the paint too often and went 5-of-17. Nobody had more than four boards in the game.

3. At least the turnover situation improved.

Hey, they only had 14 turnovers in this one. Considering the fact that UCLA had 18 turnovers, that should be a win for UT. However, by playing under control, it seemed as if Rocky Top lost some of its edge, which is why UCLA was able to pull away the way they did.

Next. Pat Summitt's 10 greatest wins as Lady Vols head coach. dark

Of course, while the control improved, ball movement collapsed, and the Tennessee Lady Vols only had seven assists as a team. Nothing about this team’s play was abysmal, though. It’s just that nothing was great, and UCLA was great at the most important part of the game. That turned this into a shocking blowout.