Chris Low
Knoxville, Tennessee – Once a Contest – UConn vs. Tennessee – Defined Women’s Basketball, on Thursday night, No. 19 Lady Vols and Kim Caldwell reignited the magic of the past with an 80-76 frustration in In the 5th Husky Dog, the food city center trembled from the puppy.
Hanging from those afters are eight national championship banners won by the late Tennessee Pat Summitt, whose name is engraved on the court below and reminds her that with the players, Coaches and fans celebrate their first victory since 2007, marking Summitt’s next victory-National Championship season.
“I think she’ll be excited about the effort and rebounding and I dare it easily be Caldwell’s biggest win in the season debut at Tennessee.
Tennessee (17-5) has ended several times this season, and he has won the ranking team but can’t finish it. On Thursday, Lady Vols led the way with crazy pace in the third quarter, replacing with five players at one time and slammed the Huskimo on the board. This time, after establishing a nine-point lead in the third quarter, they finished the work.
They surpassed UConn 46-34, shooting 61.5% from the field in the fourth quarter and hit UConn star guard Paige Bueckers with 5 of 16 shots. 80 points were the Huskimo (21-3) who gave up the whole season.
“We kept our balance,” Caldwell said. “I think we were full of confidence. We won, not fear of losing. And, I think the (16,215 people) of the crowd has a lot to do with it.”
With the last few seconds of blow, the celebration broke out, with two Tennessee veterans Jewel Spear and Samara Spencer sprinting to embrace Caldwell ), they transported baby boy Conor in the hospital just 17 days ago. Caldwell returns to practice the following week.
“She told us that when she got here she wanted to be a special year for us to do,” Spear said. “She didn’t want to wait, it was a special senior and heard a coach who believed in us.” , we see how fast she comes back after giving birth. It’s just the sacrifice she keeps making for us. The little things we do for her, it’s just working hard.
“That’s what she really asked for.”
After the game, many of the former players over the past thirty years, many of them were part of the national championship team under Summitt, piled up in a joyful Tennessee locker room. Michelle Marciniak is there. The same goes for Alexis Hornbuckle, Glory Johnson, Lisa McGill, Meighan Simmons, Isabelle Harrison and Kelley Cain.
Debbie Jennings, Summitt’s long-time director of sports information, said it was something she’d seen in the game since Summitt coached last season in 2012 the maximum turnout for former players. Summitt died in 2016. Two weeks after her 64th birthday. She was diagnosed with early-stage dementia in the form of Alzheimer’s disease.
Former Tennessee Women’s Athletic Director Joan Cronan is a big part of the growth of the program led by Summitt, admitting she was hazy in the final seconds.
“You can’t be in our arena tonight, nor do you feel electricity, I bet you Pat is smiling,” Cronan said. “I’m not an emotional person, but I have some tears. This The team worked hard and we were very close. What Kim did with these girls was incredible.”
The Huskimo entered 11 consecutive victories, and during that time, there was no close game. They won nine points and over 20 points in those 11 games, and no opponent scored more than 61 points in the game that beat them 72-70 on December 21.
But as Tennessee moves forward in the third quarter, especially after the energy of the crowd, UConn doesn’t respond as historically under coach Geno Auriemma, who has coached Huskies to 11 national titles as he has done. .
“They really attacked us well. They challenged us one-on-one and that’s what makes us lose the game,” Bueckers said.
There is no more to show that this leaves Tennessee’s lead left with the strong drive to the right under pressure and the strong momentum for Zee Spearman layup 12.2 seconds.
“We do need to beat the top 10 opponents,” Caldwell said. “We’ve worked hard.”
After the game, Caldwell paired with her players with a soaked hair bun. And, yes, it’s just a game, but she says they deserve to celebrate and then celebrate again.
She also quickly added that players deserve credit.
“I didn’t do that,” Caldwell said. “I didn’t score. I didn’t have a stop, they locked in, they wanted it, and they were doing very hard. This is what we are talking about, it is you need to be tired and you need to work hard.
“They will be excited for me, but I’m even more excited for them.”
Even in the failure, Auriemma noted the significance of this competition to women’s college basketball and the importance of the game again related to the game. The Huskies won four consecutive championships in the series, which was canceled by Summitt after the 2006-07 season and then renewed in 2020.
“That’s why people boo me when I walk in here.” “They should thank me for leaving my team missing for so long. God, this is what you treat you My friend’s way? ”
Auriemma added more seriously: “I do think this game means a lot to a lot of people. Women’s basketball game is looking forward to this game. Those who are not female basketball fans are looking forward to this game. The game will definitely look forward to this game, And enjoy your own life like anyone else.
“But I think both UConn and Tennessee have laid the foundation for what’s going on today.”
Even before his Eskimos failed Thursday night, Auriemma noticed something Caldwell built in Tennessee in her first season. In fact, he told her because they were briefly crowded before the game.
“I just wanted to remind her that from a distance I could see the difference, I could see her impact,” Auriemma said. “I just wanted her to know I noticed.”
He then paused and quipped, “She should be staying at home and caring for the baby.”
