COLUMBIA, SC – Lady Vols basketball didn’t show any signs of fight after halftime, and it spiraled into the worst loss in program history.
No. 17 Tennessee looked wholly outmatched by No. 3 South Carolina in the second half, and it wasn’t able to chip away at a lead that continued to grow with every minute.
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The Lady Vols (15-6, 7-2 SEC) fell 93-50 on Feb. 8 to the No. 3 Gamecocks (24-9, 10-1) at Colonial Life Arena. The previous Tennessee women’s basketball record for largest margin of defeat was a 31-point loss at Texas on Dec. 11, 1984.
Tennessee was outscored 46-18 in the second half. The Lady Vols chose to live and die by the 3, and they shot 10-for-44 – UT only shot 18-for-64 overall. Meanwhile, South Carolina shot 69.2% from the field and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers. The Lady Vols fouled the Gamecocks far too much, and they shot 16-for-20 from the free throw line.
Talaysia Cooper led Tennessee with 17 points, along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals, but also committed six turnovers.
Lady Vols’ defense not good enough to contain Gamecocks
Tennessee had success forcing turnovers in the first half, but only managed seven points off 10 of them. UT’s defense in transition and in the halfcourt left much to be desired.
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The Gamecocks shot 68% from the field in the first half and scored 18 points in transition. They also outpaced Tennessee in paint points 26-14 in the first two quarters.
Tennessee crumbles in the third quarter
Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell called a quick timeout in the third quarter when South Carolina opened on a 6-0 run. The Gamecocks extended their lead to 53-32 with 8:27 left in the quarter.
Tennessee didn’t last three more minutes before Caldwell was forced to call another timeout.
Ta’Niya Latson had a steal-and-score to extend the lead to 61-35 with 5:43 left in the third quarter, and Caldwell called her second timeout of the quarter in an attempt to stop South Carolina’s momentum.
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But Tennessee never recovered, its offense stifled by South Carolina’s zone. The Lady Vols continued to shoot 3-pointers and miss, going 3-for-14 from deep in the third. They got outscored 24-9 in the quarter and went down 71-41 going into the fourth.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols crumble on the road, fall by 43 points to South Carolina
