No. 4 LSU (18-0, 3-0 SEC) defeated No. 15 Tennessee (13-2, 1-2 SEC), 89-87, on Thursday at Food City Center in a top 15 matchup.
Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll.
The Lady Vols have lost two games this season by a total of three points. Tennessee also lost to Oklahoma, 87-86, on Sunday at Food City Center.
First-year head coach Kim Caldwell recapped Tennessee’s loss to LSU.
“Another tough one, but same story,” Caldwell said. “Not boxing out, not putting four quarters together, foul shots, same thing, and so when you think about it, it’s a really hard pill to swallow. We’re three points away from being a top five team in the country, and I don’t think that, that’s a positive. I think that, that’s a negative. I don’t, we don’t, want moral victories. We don’t want people telling us, oh you fought so hard, you’re so close, you’re so close. It’s our job to get it done. It’s our job to put four quarters together. It’s our job to go get the offensive rebounds, and so as a coach, those three points are on me. We have to find ways to fix them, to get them back, to play the correct people, and fix our practices, watch the film and make sure we get those things fixed because I think this team has something to be, really has an opportunity to be really special. It’s unfortunate for the seniors that we’re letting it slip by.”
