Lady Vols basketball, Kim Caldwell vs Alabama final score: Tennessee survives against the Tide

KNOXVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team survived a tough test against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday night, coming away with a hard-fought 88-80 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena.

 

The Lady Vols were led by senior forward Kim Caldwell, who scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Caldwell’s strong play helped Tennessee build a big lead in the first half, and they were able to hold off a late Alabama surge to secure the win.

 

“I’m really proud of our team for the way we played tonight,” said Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper. “We knew Alabama was a talented team, and we had to be ready to play. Kim Caldwell was huge for us tonight, and our bench played a big role in our win.”

 

The Lady Vols got off to a strong start, building a 25-15 lead after the first quarter. Alabama fought back in the second quarter, but Tennessee’s offense continued to roll, as the Lady Vols took a 46-38 lead into halftime.

 

In the second half, the Lady Vols continued to pull away, building a 14-point lead with just over 5 minutes to play. But Alabama refused to give up, and they mounted a late surge to cut the deficit to just 6 points with under a minute to play.

 

However, the Lady Vols were able to hold on, thanks in large part to the strong play of Caldwell and her teammates. Caldwell scored 5 points in the final minute, including a pair of clutch free throws with just 10 seconds to play, to seal the win for Tennessee.

 

“I knew we had to stay focused and keep playing our game,” said Caldwell. “Alabama is a tough team, and we knew they would make a run at some point. But we were able to stay calm and make the plays we needed to make to win.”

 

The Lady Vols’ victory was their fifth consecutive win, and it improved their record in the Southeastern Conference to 10-3. Tennessee is now tied for second place in the SEC standings, just one game behind league-leading South Carolina.

 

Alabama, meanwhile, fell to 17-7 overall and 6-6 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide were led by senior guard Brittany Davis, who scored 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

 

“We knew Tennessee was a talented team, and they played a really good game tonight,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. “We had some opportunities to make some plays, but we just couldn’t capitalize. We’ll learn from this and move on to our next game.”

 

The Lady Vols will be back in action on Sunday, when they travel to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

 

In the meantime, here are some key takeaways from Thursday’s game:

 

– Kim Caldwell’s 23 points marked her fifth consecutive game with 20 or more points.

– The Lady Vols’ 88 points were their most in an SEC game this season.

– Tennessee’s victory marked their 11th consecutive win over Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena.

– The Lady Vols improved to 15-1 at home this season, with their only loss coming to UConn on Jan. 26.

 

Overall, it was a big win for the Lady Vols, and they will look to carry their momentum into their next game against Arkansas.