What went wrong for Lady Vols, Kim Caldwell vs LSU, Kim Mulkey in crushing last-second loss

Posted by Admin January 10, 2025 Basketball

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An 18-point deficit proved to be too much for Lady Vols basketball against No. 4 LSU, and Tennessee dropped its second straight game in SEC play.

No. 15 Tennessee fell 89-87 to the Tigers (18-0, 3-0 SEC) in a marquee matchup at Food City Center on Thursday. Senior guard Jewel Spear and sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper led the way for Tennessee (13-2, 1-2) with 25 points and 24 points, respectively. The Lady Vols came back and made it a game in the third quarter, but couldn’t overtake the Tigers or build a lead once they got it.

The Lady Vols didn’t foul LSU on the final possession with the game tied at 87-87, forcing the Tigers to make a shot or let the game go to overtime. Kailyn Gilbert made a tough, off-balance layup, only leaving 0.9 seconds for Tennessee to respond.

LSU dominates boards, transition in first half vs Lady Vols

Tennessee couldn’t stop LSU in transition in the first quarter, and it led to a 26-17 lead for the Tigers after the first quarter. They ended the first half with 16 fast-break points. The Lady Vols couldn’t put pressure on LSU fast enough and couldn’t set up their press at first, and LSU got to the rim easily.

Tennessee also couldn’t keep LSU off the boards in the first quarter when it got outrebounded 17-9. But the Lady Vols cleaned that up in the second quarter and matched the Tigers’ eight rebounds. Tennessee outscored LSU 22-20 in the second quarter to cut its lead to 46-39 at halftime.

UT could not slow down LSU senior forward Aneesah Morrow in the second quarter, though, when she poured in 13 points. She had a double-double by halftime (19 points, 10 rebounds) and ended the night with 23 points, 21 rebounds and two assists.

Lady Vols chip away at lead to stay in game

Tennessee recovered in the second quarter after a poor start and started slowly chipping away at LSU’s lead.

The Lady Vols swung the momentum their way in the third quarter, but couldn’t overtake the Tigers. They outscored LSU 23-21 in the third quarter, led by six points apiece for Spear and Cooper.

Tennessee also outrebounded LSU 12-10 in the third quarter with the most focused effort on the boards in SEC play yet.

Redshirt freshman Kaniya Boyd hit two crucial corner 3-pointers in the second half, the second cutting LSU’s lead to 72-71 with seven minutes left.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.