WBB Preview: RV/RV Lady Vols vs. New Haven

Tennessee, which is receiving votes in both the Associated Press Poll and USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, plays host to New Haven on Tuesday night.

The Lady Vols (2-0) and Chargers (1-1) will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET at Food City Center in a contest available for streaming on SECN+.

UT and UNH, a member of the Northeast Conference, meet for the first time ever. It marks the Lady Vols’ first clash with a school currently in the NEC after St. Francis (Pa.) left the league and went DIII over the summer.

Tennessee is coming off a 98-60 road victory over Coppin State in Baltimore on Thursday night. UT improved to 43-10 all-time in its first road game of a season. The Lady Vols turned Coppin State over 29 times via 17 steals, hit 13 three-pointers and swished 25 of 30 attempts at the free-throw line to pick up a second-straight wire-to-wire win to open the campaign.

New Haven, meanwhile, began its season with a 103-44 home victory over NCAA DIII squad Mitchell on Nov. 2 in West Haven, Conn. The Chargers set the tone early with a 17-0 game-opening run and forced the Mariners into 40 turnovers.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Zack Nelson (play-by-play) and VFL Steve Hamer (analyst) will be on the call 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 contest also will be available via channel 991 on the SXM App.

TALKIN’ TENNESSEE

• For just the second time in the past five years, Tennessee started 2-0. It will try to go 3-0 for the third time in seven seasons.
• The Lady Vols rank No. 9 in the nation in scoring offense, putting up 103.5 points per contest through two games. They are 25th in scoring margin at 42.5.
• UT is No. 2 nationally in three-pointers made her game (15.0) and No. 2 in threes attempted (40.5) after a 13-for-35 showing (37.1 pct.) vs. Coppin State.
• Tennessee comes into the contest ranked No. 4 in free throws made per game, averaging 22.50 swishes per outing, and is No. 21 in free-throw attempts per game (28.0) and No. 30 in free-throw percentage (80.7).
• On the glass, the Big Orange women are 12th nationally in total rebounds per contest at 52.5 and No. 9 in offensive rebounds per game at 22.0.
• The Lady Vols are 16th in assist/turnover ratio at 1.95, averaging only 11.0 miscues.
• Tennessee ranks 16th in bench points per game, with Kim Caldwell‘s squad getting 41.5 points from its reserves.
• UT has tallied 30+ points in four different quarters. It had one 30+ effort in 2025-26.

TRACKING THE LADY VOLS

• Kaylene Smikle, who entered the season averaging 17.2 ppg. for her career, is putting up 24.5 ppg. thus far to rank No. 20 nationally. Her 31 points vs. Duquesne were the second-most ever by a Lady Vol in her debut.
• In addition to Smikle, Gabby Minus (12.5 ppg.) and Aaliyah Moore (11.0 ppg.) have scored in double figures in each game.
• Jada Eads is UT’s fourth player averaging double-figure scoring (10.5) and was a point shy vs. Coppin State of joining the players above with two double-digit games.
• After pulling down 13 rebounds in the exhibition vs. Florida A&M, Fatmata Janneh has continued to hit the boards in strong fashion. Grabbing 10 and 13 caroms, respectively, vs. Duquesne and Coppin State, Janneh ranks 15th nationally with 23 total rebounds and is 27th with an average of 11.5 rpg.
• Freshman Gabby Minus carded the team’s first double-double of the year, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. Coppin State.
• Forward Aaliyah Moore entered the year with four career three-pointers and already has three this season in two games.
• Kennedy Fauntleroy (9/0) and Jada Eads (9/3) have strong asst.-to-TO differentials.

