WATCH: Geno Auriemma and Kim Caldwell exchange warm embrace before UConn vs Tennessee clash

Geno Auriemma and Tennessee's Kim Caldwell exchanged formalities before their teams clashed at the Food City Center on Thursday. The two coaches greeted each other with a warm hug on the sidelines as their players warmed up on the court.

March Madness WBB Instagram account posted the video of the two chatting away with the caption:

"@uconnwbb’s Geno Auriemma & @ladyvol_hoops’s Kim Caldwell before tonight’s rivalry matchup in Knoxville 🤝 #NCAAWBB."

The No. 19 Lady Vols stained the visitor's season record, defeating the No. 5 Huskies with an 80-76 final score. It is UConn's biggest loss of the season, as the previous two came from a then-No. 7 USC Trojans and then-No. 8 Notre Dame. For Kim Caldwell, it was her first contest against Geno Auriemma as Tennessee's head coach.

The two teams met after a year's break due to scheduling problems. Tennessee was without senior guard Kaiya Wynn. The Huskies entered the matchup without Ayanna Patterson and Caroline Ducharme.

Four players scored in double digits on Geno Auriemma and Kim Caldwell's teams

Geno Auriemma's trio of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong scored in double digits for the second consecutive game while KK Arnold delivered 11 bench points. Strong led with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Fudd garnered 10 points and three steals while Bueckers had 14 points and eight assists on 5-of-16 shooting.

Zee Spearman led Kim Caldwell's roster with 16 points and seven rebounds as Samara Spencer followed with 14 points. Spearman also made a clutch bucket in the final seconds to lift the Lady Vols and diminish UConn's chances.

Senior Jewel Spear went 5-of-10 from the floor, finishing with 12 points while Talaysia Cooper had 11 points and eight rebounds. It is not the first time four starters have dropped double-digit numbers for the Lady Vols this season.

Tennessee's win over UConn is the first since 2007 when legendary coach Patt Summitt used to lead the program.

The two programs were a regular rivalry fixture, even meeting in NCAA championship games, until Summitt cut the thread over her concerns about Auriemma's recruiting methods. The Huskies won four back-to-back games after the series renewed in 2020.