The No. 19 Tennessee women's basketball team suffered a 71-57 defeat to the No. 21 Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday, marking the Lady Vols' worst performance of the season. The absence of star player Rickea Jackson was a notable factor, but Coach Kellie Harper pointed out other areas of concern following the game.

The Lady Vols, now with a record of 3-3, never led against the Hoosiers, who improved to 5-1. Indiana’s offense proved too much for Tennessee, especially after the first quarter, where the Hoosiers shot 50% or better. The Lady Vols struggled on the boards, being outrebounded 42-39, and couldn't capitalize on any potential advantage.

“I still think we're just too nice,” Harper said, as reported by Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “We're just a group of nice, young women, and when you step out on the court you can't have that mentality. You can't have that personality, that persona. So we've got to find that, and understand it's going to be a physical game. You have to expect it and I don't think we handled that very well.”

Harper's overall record against ranked opponents now stands at 11-30 in her five seasons at Tennessee. The Lady Vols' defense had no answers for Indiana's offense, which efficiently countered every defensive tactic thrown at them. Harper's team rotations also failed to turn the tide.

Offensively, Tennessee was led by junior forwards Karoline Striplin and Sara Puckett, scoring 13 points each. Senior point guard Jasmine Powell, who scored 12 points, was the only guard to shoot 50% from the field. However, the overall poor shooting performance from the guards, particularly from senior guard Jewel Spear, contributed to the team's struggles.

Defensively, junior guard Kaiya Wynn, known for her on-ball defense, played only 13 minutes, which raised questions about the team's strategy. Indiana exploited this, especially from the perimeter, shooting 10-for-22 from 3-point range.

Harper acknowledged the focus on guarding Indiana's 3-point shooters, but was disappointed with the team's execution. She didn't commit to increasing Wynn's playtime, despite defensive breakdowns from other players.

“Obviously we tried a lot of different combinations to try to figure things out,” Harper said. “It's not the want to – they want to do it – but our awareness, we're still one step behind defensively. And until our awareness becomes better, our anticipation on the defensive end becomes better, we're going to struggle on that side.”

The team hopes for Jackson's return from a lower leg injury, which has kept her out of three games. However, Kellie Harper emphasized the need for the current team to improve, not relying solely on Jackson's return.

“Obviously we miss (Jackson), but in the meantime, the team on the court has got to get better,” Harper said.

The focus now is on how the team responds and adjusts in upcoming games, especially in terms of defensive awareness and physicality on the court. The Lady Vols are set to face No. 22 on Saturday.