Lady Vols can't pull off fourth-straight comeback in loss to Texas A&M

In Tennessee's opening three SEC matches, the Lady Vols fell into a first-half double-digit hole in each contest.

However, they managed to come out with a win in each of these games to get out to a flawless start in conference play.

This streak of pitching comebacks ended in a 71-56 loss to Texas A&M, though.

While Tennessee (10-6, 3-1 SEC) fell into a first-half hole of 14 heading into the halftime break, the come-from-behind effort wasn't enough. Ultimately, the Aggies (14-3, 2-2) held on to the advantage to win by 15.

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The Lady Vols struggled on both sides of the floor in the loss.

On offense, Tennessee shot just 36.7% from the field and 31.3% on 3-pointers. This combined with 14 turnovers led to the low scoring mark. Sara Puckett led the way in scoring with only 12 points.

On the other side, Texas A&M heated up and found an effective offense. The 44.1% shooting effort was led by Aicha Coulibaly who finished with 19 points.

The Lady Vols have now surrendered their first conference match of the year. Top-ranked South Carolina is the only team in the SEC yet to drop an inner-conference match this season.

After grabbing a two-point lead three minutes into the match, Tennessee slipped up. Texas A&M responded with a 9-0 run to take control of the game. Heading into the second quarter, the Aggies led by four.

The Lady Vols were able to bring the mark down to two in the following frame but couldn't get any closer. While scoring just eight second-quarter points, Texas A&M went on an 11-0 run in the final three minutes and 54 seconds of the half.

At the break, Tennessee trailed by 14. Rickea Jackson led the team in scoring with eight points on 4-for-11 shooting. No other player managed more than four.

As a team, the Lady Vols shot 32.3% from the field and 16.7% on 3-pointers. They also turned it over nine times.

For the Aggies, they shot 39.5% and 33.3%, respectively, and were led by Coulibaly and Sahara Jones who both scored nine.

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The third quarter went no better for Tennessee. It lost the period by four points after another stretch of poor shooting.

The Lady Vols weren't able to move the needle in the fourth quarter, either. Tennessee outscored Texas A&M by three in the frame but it was far too little, far too late in the game.

On both ends of the floor, Tennessee struggled in the paint.

On offense, the Lady Vols produced just 24 of their points close to the basket. On the other end, Texas A&M scored 44 points in the paint.

This differential of effective scoring near the rim was a big difference in the match.

Next, Tennessee will stay on the road with a matchup against Mississippi State on Thursday. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.

The Bulldogs sit at 2-2 in SEC play after taking down Ole Miss by 12 at home on Sunday.

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