Michael Allen 
Talaysia Cooper (55) goes up against 2 Belmont defenders for 2 of her 22 points in the Lady Vols' 68-58 win on Thursday night
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Tennessee Lady Vols beat Belmont 68–58 behind Talaysia Cooper’s double-double, but uneven play raises early-season questions for Kim Caldwell’s squad.
The Tennessee Lady Vols walked out of Food City Center on Thursday night with a 68–58 win over Belmont, but not without stirring fresh debate among fans about where this team truly stands. What began as a confident early surge turned into a night of inconsistency before a dominant fourth quarter finally put the Bruins away.
Tennessee wasted no time setting the tone, racing to a 25–11 first-quarter lead behind the sharp play of Talaysia Cooper and Janiya Barker. Cooper struck early with eight points, while Barker added seven to help the Lady Vols build what looked like a comfortable cushion.
But the second quarter was a complete reversal. Tennessee’s offense went ice cold, scoring just seven total points—all from Cooper. The Lady Vols shot a stunning 3-for-21 from the field and 0-for-11 from three, opening the door for Belmont to chip away. The Bruins shot efficiently and cut the deficit to 32–26 by halftime, leaving the home crowd restless.
The struggles spilled into the third quarter as Tennessee’s defense faltered against a Belmont offense that suddenly caught fire. Former Lady Vol Avery Strickland torched Tennessee for 11 points in the frame, going 3-for-4 from deep. As a team, the Bruins hit 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and outscored Tennessee 23–14, taking a 49–46 lead into the fourth.
But when the final quarter arrived, the Lady Vols looked like a different team. Tennessee clamped down defensively, forcing seven turnovers and holding Belmont to just nine points. On the offensive end, the shots finally began to fall, with the Lady Vols hitting four of their six three-point attempts in the quarter and outscoring the Bruins 22–9 to seal the win.
Cooper delivered a career-level performance, powering Tennessee with 22 points and 14 rebounds in a dominant two-way effort. Barker finished with 11 points, while Zee Spearman added 10 points and eight boards. Despite the victory, the Lady Vols’ shooting woes were glaring as they finished just 34.8% from the field and 20.6% from three (7-for-34).
After back-to-back uneven showings against UT Martin and Belmont, some Tennessee fans have voiced concerns about the team’s trajectory. But head coach Kim Caldwell isn’t losing sleep over early-season turbulence.
“I get asked a lot, what are you changing? How are you growing? What are you learning?” Caldwell said after the game. “I didn’t learn anything about my team last year in November. Nothing. We’re learning a lot right now.”
Her point carries weight. Last November featured blowout wins by 50, 40, 14, 16, and 52 points—games that offered little adversity or opportunity for growth. This season has been different: a tight loss to a strong NC State team, a dominant win over ETSU, and now two grind-it-out victories.
It’s also a group still building chemistry and adjusting to the sudden loss of Ruby Whitehorn, who was dismissed from the program just three weeks ago. With so many new pieces and an up-tempo system, finding rhythm was never going to be instantaneous.
For now, the Lady Vols sit at 3–1 with plenty of room to grow—and plenty of time to do it.
Tennessee returns to action Thursday night on the road against Middle Tennessee State, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC+.
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