Tennessee’s perfect SEC season came to an end when Janiah Barker fell on the court during a key game against Alabama. After getting hit in the head, the Lady Vols’ best defender stayed down in pain. Tennessee was trying to keep its winning streak going, but losing Barker made it question its next steps.

Barker got hurt during the game when someone hit him in the face and head, and it was clear that he was in pain. Cora Hall, who saw what happened, said, “Janiah Barker is down on the court and is visibly in pain. It looked like she got hit in the face/head on the previous play. Barker is still on the floor after the review determined there was no flagrant foul on the play. Barker walked off the court on her own with the trainer.” The moment showed how hard women’s college basketball is on the body and how sad it is that players can hit each other without getting in trouble.

This injury was especially bad because Barker had done so much to help Tennessee win. The freshman from Marietta, Georgia, has become a dependable role player for the Bruins. In 36 games during the 2024-25 season, he averaged 6.0 rebounds per game and shot 46.5% from the field. Her defense, which includes 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, shows how important she is beyond the box score, especially for a Lady Vols team trying to win its sixth straight game.

Tennessee went into the Alabama game with a lot of confidence, having won 12 out of 15 games and all four of their conference games. The team’s 85-50 win over Arkansas showed how strong they were, and Barker scored 13 points in that game, showing that she can make a difference when she’s healthy. Tennessee had real competition against Alabama, which was on a five-game home winning streak against the Lady Vols in their last six meetings. Alabama was 17-2 at the time.

Tennessee dominates Alabama in a convincing 70-59 victory

Tennessee beat Alabama 70–59 in Tuscaloosa, even though there were worries about Janiah Barker’s injury. The Lady Vols started off strong, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and never slowing down. They scored more points than Alabama in three of the four quarters, with scores of 21, 16, and 19. The Crimson Tide only scored in the single digits and low teens. Tennessee was in charge the whole time.

In this blowout, shooting made all the difference. Tennessee shot 41.7% from the field, while Alabama could only hit 35.6%. Tennessee made 40% of its three-pointers, while Alabama only made 28.6% of theirs. The gap widened from behind the arc. The Lady Vols also did well at the free-throw line, making 12 of 14 shots for an 85.7% success rate that killed Alabama’s chances of coming back.

Jessica Timmons was the best player, scoring 22 points in 37 minutes. Diana Collins scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, while Karly Weathers added 11 points. Alabama’s defense had to work hard all night because of this spread-out scoring attack. The Crimson Tide’s defensive plans fell apart when no one Lady Vol could be stopped.

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Talaysia Cooper scored 16 points for Alabama, and they actually out-rebounded Tennessee 37-30. But they lost the game because they couldn’t shoot well and their scoring was inconsistent. Tennessee’s depth and efficiency were too much for Alabama, which solidified the Lady Vols’ dominance in SEC play.