Mia Pauldo hasn’t met a moment she was afraid of.
The freshman from Paterson, New Jersey, had the answer Lady Vols basketball desperately needed every time down the stretch against Kentucky.
When the Wildcats tied the game, Pauldo got to her midrange and knocked it down. When they took a one-point lead, she got to the rim and hit layups on two straight possessions.
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When the No. 17 Lady Vols couldn’t get anything going offensively, Pauldo made something happen at the end of the shot clock. She drained a midrange jumper that ended up being the nail in the coffin, giving Tennessee a five-point lead with three minutes left.
Pauldo scored or assisted 15 of the Lady Vols 19 points in the fourth quarter to close out the 60-58 win over No. 12 Kentucky (17-4, 4-3 SEC) at Food City Center on Jan. 22. It was the second game in a row she was clutch in big moments to lead Tennessee (14-3, 6-0) to a second straight ranked win.
Pauldo was spectacular, said Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell, who praised Pauldo’s willingness to listen and absorb what she tells her. One coaching point in particular stuck out to Pauldo at shootaround.
Caldwell has wanted Pauldo to take more shots, and with senior forward Janiah Barker out due to injury, the time to challenge Pauldo to take that step had arrived.
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Caldwell asked Pauldo how many shots she thought she took per game. Pauldo gave her a number, and Caldwell responded, “double that.”
“I think I did that, probably not as efficient as I wanted to be, but I’m going to fix that next game – and I’m going to take the same amount of shots,” Pauldo said as she snuck a glance at Caldwell next to her, a mischievous grin stretching across her face.
Caldwell couldn’t help but smile at the confidence oozing from her point guard.
Pauldo had a game-high 21 points on 9-for-22 shooting, and she was the only Lady Vol to score in double figures in the win. She added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in nearly 36 minutes.
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Pauldo said her strong start to her first conference season started with her teammates and coaches trusting and believing in her. Caldwell puts the ball in her hands and, “tells me to do me,” Pauldo said.
A lot can change in two months.
In November, Tennessee was struggling to find its footing and ended the month with a 22-point loss at UCLA. Caldwell said after the game she had to trust her freshmen, because she would need them in January and February. And she believed if they stayed the course and learned from the mistakes they got to make early in the season, the Lady Vols would be in a better place when SEC play arrived.
Caldwell’s freshman are proving her right more and more with each game.
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It’s not just Pauldo – Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil have become key pieces of the rotation, and they were the highest scorers behind Pauldo. Prawl had nine points, four rebounds and four steals. Civil had eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Prawl and Civil have both taken “really big steps defensively,” Caldwell said, and they’re playing with great confidence offensively. Prawl said she gained seven pounds of muscle since the season began, and it has made a difference in her ability to get to the rim and finish through contact.
There’s an undeniable trust now between Caldwell and her freshmen, who are starting to see the results of their belief in what Caldwell preached – it takes time.
“They’re not freshmen to me. They’re players on our team, and I know what they can do,” Caldwell said. “I don’t really think about age at this point. I know who they are, I know their body of work and I trust them.”
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ora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Mia Pauldo delivers for Lady Vols, Kim Caldwell vs Kentucky
