NEW YORK — The Lady Vols have passed another significant test early in Kim Caldwell's tenure.
Tennessee went to Brooklyn to face 17th-ranked Iowa and held on to win 78-68.
This is the first time the Lady Vols (7-0) traveled away from Knoxville this season. The different scenery didn't seem to affect Tennessee in the win over the Hawkeyes (8-1).
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The Lady Vols' win came on an incredible job of using its press and traps to force turnovers. Tennessee came up with 30 to result in 42 points.
The most points for the Lady Vols went to Talaysia Cooper. She finished with 23 points with 19 coming in the second half.
Behind her were Ruby Whitehorn, Samara Spencer and Tess Darby. Whitehorn finished with 16 after dropping 13 in the first half. Spencer and Darby notched 11.
As a team, Tennessee shot 39% from the field and 24.1% on 3-pointers. The 27 more shots taken than Iowa made up for the poor efficiency, though. The Hawkeyes would shoot 46% from the field and 21.4% on 3-pointers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee jumped out to an instant 8-0 lead on Iowa. This wouldn't last for long, though. The Hawkeyes traded baskets with the Lady Vols before going on an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game at 10.
By the end of the first quarter, Iowa had built a slight edge over Tennessee after a 7-0 run to end the frame. This put the Hawkeyes in front by four.
The second quarter featured the Lady Vols storming back to tie the match heading into the half. Whitehorn went on a personal 6-0 run toward the end of the period to take a one-point lead before a free throw notched it back up.
Whithorn's 13 points paced Tennessee at the break on 6-for-14 shooting. No other player reached double digits at this point, but Spencer did manage seven points.
The Lady Vols made a push behind Cooper in the third. She scored nine points in the quarter to help Tennessee build a 55-52 lead heading into final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter went back and forth but it was Cooper again who helped create separation. She helped spearhead an 11-0 run down the stretch that gave Tennessee an eight-point lead with under a minute and a half to play.
The Lady Vols held on to win the game by 10 points.
UP NEXT
After two tough out-of-conference games against Florida State and Iowa, Tennessee will have a much easier test next time it takes the court. The Lady Vols return home to face North Carolina Central on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. ET on SECN+.
After that, Tennessee will face its first true road test under Caldwell. The Lady Vols will travel to face Memphis inside FedEx Forum on Dec. 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET which will air on ESPN+.
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