GAME DAY PARKING/SHUTTLE INFORMATION

• Game day parking for all lots surrounding Food City Center are reserved for permit holders. If you have a parking permit, it has been loaded on to your AllVols account.
• Fans without parking permits are recommended to utilize free UT Ag Campus parking (lots CC1, S65/66 and CC4) with free shuttle services.
• G13 (11th St. garage) is free on game day, but there is no shuttle available from that location.
• Paid parking options on game day will operate on a first-come, first-served basis in the following parking areas: 9A, C15 and Circle Park. Consult a digital campus parking map to locate those lots.
• Paid parking also may be available in C1 and C22 lots, pending availability of space.
• All G10 permit holders can utilize the new entrance to the garage off of Neyland Drive via westbound lanes only as well as entering from Cumberland Avenue via Phillip Fulmer Way.
• Phillip Fulmer Way from Lake Loudoun Blvd to the G10 garage will be closed and entry that way is not permitted.
• Pregame shuttles will depart from the UT Ag Campus on Joe Johnson Drive & will unload at Food City Center.
• Postgame shuttles for fans will load at Gate 9 of Neyland Stadium, off of Phillip Fulmer Way and return to UT Ag Campus parking.
• Shuttle services will begin one hour and 30 minutes prior to tip-off. Return shuttles will also run postgame.

A LOOK BACK AT THE COPPIN STATE GAME

• The Tennessee women’s basketball team overcame a slow offensive start, following a 12-point first quarter with 86 points over the final three frames to claim a 98-60 victory over Coppin State in the program’s first game ever on the home court of an HBCU.
• Leading 12-10 after a foul-plagued opening 10 minutes, the Lady Vols (2-0) persevered by scoring 30 in the second period and 33 in the third to nearly surpass 100 in consecutive games. The third frame was fueled by 6-for-13 accuracy from deep, which helped the team finish 13 of 35 on the evening.
• Fifth-year guard Kaylene Smikle worked through early foul trouble to lead UT with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Fifth-year guard Kennedy Fauntleroy and freshman guard/forward Gabby Minus each contributed 12 points, with Minus registering a double-double with 11 rebounds. Sixth-year forward Aaliyah Moore added 11 points for the second straight game, and Fatmata Janneh led the Big Orange on the glass and was in double figures once again with 13 boards.
• CSU (1-1) was paced by Anya George and Jayleen Jones, who tossed in 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Eagles suffered 29 turnovers at the hands of the Big Orange’s press, with the Lady Vols racking up 17 steals in the contest.

POSTGAME NOTES VS. THE EAGLES

• HITTING FROM RANGE: The Lady Vols hit 13 shots from beyond the arc to help fuel the win against Coppin State. The three-point mark is the second game in a row Tennessee has hit 10+ treys. Aaliyah Moore, Kaylene Smikle, Naomi White and Riley Makalusky all tied for the lead with two three-pointers made. Two stands as Moore’s career-high, which came via a perfect 2-of-2 clip. She had entered the season with four career three-pointers and already has three in two games as a Lady Vol.
• 1K FOR KEN: Kennedy Fauntleroy eclipsed 1,000 career points with a free throw she hit with 6:41 left in the second quarter vs. Coppin State. Fauntleroy came into the game with 995. Her 12 scored vs. the Eagles put her at 1,007 in her 91st collegiate contest.
• SCORING CONSISTENTLY: Kaylene Smikle’s 18 points marked the second game in a row she was UT’s leading scorer. Both games were fueled by a double-digit point quarter. Smikle’s tally is now up to two, with the guard scoring 10 in the third vs. CSU and 17 in the first against Duquesne.
• IMPACT FRESHMAN: Gabby Minus continues to be a force as a freshman in her second game starting, notching her first career-double double with 12 points and a career-high 11 caroms. Minus is now two-for-two with 10+ point performances, and the Georgia native’s three steals also tied for the team lead.
• HIGH SCORING QUARTERS: The Big Orange’s 98 points were fueled by their third and fourth 30+ point quarters in two games, totaling 30 in the second quarter and 33 in the third vs. CSU. UT, which also had 30 twice vs. Duquesne in game one, had only one 30-point quarter for the entire 2025-26 season, getting a 39-point burst in the second stanza vs. Winthrop.
• GETTING THE BALL BACK: Tennessee’s press has been very effective, forcing Coppin State into 29 miscues and resulting in a total of 17 steals. That is now back-to-back games the Lady Vols have forced more than 25 turnovers and stolen the ball more than 15 times.

