Tennessee entered Thursday's matchup with South Carolina as the heavy underdog.

The Lady Vols didn't look like that in the 66-55 loss to the No. 1 Gamecocks, though.

Instead, an unranked Tennessee (15-9, 8-4 SEC) squad took South Carolina (24-0, 11-0) nearly to the wire after a hot start that featured a halftime lead. The Gamecocks had more in the tank, though, outscoring the Lady Vols by 11 in the final frame to secure a win and stay undefeated.

With four players seeing the court for more than 35 minutes, the fatigue appeared to be too much for Tennessee to handle with limited use from its bench. Just seven of the Lady Vols' 55 points came from the second unit.

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Rickea Jackson was instrumental in Tennessee's effort that ultimately came up short. She totaled 19 points on 8-for-20 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

Also helping was Sara Puckett who notched 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting as well as five rebounds and a pair of assists.

As a team, the Lady Vols shot 32.3% from the field and 11.8% on 3-pointers on 17 attempts. On the other end, South Carolina knocked down 40% of field goals and 22.2% of 3-pointers.

Tennessee fired out to an aggressive and successful start. The Lady Vols crashed the glass on both ends and benefitted from second-chance opportunities. This play style was instantly beneficial as Tennessee ran out to a six-point lead.

However, following a late media timeout, the Lady Vols couldn't put another point on the board in the first quarter. The final two-and-a-half minutes featured a 7-0 run for South Carolina capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from SEC Freshman of the Year candidate MiLaysia Fulwiley.

Heading into the second quarter, Tennessee trailed by a single point. It didn't take long for it to reclaim the advantage, though. The Lady Vols used a Jasmine Powell three-point play quickly after the quarter change to get back in front.

The teams would slowly trade baskets from this point with the defenses clamping down. South Carolina would only score three points for a over five-minute stretch midway through the period due to the defensive effort.

By the end of the first half, Tennessee held a 28-25 lead. Jackson led the way with 13 points while the defense held the Gamecocks to 33.3% shooting from the field.

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The third quarter was another tightly contested affair. Both teams found their offensive rhythm with 43 total points being scored in the frame. The result was a game tied at 48 with 10 minutes remaining.

South Carolina would open the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run that featured a pair of last-second heaves from Jackson on the offensive end. The poor start prompted a timeout from Kellie Harper to allow the team to regroup.

This didn't stop the bleeding, though. By the end of the frame, the Gamecocks had outscored Tennessee by 11 to remain undefeated and survive the Lady Vols' upset bid.

Tennessee came into the match rebounding at will. This appeared to be at the core of the game plan and created plenty of chances for multiple looks on possessions.

By the end of the first half, the Lady Vols had out-rebounded the Gamecocks by four. This narrative changed quickly, though.

In the second half, South Carolina out-rebounded Tennessee by 11. This stark difference was a big factor in the Gamecocks holding onto victory.

Tennessee will return to the road following the loss. The Lady Vols will look to sweep the season series over Vanderbilt after holding on at home earlier in the season.

The Commodores sit at 5-6 in SEC play heading into Thursday and 18-7 overall. Tennessee managed a 73-64 win in its previous meeting.

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