The Lady Vols (23-9), seeded fifth in the Birmingham 3 Regional, entered the game needing three three-pointers to surpass the SEC record of 314 set by Arkansas in the 2019-20 season, and they quickly achieved this milestone, sinking four in the first quarter. Jewel Spear’s three-pointer with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter broke the record. Tennessee’s 16 three-pointers were not only a program NCAA Tournament record but also tied for the second-most in NCAA Women’s Tournament history.
Leading the team was redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Samara Spencer also contributed with three three-pointers for a total of 15 points and five assists. Zee Spearman added 13 points and matched Spencer’s total from long range, while Spear finished with 11 points.
For South Florida (23-11), Sammie Puisis led the scoring with five three-pointers and a total of 28 points. L’or Mputu added 12 points, but their efforts were overshadowed by a dominant Lady Vols team that held a significant advantage in bench points (54-3) and forced the Bulls into 24 turnovers, leading to a 36-10 advantage in points off turnovers for Tennessee.
The game began with Spencer scoring a three-pointer just 10 seconds in, but South Florida quickly responded with a 7-0 run to take a 7-3 lead. Tennessee countered with a 13-6 run, including threes from Tess Darby and Spear, giving them a 16-13 lead at the media timeout. The Lady Vols extended their lead to 20-15, but South Florida equalized at 20 on a Puisis three. A late three-pointer from Cooper and a layup by Kaniya Boyd allowed Tennessee to end the first quarter with a 26-25 lead, benefiting from 12 points off South Florida’s 10 turnovers.
The second quarter saw Tennessee explode with a 15-4 run, highlighted by two threes from Spearman, increasing their lead to 41-29 after another timeout by South Florida. The Lady Vols maintained their momentum, extending their halftime advantage to 55-34 after scoring 10 three-pointers in the first half.
In the second half, Tennessee continued to build their lead, starting with a layup and jumper to put them ahead by 25. The teams traded baskets, but a flurry of scores including a three from Spencer and a layup from Latham pushed the lead back up to 21 points entering the final quarter. Tennessee finished with an 8-0 run to begin the fourth and eventually reached the century mark with contributions from players like Sara Puckett.
UP NEXT: Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Second Round, where they will face fourth-seeded Ohio State (26-6) on Sunday. The game time and broadcast details will be announced later. Listeners can also tune in via Lady Vol Network radio stations across the state and through an audio stream available on UTSports.com.
