No. 18/18 Tennessee (6-2) is back in action for the first time since Dec. 3 and playing at home for the initial occasion since Nov. 23, welcoming Winthrop (7-4) to Food City Center on Sunday.
The Lady Vols and Eagles will meet at 2 p.m. ET in a contest streamed by SECN+ and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Channels 209 or 190).
UT, which is 3-0 at home this season, is back in the friendly confines after splitting a pair of road contests at No. 3/3 UCLA (L, 99-77) on Nov. 30 and RV/RV Stanford (W, 65-62) on Dec. 3. The win at Maples Pavilion was the Lady Vols’ first there since 2017.
Winthrop, which is led by LVFL Semeka Randall Lay (1997-2001), has won its past three and is coming off a 78-68 home triumph over UNC Wilmington on Dec. 7.
The Lady Vols lead the Eagles, 4-2, in the all-time series and have won the past two meetings. Tennessee prevailed last season at home on Dec. 29, 114-50, in the schools’ first clash since 2014.
BROADCAST DETAILS
- Myan Patel (play-by-play), Kamera Harris (color analyst) and Madison Insolia (sideline reporter) will call the game for the SECN+ broadcast.
- All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
- The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
- A link to the live audio stream can be found on the WBB Preview page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
- For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
- Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
- The Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 290 or 190.
A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS
- The Lady Vols have won six of their past seven games, with the only setback coming at No. 3/3 UCLA on Nov. 30.
- Tennessee is led by a trio of national player of the year candidates in 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (15.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 4.8 apg., 4.3 spg., 14 3FGs) and 6-4 senior forwards Janiah Barker (15.8 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 11 3FGs) and Zee Spearman (10.6 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 8 3FGs).
- Cooper’s average of 4.25 steals per game ranks No. 5 nationally, bolstered by a career-most 10 swipes vs. Stanford on Dec. 3.
- Barker, meanwhile, needs just two points to reach 1,000 in her 94th career game.
- Senior guard Nya Robertson joins that trio in double figures (10.5 ppg.) and leads UT with 18 three-pointers.
- Freshman guard Mia Pauldo (7.8 ppg., 13 assts./7 TOs) is coming off her best game, scoring 14 points while committing no turnovers at Stanford.
- UT is the fourth-best offensive rebounding team in the nation at 17.9 per contest.
- With 16 steals leading to 30 Stanford turnovers, Tennessee is averaging 13.6 spg. (14th) and forcing 23.0 topg. (18th).
LAST TIME OUT
- Redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper’s 19-point, 10-steal double-double helped No. 19/17 Tennessee rack up 16 steals and force 30 turnovers to get past Stanford, 65-62, on Dec. 3 at Maples Pavilion.
- The Lady Vols (6-2) outscored the Cardinal, 21-15, in the fourth quarter to overturn a three-point deficit and claim a victory for the league in the ACC/SEC Challenge and end a four-game losing streak in the 40-game series vs. Stanford. SU (8-2), which is receiving votes in both polls, tied its school record for miscues and fell despite out-shooting UT, 46.4 to 34.7 percent, from the field.
- Cooper, who hit a driving layup with six seconds on the clock to put her team up, 64-62, had help on the scoring front from freshman guard Mia Pauldo, who had 14 points and no turnovers in the tight affair. Zee Spearman and Janiah Barker chipped in 13 and 10, with Spearman hauling down a team-high eight boards.
- Nunu Agara and Hailee Swain paced Stanford with 14 points each, while Chloe Clardy and Lara Somfai added 12 and 10, respectively.
OUR 600TH GAME AT FOOD CITY CENTER
- The game vs. Winthrop will mark the 600th Lady Vol game played at the venue since they opened with a 102-59 victory over Stetson on Dec. 3, 1987, as part of a doubleheader with the Tennessee’s men’s team.
- This is the 39th season that the Tennessee women’s and men’s basketball teams have called Food City Center home. The Lady Vols own a remarkable 535-64 record (.893) in the venue through the Coppin State game.
- Kim Caldwell officially is 16-4 in games played on The Summitt through Nov. 23.
- The Lady Vols have built a combined 689-88 (.887) home mark in contests played at Food City Center, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym through the Coppin State contest.
BARKER TWO AWAY FROM 1K FOR HER CAREER
- Tennessee opened the 2025-26 campaign with one 1,000-point career scorer and three others who needed fewer than 370 points to reach the 1K plateau.
- Janiah Barker enters the Winthrop game with 998 points and needs just two to hit 1,000 career points in her 94th collegiate game.
