Mia Pauldo has had a strong start to her first SEC season for Lady Vols basketball, and opposing coaches have taken notice.
The freshman has been Tennessee’s leading scorer in conference play, and the intangibles she brings as a true point guard are crucial to UT’s success. When South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was asked about Pauldo ahead of the matchup with the Lady Vols, she was complimentary of the budding star.
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“Just the evolution of her,” Staley said Feb. 6. “She is scoring the ball, she is managing their team, she’s getting people involved. She’s play making, she’s defending, like she’s actually being just impactful on both sides of the basketball, very comfortable in her skin.”
No. 17 Tennessee (15-5, 7-1 SEC) will play No. 3 South Carolina (23-2, 9-1) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina on Feb. 8 (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
The 5-foot-6 Pauldo played a crucial role in the Lady Vols’ overtime win against Georgia on the road on Feb. 5. She scored 21 points, which included going 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Pauldo also had four rebounds and three assists.
The Paterson, New Jersey, native is averaging 12.2 points, 2.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 24 minutes this season. Pauldo’s 16.2 points in SEC play leads the team.
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Pauldo has scored at least 20 points three times in conference play, including a career-high 26 points at Mississippi State. She has scored in double figures in all SEC games except one.
Cora 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:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Dawn Staley said about Mia Pauldo ahead of Lady Vols vs South Carolina
