Samara Spencer threw her hands in the air in celebration when the final buzzer sounded.
The senior point guard, who scored a critical 14 points Thursday, ran straight to her coach, her arms still outstretched. The first thing on Spencer’s mind after Lady Vols basketball upset No. 6 UConn at Food City Center was hugging coach Kim Caldwell, who led No. 19 Tennessee to its first win in the longtime rivalry since 2007.
Spencer beat Caldwell to the handshake line, embracing her before joining her team’s celebration on the court after the 80-76 win.
“Tennessee hasn’t beat UConn in what – 18 years? It’s just a huge accomplishment in her first year to do something like that, and I think that it’s special,” Spencer said. “I’m always looking to embrace her. She’s kind of not a touchy person, but I’m always looking to give her a little nudge or something.”
With a crowd of 16,215, the matchup felt like the glory days of the rivalry – and the two teams put on a show worthy of its rich history. It was the largest Lady Vols crowd since Feb. 26, 2012, when 18,563 fans attended Tennessee vs. Florida.
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Caldwell welcomed the embrace from her players with open arms. Her team showed the effort and consistency she has been pushing them towards and finally got over the hump to beat a top-10 team.
“We played to win, as opposed to being afraid to lose,” Caldwell said.
The Lady Vols (17-5) outrebounded UConn (21-3), a nagging issue that played a significant part in their five losses. They were poised down the stretch where they faltered before, falling short by single digits in each loss. Junior forward Zee Spearman played her best game of the season, scoring a team-high 16 points – including the layup to seal the game.
“I want them to enjoy every moment of this,” Caldwell said.
The Lady Vols celebrated with alumni sitting courtside, relishing in their moment of glory and the stamp they put emphatically on this rivalry.
When they celebrated in the locker room, they dumped bottles of water on Caldwell and assistant coach Jenna Burdette, who did the scout. Caldwell didn’t care for the postgame shower, but she surrendered to her team’s antics.
Senior guard Jewel Spear said they knew how important this game was for their alumni. The last time UConn made the trip to Knoxville in 2023, the Lady Vols lost by 17 points, the largest margin in a true road game in the series’ history.
Former Lady Vols star Alexis Hornbuckle shared a message with the team at shoot around. Hornbuckle was on the last Tennessee teams to beat UConn from 2005-07.
“It’s basically what Coach Kim tells us every day – we got to take pride in being here and playing,” Spencer said of Hornbuckle’s speech. “But coming from somebody who played in it and won championships and was here playing against UConn – it just hits different.”
The win was a relief for Caldwell. The one-possession losses to Oklahoma and LSU stuck in her mind. Tennessee needed to beat a top-10 opponent. Caldwell believed they could do that, they deserved it – especially her seniors.
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Caldwell told her team when she arrived in April she wanted to do something special this season, and she didn’t want to wait. And they found the resolve again to do just that.
“It’s almost like we kind of just lost our confidence,” Caldwell said. “They just made up their minds that they wanted to do it … They can be excited for me, but I’m more excited for them.”
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
