Lady Volunteers' Effort Falls Short Against Top-Ranked Gamecocks in Hard-Fought Battle
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers faced a challenging contest against the South Carolina Gamecocks, concluding with a score of 66-55. The Lady Volunteers now stand with an unranked status, while the Gamecocks hold onto their number 1 rank. Despite a valiant effort, the home team could not overcome the visitors at Thompson-Boling Arena.
From the opening quarter, it was clear that this would be a tightly contested game. The Lady Volunteers trailed by just one point after the first quarter but managed to keep pace with their opponents throughout the first half. However, it was during the third quarter where they shone brightest, outscoring the Gamecocks by seven points and showcasing their determination to take control of the game.
The Tennessee team's performance was marked by solid free throw shooting at 79 percent accuracy and an impressive defensive effort that resulted in four blocks and five steals. They also demonstrated resilience on rebounds with a total of 42, including 11 offensive boards which contributed to six second-chance points.
Despite these efforts, however, they struggled from beyond the arc with only two three-pointers made from seventeen attempts—a mere twelve percent success rate—compared to their opponents who managed twenty-two percent from long range. Additionally, turnovers proved costly for Tennessee as they gave up thirteen turnovers leading to eight points off turnovers for South Carolina.
On offense for Tennessee Lady Volunteers were led by contributions across various metrics but were particularly hindered by field goal percentage; making only thirty-two percent of shots taken compared to forty-three percent two-point shooting accuracy displayed by South Carolina.
South Carolina's dominance in certain aspects of play cannot be overlooked either; they excelled in points in paint totaling forty-eight and capitalized on fast break opportunities amassing sixteen fast break points. Their defensive prowess also came through as they tallied nine steals and five blocks while maintaining an assists turnover ratio of 1.42 which speaks volumes about their ball-handling skills under pressure.
As fans look ahead after this hard-fought match-up between conference rivals at Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena attended by 11,073 spectators—the next challenge awaits for Tennessee Lady Volunteers as they prepare to face Vanderbilt Commodores away at Memorial Gymnasium located in Nashville on February 18th at noon Central Time (1:00 PM Eastern). Fans can catch all action live as it unfolds on game day.