Lou Lopez Sénéchal becomes the latest UConn newcomer to haunt Tennessee

The fifth-year guard poured in a season-high 26 points and made clutch plays all game long to help the Huskies claim the rivalry victory.

Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

During a timeout in the third quarter, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper delivered a simple directive to her team: “11 gets nothing.”

The Vols knew they needed to take Lou Lopez Sénéchal, UConn’s No. 11, out of the equation in order to claw their way back into the game.

That was the plan.

It didn’t work.

On the ensuing possession, Lopez Sénéchal hit a jumper — one of ten points she scored in the third quarter as the Huskies turned a four-point lead at the half into a 13-point advantage entering the final 10 minutes.

“Lou made shots,” Geno Auriemma said postgame. “You gotta make shots. You gotta have somebody that can just get you a bucket exactly when you need it.”

Lopez Sénéchal did exactly that. On the night, she finished with a team-high and season-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 4-of-6 from three while playing all but three minutes. In the process, she became UConn’s latest newcomer to haunt Tennessee since the series re-started in 2020.