After an undefeated start through five games, Kim Caldwell and the Lady Vols faced their first test of the season against a Power Four opponent.
Tennessee passed in the form of an 79-77 win over Florida State in the SEC/ACC Challenge at home.
The Lady Vols (6-0) led by as much as 20 in the game but a third-quarter run by the Seminoles (8-2) left things tied heading into the fourth. In the first competitive game down the stretch of the year, Tennessee managed to hold on.
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A key cog of the win was the play of Talaysia Cooper. The Lady Vols' guard went for 22 points including 12 in the fourth quarter alone. She also contributed seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Also helping the push for Tennessee was Zee Spearman who reached 13 points. On her birthday, Samara Spencer contributed 11.
On the other end, it was a one-man show for Florida State. Ta'Niya Latson went for 38 points. She was one of four players to score for the Seminoles all night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida State struck first, but the Lady Vols responded. After trailing 6-5 three and a half minutes into the game, Tennessee began to build its lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Vols had managed a six-point advantage.
The second quarter is where Tennessee took a sizable lead. The Lady Vols 24-6 run in the middle of the frame to blow the match open. At the break, the score sat at 45-27 in Tennessee's favor.
Despite reaching nearly half a century on the scoreboard, no Lady Vol was in double figures at the break. Instead, it was a team effort with points from nine of the 10 players to create the advantage.
Things went quickly in the wrong direction in the third quarter, though. Tennessee was outscored by 18 in the quarter to cut its lead all the way down to a tie game. Florida State shot 61.1% from the field in the quarter to march all the way back into the game.
This created a dog fight for the final 10 minutes.
The Lady Vols took a small step ahead of the Seminoles in the open portion of the final quarter. Tennessee couldn't create serious separation, though, with the game tied at 77 with under a minute to play.
In a halfcourt set that fell stagnant, Zee Spearman hit a turnaround midrange to take the two-point lead. Florida State went down the floor with 17 seconds left and a chance to tie or win but missed at the buzzer to give the Lady Vols the win.
UP NEXT
Tennessee's out-of-conference slate continues to heat up as its next test is with No. 17 Iowa on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX. The game will be played in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It will be the first time the Lady Vols play a game under Kim Caldwell outside of Food City Center.
Tennessee will then return home for a clash with North Carolina Central on Dec. 14. The game is set for 2 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network+.
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