Tennessee’s 110-64 win over Middle Tennessee State had plenty of fireworks, but one of the biggest takeaways came from Harissoum Coulibaly’s night.
The 5-foot-10 sophomore guard had been slow to find her footing early this season, with just nine points in 34 minutes over Tennessee’s first three games. Against the Blue Raiders on Thursday, she looked far more settled and far more aggressive, turning in 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two steals, two rebounds and an assist in 21 minutes. She didn’t commit a turnover, and Tennessee was plus-23 while she was on the floor.
“That’s who Hari is,” head coach Kim Caldwell said after the game. “It was really great to see her be more comfortable on the floor tonight.
And I think she’s going to continue to grow and grow. She’s been struggling a little bit in games, and we have a few players that are still trying to figure it out.
“And we’re, again, a new team, and that’s going to take some time. But I think our team was really happy for her tonight because that’s who she is.
That’s why we recruited her. And I hope that’s who she’ll continue to be.”
Coulibaly’s production was built on speed and timing. Four of her six made shots came on fast-break layups, and two of those were set up by Fats Janneh steals in the first quarter.
Janneh assisted on both plays, with the first breaking a 6-6 tie at the 7:00 mark and the second stretching Tennessee’s lead to 20-14 with two minutes left in the period. Coulibaly then knocked down a 3-pointer off a Naomi White assist to push it to 23-17.
By the end of the opening quarter, Coulibaly had seven points - nearly matching what she scored in her first three games combined. She kept it rolling in the second quarter, too, picking off Xai Whitfield and finishing on the other end to make it 42-29 after MTSU had trimmed the margin to 11. She went into halftime with 11 points.
Tennessee’s pressure was overwhelming all night. The Lady Vols piled up 30 steals, the second-most in a single game in program history, and forced 43 turnovers. That chaos fueled 48 fast-break points and 53 points off turnovers, and Coulibaly kept slipping behind the defense to cash in.
Her best basket may have come later, though, in the half court. In the third quarter, she passed on a 3-point attempt, drove into the lane, backed down Blair Baugus and finished with a scoop to put Tennessee ahead 75-40. It was the kind of possession that showed she wasn’t just running the floor - she was playing with confidence.
Smikle said the performance fit the player Tennessee expected to get.
“I don’t think anything that I’m seeing now is a shock,” Smikle said. “Hari’s a great player.
She’s very fast and gets downhill. She’s a hard person to guard.
I just think it’s her becoming more comfortable in the system, and I think she’s doing just that, and the ceiling is very high for her, too.”
“I agree,” Janneh said. “She’s in the gym every day working, putting in the work. And you can see on the court, it’s coming into fruition.”
With a completely new roster and only four games in, Tennessee is still sorting out roles. Thursday night, Coulibaly took a clear step forward.
The Lady Vols head to Nashville on Tuesday to face Belmont at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Kim Caldwell Saw Exactly What Tennessee Needed In Bounce-Back Win
After a rough patch, Tennessee got the kind of response Kim Caldwell was looking for in Knoxville, rolling past Middle Tennessee State 110-64 and looking much more like itself in the process. The Lady Vols showed cleaner offensive spacing, better foul shooting, sharper ball pressure and a more connected effort overall, the sort of details that can turn a bounce-back game into something more meaningful than just a lopsided win.
Caldwell also had to sort through the injury side of the night, with Aaliyah Moore dealing with a calf issue, even as several reserves helped steady the performance. Harissoum Coulibaly, Gabby Minus and Kaylene Smike all drew praise for their contributions, a reminder that Tennessees depth can matter just as much as its top-end talent when the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Suddenly Has A Backfield Problem Before A Huge SEC Test
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