The Lady Vols shook off a slow start in the first quarter, led by 20 at halftime and departed Baltimore with a 98-60 win over Coppin State.

“It was a great game for us,” Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell said. “It was good for us to be able to travel, get a road game under our belt. Really great environment, great crowd. It was really impressive.”

Kaylene Smikle led Tennessee, 2-0, with 18 points, Gabby Minus and Kennedy Fauntleroy notched 12 points, Aaliyah Moore tallied 11 points, Jada Eads added nine points, and Riley Makalusky and Naomi White chipped in with eight each.

Smikle dealt with foul trouble in the first half and scored 17 of her 18 points after halftime.

“Fouls are a part of it,” Smikle said. “Some games I might be in foul trouble, but look past that and keep playing basketball because mistakes are going to happen.”

Smikle is one of four players on the roster whose hometowns are in the Northeast, and a game in Maryland allowed their families to have a shorter trip than getting to Knoxville. Smikle is from Bay Shore, New York, and Rylie Theuerkauf is from Tenafly, New Jersey. Zhen Craft is from Waldorf, Maryland, and Kennedy Fauntleroy is from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Fauntleroy added seven assists and three steals to her scoring output.

“She was good. She was all over the place,” Caldwell said. “Seven assists, zero turnovers really stands out. She was flying around, getting steals, making things happen. She’s really close to home. She had a lot of family here, so I was glad she could have a great day.”

A familiar face returned to the team in Nya Robertson, who played last season and has served as a student assistant this season and a member of the practice squad. She was granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) this week to play as part of the Hosea Wheeler lawsuit against the NCAA – Robertson is a plaintiff in that case – to have an extra year of eligibility under the NCAA’s newly implemented “5 for 5” age-based eligibility rules that eliminated last year’s seniors. The 10-day TRO expires Nov. 13, and the next court hearing is set for Nov. 16 to determine what happens next.

Tennessee led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and pushed it to a 20-point lead by halftime.

“They gave us a great first quarter, and we needed that,” Caldwell said. “We came out a little bit rattled, and their pressure got to us. I think the environment was good for our newer players, our younger players, and we appreciated that because I think that made us better.”

It was the first time that Tennessee had played at an HBCU. The game emerged because Caldwell reread the late Pat Summitt’s “Sum It Up” book over the summer with her team and staff and was struck by Summitt always finding an away game close to a player’s hometown.

“I think anytime you can play at an HBCU, you get a different environment,” Caldwell said. “Your fans are very, very into it. We’re going to play in a lot of hostile environments that are going to be loud, and so it was really good for us to get that under our belt.

“And it was great to come to this area because we have so many players that are from here or from close to here. It’s closer than Knoxville, and so we had a pretty good turnout, too, and I appreciate all those fans coming.”

Tennessee will play the next two games at homes next week against New Haven on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Middle Tennessee, which is also the “Salute to Service,” game on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Current military members, veterans and first responders will receive complimentary admission to the game at ticket locations outside the arena with a military ID, DD 214, license certification, state-issued ID, badge or other employer-issued identification. Immediate family members also can attend for free with a limit of four to six tickets based on availability. Both games will tip at 6:30 p.m.

Lady Vols huddle during a break in the game. (Tennessee Athletics)

Caldwell and her players identified plenty of things to work on in practice before the next game.

“We have a lot of areas where we need to get better,” Caldwell said. “Continue to rotate together in the press, play together, share the ball on offense, continue to work on our shot selection, limiting our fouls, sitting down on the defensive end. We’ll just continue game by game, trying to put it together.”

Film study also will be on the to-do list.

“I definitely think this is a game we need to rewatch and learn from it,” Smikle said. “But I know that we will. We’re very all much bought into film. We do watch a lot of film together, separately, individually. I think that’s definitely going to help us, and we’re going to learn a lot of things from this game.”

VOLLEYBALL

The Lady Vols will play the final two home games of the regular season, starting tonight, Friday, Nov. 6, against Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. No. 10 Tennessee will host Alabama on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.

Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+, and both are also part of the “Salute to Service” initiative with complimentary admission for current military members, veterans and first responders and their families.

Sunday’s game also will be Senior Day for Nia Hall, Sydney Jaynes, Caroline Kerr and Mackenzie Plante, who will be honored in a special ceremony before the match.

Maria M. Cornelius has worked in Knoxville media since 1988 and Lady Vols basketball since 1998. Author of “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt” and “The Legacy of Pat Summitt: Players, Colleagues, Family, and Friends Who Knew Her Best,” she covers Lady Vols sports for KnoxTNToday and 247Sports.