UT/UNH SERIES NOTES

• This marks the first-ever meeting between the Lady Volunteers and the University of New Haven in women’s basketball.
• New Haven is a private university located in West Haven, Conn., and is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC).
• The school was founded in 1920, and its mascot is Charlie the Charger.
• Tennessee played former Northeast Conference member Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 3, 2014, winning, 111-44, in Knoxville. The Red Wolves, however, left the NEC in summer 2026 and have moved down to NCAA Division III (non-scholarship) in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).

A LOOK AT THE CHARGERS

• New Haven was picked to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference by the league’s head coaches.
• This is the second season at the NCAA Division I level for the Chargers.
• The program is coming off a season in which it finished 7-22 overall and 5-13 in NEC play to finish eighth in the league.
• New Haven returns eight players from a year ago, including its fourth, fifth and sixth-best scorers, including Schuyler Coles (6.7 ppg.), Teaira Kelley (5.7 ppg.) and Jasmine McKay (5.5 ppg.).
• Through one game, Kelley leads UNH in scoring at 23.0 ppg. Freshman Tanavia Turpin is next at 21.0 ppg.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Debbie Buff is in her ninth season at New Haven, and she owns a 96-99 record at the school.
• Buff currently is tied for first in program history for most wins by a head coach (96), sitting one victory shy of taking sole possession atop that list.
• She stands 307-299 during her 24th season as a head coach, including stops at Endicott, RIT, Wheeling and New Haven.
• At Wheeling University (W.Va.), Buff competed head to head vs. Kim Caldwell in 2016-17 and 2017-18 when the current Lady Vol skipper was at Glenville State in the same Mountain Empire Conference.
• Buff took over the Wheeling program in 2011 and in five years led her first full recruiting class to the first of back-to-back Mountain East Conference Championships in 2015-16. The Cardinals finished that campaign with a 27-6 overall record, which tied the school record for most victories in a single season.
• In her previous eight years at New Haven, Buff has coached five players who have earned a total of nine all-conference honors, highlighted by Cameryn DeBose, a two-time all-conference honoree who was named the conference’s Woman of the Year in 2023 and was a top-30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. DeBose is one of two Chargers (Alexandria Kerr ’19) to earn first-team all-conference accolades under Buff’s guidance.

NEW HAVEN’S LAST GAME

• New Haven (1-0) defeated Mitchell (0-1), 103-44, on Nov. 2 in West Haven, Conn., using a 17-0 game-opening run and 40 forced turnovers to control the contest.
• The Chargers converted those turnovers into 52 points, and Teaira Kelley finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds (10 offensive) and four steals to lead the way to victory.
• Tanavia Turpin was right behind Kelley with 21 points and just missed a double-double of her own with nine boards.
• Laura Vera Ramirez also was in double figures with 14 points, while Claudia Lazaro pulled down 10 boards and also nearly posted a double-double with eight points.
• Winning the battle on the boards, 53-25, UNH outscored Mitchell in second-chance points, 33-2.

NEXT UP

• Tennessee is back at home on Thursday, welcoming Middle Tennessee to Knoxville.
• The contest is slated to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be available for streaming on SECN+.
• The MTSU contest will be UT’s Salute To Service contest, presented by Standard Nuclear, paying tribute to Tennessee’s ultimate Volunteers.
• Since the introduction of the Salute to Service recognition in 2018, Tennessee Athletics has welcomed thousands of military and veterans from across the southeast to numerous athletics events as part of overall efforts.
• During Salute to Service, current military members, veterans and first responders may present a military ID, DD 214, license certification, state-issued ID, badge or other employer-issued identification at ticket locations outside of Food City Center for complimentary admission to the designated men’s basketball and/or women’s basketball games for them and their immediate family (limit of 4 to 6, based on availability).
• In addition to complimentary admission for active military and veterans, free parking and shuttle service is available for Vol and Lady Vol basketball games from UT’s Ag Campus.