“Want to go home & see my baby boy”: Kim Caldwell reacts as she joins Pat Summitt in special achievement after beating Geno Auriemma’s UConn

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell added a new chapter to the Vols' storied rivalry with UConn, becoming just the second coach in Tennessee's history to take down the Huskies. At Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday, Tennessee defeated UConn 80-76 to end the Huskies' four-game winning streak in the series.

Before Thursday night, the only Tennessee coach to beat Geno Auriemma's UConn was the legendary Pat Summitt, who last did it during the 2006-07 season.

But what made the first-year Lady Vols coach's accomplishment even more impressive was the fact that she did it just 18 days after giving birth to her son, Conor Scott.

"I just want to go home and see my baby boy," Caldwell told ESPN after the game.

Kim Caldwell gave birth to her son on Jan. 20 and missed the Lady Vols' loss to Texas on Jan. 23. However, she returned to practice the next day and was back on the sidelines for the SEC showdown against Dawn Staley's South Carolina team on Jan. 27.

Since the rivalry began in 1995, Auriemma's Huskies have dominated the series, compiling a 17-9 record against the Volunteers before Thursday's upset.

Besides Caldwell and Summitt, the only other Tennessee coach to experience the rivalry was Kellie Harper (2019-2024), who faced UConn four times after the series was renewed in 2020 but failed to secure a win.

Tennessee senior Jewel Spear praises Kim Caldwell's sacrifices after UConn win

Although Kim Caldwell was back coaching just a few days after giving birth to her first baby, it would not be possible without the support of her players and staff.

In her postgame press conference, senior guard Jewel Spear spoke about how impressed she was with her coach's dedication to the team.

"We knew this when [Kim Caldwell] took the job here," Spear said (1:12). "We knew she won a lot of games, and she told us when she got here that she wanted this year to be the year that we do something special. She didn't want to wait, and that's just special.

"You saw how quickly she returned after having her baby, and it's just the sacrifices that she continuously makes for us. It's just the little things that we have to do for her, which is just playing hard. That's all she really asks for. So I was really proud of us for doing that and sticking together today."

Spear scored 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds against the Huskies. Junior forward Zee Spearman led the way for Tennessee with 16 points and 7 rebounds.