Tennessee's women's basketball program is well into its second season with head coach Kim Caldwell, who began coaching the Lady Vols after spending several seasons at Glenville State and one at Marshall. Caldwell's second-year effort has been aided by the work freshman Mia Pauldo has been putting in.
Pauldo helped lead the Lady Vols to a 90-80 road win against Mississippi State Thursday, a strong show of skill and aggression that she later said she entered the game with. Pauldo told reporters that her plan was to "just be aggressive from the start and throughout the whole 40 minutes of the game," and also praised her teammates for trusting her to deliver the results they needed.
"Ain't nobody, any team, they ain't gonna be able to guard me," Pauldo also said. "Or my teammates, by the way.'
Mia Pauldo scored 26 points for the Lady Vols Thursday night
To that end, what Pauldo said was definitely proven true. She finished the game shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line — numbers that add up to the 8th-best scoring from a Tennessee freshman in program history — and came out of the game with a career-high 26 points. Pauldo wasn't the only Lady Vol who hit double digits: her teammates Janiah Barker, Zee Spearman, and Talaysia Cooper ended the night with 18 points, 14 points, and 14 points, respectively.
The performance allowed Pauldo to emerge as a leader for the Lady Vols for the first time this season, and the team's upcoming games will test her endurance and capacity for the role. Pauldo has been putting in powerhouse performances of late and has scored in the double digits in the team's last six games. The Lady Vols will host Arkansas Sunday before traveling to Alabama and then hosting Kentucky toward the end of the month.
Kim Caldwell highlighted areas for growth
Caldwell is known for her crisp and succinct delivery, and Thursday night's press conference was no different. She again reiterated her lack of enthusiasm for the team's rebounding (an ongoing conversation when it comes to the performances of several NCAA teams) but noted that they've approved in "other categories."
Caldwell also praised Mississippi State. The program is in the midst of a bit of a shift and rebuild, and, like Tennessee, has seen the introduction of plenty of newcomers to the fold. "I get what it takes to rebuild and it takes time and then once you get into the SEC, it's a whole different ball game," Caldwell said. "But I mean, they hit a lot of tough shots and you gotta rebound. You gotta rebound in the SEC and they do that. And so I think they'll be able to hold their own."