Published Jan 2, 2025
Lady Vols basketball survives trip to Texas A&M in SEC opener
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
Assistant Managing Editor
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@RyanTSylvia

Kim Caldwell's system is working in the SEC so far.

In the Lady Vols' conference opener, No. 15 Tennessee blew past Texas A&M 91-78 in College Station.

The Lady Vols' (13-0, 1-0 SEC) win over the Aggies (7-6, 0-1) keeps Tennessee perfect under Caldwell after running through the initial out-of-conference slate untouched.

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Leading the way for the Lady Vols was Jewel Spear. She reached 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting including six 3-pointers, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Behind her, Talaysia Cooper, Ruby Whitehorn and Zee Spearman also went into double digits.

As a team, Tennessee shot 47.2% from the field and 43.5% on 3-pointers. However, it turned the ball over 19 times resulting in 27 points for Texas A&M.

The Aggies shot 56% from the floor but only made two 3-pointers. They also turned the ball over 25 times leading to 34 lady Vol points.

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HOW IT HAPPENED

While Texas A&M scored first, the Lady Vols instantly responded. Tennessee used a Spear 3-pointer to take a lead it only gave up once more.

The Lady Vols used six and seven unanswered runs in the opening quarter to take a strong lead into the break. After one frame, Tennessee led by seven.

The second quarter is where things got ugly. Off the back of a 14-0 run, the Lady Vols took a 20-point lead. The Aggies attempted to scratch back into the game by cutting the lead to 17 at times but Spear's buzzer-beating 3-pointer put the lead at 48-26 at the halftime break.

Leading the way for Tennessee was Cooper with nine points at the intermission. She scored all of her first half points in the second quarter. Spear was right behind Cooper with eight points off her pair of 3-pointers.

As a team, the Lady Vols shot 53.8% from the field in the first half while knocking down five shots from range.

The third quarter didn't go as planned, though. Tennessee gave up nine-straight points out of the break before finding a response. Throughout the frame, Texas A&M continued to chip away at the lead. This resulted in the score getting as close as nine late in the period.

However, the Lady Vols finished strong to hold onto a 14-point lead with 10 minutes to play.

The fourth quarter also went to Texas A&M but by just one point. Tennessee was able to hold on to its comfortable lead and escape College Station with a 13-point win.

UP NEXT

The Lady Vols' toughest test yet is next. On Sunday, Tennessee will host No. 9 Oklahoma with tip-off set for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. This is the second time this season the Lady Vols have played an opponent ranked in the AP Poll after beating Iowa in Brooklyn.

Then, Tennessee will host another top team. No. 6 LSU comes to town on Thursday, Jan. 9, with tip scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on SECN+.

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