The Lady Vols used a withering start to defeat Middle Tennessee State on Thursday night and complete a 4-0 sweep of in-state foes in November.

Janiah Barker posted a double-double for Tennessee, 4-1, with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the 85-41 win in Murfreesboro at the Murphy Center.

“I think overall our offense in general looked better,” coach Kim Caldwell said. “But when she’s going, it’s easier to create space for other people, because she’s scoring the majority of the time at the rim and opens up shots for other people.”

The Lady Vols had won three games in a row against East Tennessee State, UT Martin and Belmont, but Caldwell had compiled a to-do list because of too much lackluster play at times.

“I think we played a little bit better in spurts,” Caldwell said. “We’ll have some good clips to show. We really just needed to take a step, and I think we took that step.”

After a three-point loss to NC State to start the season, the Lady Vols had won three games in a row against East Tennessee State, UT Martin and Belmont, but Caldwell had compiled a to-do list because of too much lackluster play at times. She saw stretches of better play against the Middle Tennessee, 2-3, especially in the first half, and Tennessee led 48-16 at halftime.

The second half got a bit chippy and physical, and the Blue Raiders made up some space on the scoreboard.

“Our effort and energy is there when the ball’s going in the hole,” Caldwell said. “It was going in the hole early. I think that our defense did fuel a lot of our offense. Our press looked better. We were flying around.”

The Lady Vols will host Coppin State this Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. and then will make a West Coast swing after Thanksgiving at UCLA and Stanford.

Tennessee had a week between games before playing at Middle Tennessee, and the time on the practice court was needed.

“It was so important,” said freshman Mya Pauldo, who scored a career-high 10 points. “We worked on the little things, shot selection, moving the ball around, spacing, and Coach Kim emphasized that the most. I think we did really well. It took practice, and it was a great week of work in the gym.

The post-game presser with Caldwell, Janiah Barker and Deniya Prawl can be watched HERE with the highlights HERE.

PAT SUMMITT

The late Pat Summitt will be celebrated in December at the Tennessee Theatre, and tickets for the public are available starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21, by clicking HERE.

The event on Dec. 11, which is being presented by Omaha Productions, a company founded by Peyton Manning, is called “Celebrating Pat Summitt: A Live Reunion Special.” It will be an evening of storytelling with former players, coaches and friends of the legendary coach. The event also will feature videos of Summitt, displays of memorabilia and some surprises.

ESPN’s Holly Rowe will moderate the event, which will feature former Lady Vols Candace Parker, Nikki Fargas and Andraya Carter and South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley.

As the Tennessee Theatre’s listing noted, the “unforgettable event will celebrate Summitt’s fierce competitive spirit and her enduring influence on the game of basketball.”

Summitt won eight national titles and coached Tennessee for 38 seasons before being forced to retire after the 2011-12 season because of early onset dementia. She died at the age of 64 on June 28, 2016.

Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition will be released June 16, 2026.