Lady Vols Basketball Logs First Win Of Kim Caldwell Era Over Samford
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team finally got the win column under first-year head coach Kim Caldwell with a 71-52 victory over Samford on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (1-2) struggled mightily through the first two games of the season, losing to UT Martin and Ole Miss by a combined 44 points. But they showed a lot of improvement against Samford (2-1), especially on the defensive end.
Tennessee held Samford to just 34.5% shooting from the field and forced 20 turnovers. The Lady Vols also outrebounded Samford by a 50-35 margin.
Sophomore forward Karoline Striplin led the way for Tennessee with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Freshman guard Jasmine Powell added 11 points, while junior forward Alexus Dye chipped in 10 points.
Samford was led by junior guard Hannah Nichols, who scored 14 points. Junior forward Natalie Armstrong added 11 points, while senior guard Katie Armstrong had 10 points.
Caldwell was pleased with her team's effort after the game.
"We played with a lot more energy and intensity tonight," Caldwell said. "We still have a lot of things to work on, but this is a good start."
The Lady Vols will be back in action on Sunday when they host Austin Peay. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. ET.
- The win was Caldwell's first as head coach of the Lady Vols.
- Striplin's 9 rebounds were a career high.
- Powell made her first start of the season.
- The Lady Vols have won 20 of their last 21 home games against Samford.