- Barker has scored 126 of those while at UT and is averaging 15.8 ppg. and 5.6 rpg. this season.
WE’LL TAKE THAT
- Tennessee is averaging 13.6 steals per game and ranks No. 14 nationally in that category.
- The Lady Vols have recorded double digits in steals vs. six of eight opponents in 2025-26 (including five straight from Nov. 7-23) and vs. 24 foes total during the Kim Caldwell era.
- UT’s total of 23 steals vs. Coppin State on Nov. 23 was their most this season and the third time the program has eclipsed 20 during the Kim Caldwell era along with 27 vs. Samford (11/5/24) and 22 vs. NC Central (12/14/24).
- Talaysia Cooper’s career-best 10 steals vs. Stanford on Dec. 3 tied for No. 2 in school history and No. 8 in SEC history. Michelle Marciniak holds the UT record at 11.
- Cooper (3) and Janiah Barker (1) have recorded games with five or more steals this season.
HITTING THE O-BOARDS
- UT has had more offensive rebounds than its opponents in all eight games and is averaging 17.9 o-boards per contest to rank No. 4 nationally.
- Its biggest o-board margin was +13 (23-12) vs. Belmont.
- Tennessee has grabbed 15 or more offensive rebounds in every game, including a high of 23 vs. Belmont.
- The Lady Vols are 5-1 in games where they had more rebounds than their opponents and are 6-2 in contests where they had more offensive rebounds.
- A year ago, UT finished No. 3 nationally and second in the league in offensive rebounds per contest at 16.9, with two efforts of 30+.
UT/WINTHROP SERIES NOTES
- The Lady Vols and WU are meeting for the seventh time, according to the Tennessee women’s basketball record book, with UT holding a 4-2 series lead.
- The Big Orange women are 8-2 all time vs. schools who are currently in the Big South Conference.
- These programs have met only twice during the NCAA era of women’s basketball, with a No. 4/5 Lady Vols squad taking an 81-48 decision on Nov. 21, 2014, and No. 15/13 UT winning last season, 114-50.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
- The Eagles are led in scoring by the trio of Mya Pierfax (14.5), Amourie Porter (13.4) and Madison Ruff (11.5).
- Pierfax has hit 24 of 59 attempts from beyond the three-point arc for 40.7 percent accuracy.
- Winthrop is holding opponents to 62.5 ppg., grabbing 12.5 steals per game and forcing 23.0 turnovers per contest.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
- LVFL Semeka Randall Lay is 57-99 in her sixth season as head coach at Winthrop, and 126-318 in 16 seasons overall with other leadership stints at Alabama A&M (2013-18) and Ohio (2008-13).
- After serving as the interim head coach for the 2020-21 season, Randall Lay was named the 17th head coach in Winthrop women’s basketball history in April 2021.
- A standout guard at Tennessee from 1998-2001, Randall-Lay earned Kodak All-America First Team honors in 1999 and 2000. She was an integral part of Tennessee’s 1998 NCAA Championship team that went 39-0, averaging 15.9 points a game while earning honorable mention All-America recognition.
THE EAGLES’ LAST GAME
- Behind the trio of Madison Ruff, Mya Pierfax and Amourie Porter scoring 17 points each, Winthrop used a balanced attack to claim a 78-68 home win over UNC Wilmington.
- With the win, the Eagles have recorded their best start to a season since 2013, when they last made an NCAA Tournament appearance.
- WU made 13 of 18 free throws attempts in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
- No. 15/13 Tennessee improved to 12-0, shooting a season-high 53 percent from the field to run away from Winthrop on Dec. 29, 2024, 114-50, in front of a season-best crowd of 11,152 at Food City Center the last time these programs faced off.
- Senior forward Sara Puckett matched her season high of 17 points and added a season-best eight rebounds to lead six Lady Vols scoring in double figures.
- Winthrop, which fell to 6-7, featured only one player scoring in double figures. Amourie Porter contributed 14 points to her team’s cause, making most of them via an 8-for-8 day at the charity stripe.
NEXT UP: BACK TO NYC
- Tennessee will travel to New York City next weekend, where it will face No. 22/20 Louisville in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 20.
- No. 1/1 UConn and No. 11/12 Iowa will follow at 1:30 p.m., with FOX televising both contests nationally.
- The UT game will be available on Lady Vol Radio Network stations and via live stream on UTSports.com.
- The Big Orange participated in the event last season as well, defeating then No. 17/20 Iowa, 78-68.
