It wasn’t an easy trip to Knoxville by any means, but the Huskies survived a physical battle to keep their hold on one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball on Thursday night.
Powered by a season-high 26 points from Lou Lopez-Senechal and 25 from Aaliyah Edwards, No. 5 UConn fought through a tough first half before pulling away late to beat Tennessee 84-67 at Thompson-Boling Arena. It snapped Lady Volunteers’ nine-game win streak and marked the Huskies’ fourth-straight win in the series. It was also the largest margin of victory by either team in a true road game in series history.
The Huskies didn’t waste much time taking control of the game on Thursday night. They took a big 33-17 lead after the first quarter, and closed the period shooting 13-of-15 from the field after opening the game shooting just 2-of-6.
UConn’s hot hand, however, ended there. The Huskies scored just seven points in the second quarter and committed seven turnovers — which opened the door for the Lady Vols to jump right back in it. Tennessee closed the first half on a long 10-1 run and held UConn without a field goal for more than four minutes to cut what was once a 16-point deficit down to just four points.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma was not happy at the break, either.
Tennessee cut the score to a single possession almost instantly in the third quarter, but that was the closest it got the rest of the way. UConn responded immediately with a 7-0 run of its own and took control of the game right back. By the end of the third, the Huskies held a 13-point lead once again.
From there, UConn held strong in the fourth quarter to take the 17-point win.
UConn has largely dominated this rivalry, and has won every game since the series resumed in 2020. Tennessee hasn’t won since 2007, which was the last regular season game played before the regular matchup resumed, and the Huskies hold a 5-2 all-time lead over the Lady Vols in the NCAA tournament.
Tennessee started the season ranked No. 5 in the country, but quickly fell out of the rankings completely after dropping several notable games — including to Ohio State, Indiana, UCLA, Gonzaga, Virginia Tech and Stanford. Yet the Lady Volunteers entered Thursday night on an impressive nine-game win streak and a perfect record in the SEC.
Jordan Horston led Tennessee with 27 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Rickea Jackson added 13 points and seven rebounds herself. The Lady Vols out-rebounded UConn 40-26, which marks just the second time this season the Huskies have been on the wrong side of that battle.
In addition to Lopez-Senechal’s season-best performance, Edwards had an all-around day with six rebounds and four assists in the win while shooting 9-of-15 from the field. Dorka Juhasz and Aubrey Griffin added 13 points apiece.
UConn has now won 12 straight, and entered Knoxville fresh off a 43-point win over DePaul on Monday night. The Huskies, who are still down Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd due to injuries, will host No. 21 Villanova next on Sunday.
