NASHVILLE — The Lady Vols suffered their worst quarter of the season while scoring five points in the second frame but still managed to take a late lead.

Despite this, Tennessee couldn't hold on with Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes making a game-winning shot to win 71-70.

The No. 15 Lady Vols (15-3, 3-3 SEC) led by a point with four seconds to go after Ruby Whitehorn connected on a layup. However, the Commodores (15-4, 2-3) had time to go down the floor and use an offensive rebound to win.

Tennessee had 0.8 seconds remaining but couldn't get a shot off.

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The Lady Vols were led by Talaysia Cooper who managed 20 points five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

As a team, Tennessee shot 38.2% from the field and 23.1% on 3-pointers.

Vanderbilt connected on 37.1% of shots and 31.6% from range. It only turned the ball over 12 times.

This marks consecutive one-point losses for the Tennessee basketball programs at Vanderbilt after the men's team fell on Saturday by a single point.

The first quarter was tightly contested by Vanderbilt held the advantage for the majority of the frame. The Commodores grabbed a lead of as much as six but the Lady Vols stormed back.

Behind consecutive Cooper 3-pointers, Tennessee grabbed a two-point lead with 38 seconds remaining in the quarter. However, Vanderbilt used a Jordyn Oliver bucket with nine seconds to go to tie the game up after one frame.

The second quarter saw the Lady Vols take that lead right back. A trio of early free throws put Tennessee up three points with 8:24 to go. From that point, Vanderbilt ran off to a 9-0 run before a Zee Spearman layup snapped a scoring drought at the 4:16 mark.

That was the last time the Lady Vols scored in the period and was their only converted field goal. The Commodores would go on a 9-0 run including a Madison Greene buzzer-beater to take a demanding 37-26 advantage into the locker room.

Cooper's 10 first quarter points stood as the most on the team by halftime. She was trailed by Spearman and Samara Spencer who both reached four. That duo were responsible for four of the five total points Tennessee scored in the nightmare third quarter.

The Lady Vols went to work in an attempt to cut the deficit in the third quarter. Tennessee managed to get within four points with one minutes and 45 seconds left in the quarter but foul trouble became an issue.

Vanderbilt scored its final nine points of the third quarter at the free throw line. Between bad decisions by the Lady Vols and calls Kim Caldwell disagreed with, Tennessee was staring at a nine-point deficit with 10 minutes to play.

The Lady Vols dominated when it mattered most. They ran off to a 19-4 run in the midst of the final frame to take a five-point lead. Jewel Spear was crucial in the stretch, hitting multiple 3-pointers to make the break through.

Tennessee brought the lead up to five points with two minutes to play and clung on with all they had. With 38 seconds remaining, the Lady Vols had the ball up a single point but Whitehorn slipped on the inbound forcing a jump ball. The possession arrow pointed to Vanderbilt giving the Commodores the ball.

Khamil Pierre went to the line after being fouled for two free throws and hit both. However, Whitehorn got an open look under the basket to retake the lead by one.

With four seconds left, Blakes converted on a put-back. A large portion of the Commodores bench flooded onto the floor but no technical foul was assessed. Tennessee had 0.8 seconds to get off a shot but couldn't and lost by a point.

Next, Tennessee will hit the road to head to Texas. The Lady Vols will meet the No. 7 Longhorns in Austin on Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air on SEC Network.

Then, Tennessee will host No. 2 South Carolina on Jan. 27 on a Monday. The game is set for 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2.

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