NASHVILLE – It was a familiar story for Lady Vols basketball at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday.
Tennessee fell behind after a poor performance in a quarter — this time the second quarter — and couldn’t come back from a double-digit deficit.
The No. 15 Lady Vols lost another heartbreaker, falling 71-70 to Vanderbilt. It was an uphill battle to erase the 11-point lead at halftime that Vanderbilt (15-4, 2-3 SEC) had built. Tennessee had one of its worst shooting games of the season, going 6-for-26 from 3-point range, and the way the game was called was not in its favor.
Tennessee clawed its way back from the deficit, and Jewel Spear’s back-to-back 3-pointers tied the score with five minutes left. But the Lady Vols gave up a crucial offensive rebound on the final possession and allowed Vanderbilt to score with less than a second left in the game.
Tennessee (15-3, 3-3) was led by Talaysia Cooper, who had 20 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists, steals and blocks. Spear added 10 points and three rebounds. Samara Spencer and Zee Spearman also scored in double figures.
All three of the Lady Vols’ losses this season have been by one possession.
Lady Vols have lowest-scoring quarter of season
The Lady Vols dug themselves into a hole in the second quarter. Their shots weren’t falling and Vanderbilt outscored them 16-5, which is the team’s lowest-scoring quarter of the season. The previous low was 12 points in the third quarter against Florida State.
Tennessee made only one field goal the entire second quarter — it shot 1-for-20 — and it was a wide open layup in transition for Spearman. UT went 0-for-12 from 3-point range in the second. The score was tied 21-21 after the first and Vanderbilt built an 11-point lead at halftime.
Tennessee comeback slowed down by fouls
The Lady Vols cut the deficit to only five points with 2:26 left in the third quarter. Tess Darby hit a 3-pointer and then deflected the ball for a steal and a layup in transition.
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Then Tennessee got called for five fouls in the final minutes of the quarter. Some were questionable calls, and Vanderbilt went to the free throw line four times. The Commodores went 7-for-8 in that span.
Before all the free throws, the Lady Vols were outscoring Vanderbilt 16-10 in the third quarter. The Commodores finished 19-for-22 from the free throw line.
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.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols suffer another one-possession loss, falling 71-70 to Vanderbilt
