Lady Vols basketball nearly pulled off a miracle on Sunday to avenge last month’s loss to LSU, but it couldn’t finish the job in Baton Rouge.
No. 17 Tennessee was down by five points to No. 4 LSU with a minute left. The Lady Vols got a stop on defense, and then Ruby Whitehorn hit an and-1 layup to cut the lead to two. But they couldn’t convert on the next offensive possession, and they fell 82-77 at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Lady Vols (17-6, 4-6 SEC) shot 47.5% from the field compared to LSU’s 38.4%, but their turnovers piled up and hurt them in the end. The Tigers (25-1, 10-1) scored 24 points off 19 Tennessee turnovers. The Lady Vols scored only 13 points off 13 LSU turnovers.
Whitehorn led the Lady Vols with 21 points on 9-for-20 shooting, and Jewel Spear had 19 points. Zee Spearman and Talaysia Cooper also scored in double figures.
Zee Spearman has another big game
Spearman has become a different player the past two games, playing with confidence and finishing at the rim better than she has all season.
The junior forward also has been much more aggressive on the boards, averaging 6.2 rebounds the past six games.
Spearman was crucial in Thursday’s win over No. 5 UConn with 16 points and seven rebounds, and she came up big again at LSU. She had nine points by the end of the first quarter and finished with 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting and six rebounds.
Lady Vols break program record for 3-pointers in a season
Tennessee needed only 23 games to set the program record for 3-pointers made in a season.
Spear hit two straight 3-pointers in the second quarter, and her second was No. 243, breaking the record of 242 set in 2010-11 in 37 games.
UCONN WIN: Kim Caldwell says her baby boy will be ‘proud of his girls’ after Tennessee upset UConn
Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell, who’s in her first season at the helm, brought a new, exciting style of basketball that emphasizes 3-point shooting. Tennessee averages 32.9 attempts from 3-point range and makes 10.9 of them.
Spear leads the Lady Vols in 3-point shooting with 54 made 3-pointers this season on 38% shooting.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball loses to LSU on turnovers, free-throw shooting
