Lady Vols basketball beat longtime rival UConn in Kim Caldwell’s first time coaching Tennessee in the historic series.
The No. 17 Lady Vols took a lead in the third quarter and never gave it up, beating the No. 5 Huskies 80-76 on Thursday in front of 16,215 fans at Food City Center.
It’s the first time the Lady Vols have beaten UConn since 2007 when hall of fame coach Pat Summitt led the program. Naturally, Caldwell was asked after the game what she thought Summitt would say if she were here.
“I think she’d be thrilled with the effort and the rebounding,” Caldwell said. “And I am sure she is up in heaven with my dad. They’re probably having a cold one celebrating.”
Summitt, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2011, died in 2016. Caldwell’s father, Scott Stephens, was Caldwell’s assistant coach at Glenville State, her first head coaching job. Stephens died of a brain tumor in 2020.
LADY VOLS WIN: Tennessee upsets UConn: Kim Caldwell tops Geno Auriemma for biggest win of first season
The Lady Vols (17-5) outrebounded the Huskies (21-3) 46-34 in the win. Tennessee relied on its defense, holding UConn star Paige Bueckers to 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting. The Huskies shot 40.3% and Tennessee shot 45.7%.
The Huskies had won all four meetings since the series was renewed in 2020. Before that, the two teams hadn’t played since 2007 when Summitt canceled the series. UConn leads the series 17-10.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Kim Caldwell said about her dad, Pat Summitt after Lady Vols upset UConn
