Columbia, MO. – For the first time in Kim Caldwell’s career her team is looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Lady Vols head coach looked to make it happen on the road against the Missouri Tigers.
Talaysia Cooper put the game on her back before fouling out with about 70 seconds left in the game.
Her 27-point effort helped put the Lady Vols back in the win column with a 76-71 win over the Tigers.
My three takeaways following a tough game with Mizzou:
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Inability to capitalize on turnovers
They were able to do that at a high level in the first half.
Specifically in the second quarter, the Lady Vols forced four 10-second violations. More impressively, they came within a two-and-a-half-minute span of each other. That effort helped the Lady Vols find its first lead of the game. The fourth violation marked the 22nd of the season forced by the Lady Vols.
Frustratingly, it came off a free throw as the Lady Vols were unable to find a field goal off of any of those turnovers.
In the first half, the Lady Vols forced 12 turnovers but only captured five points. Missouri averaged 15.4 turnovers a game.
In the final 90 seconds of the third quarter, Boyd deflected a pass near midcourt, Cooper recovered and dished back to Boyd who finished with a layup. That bucket gave the Lady Vols its largest lead of the game, 59-50.
That helped give Tennessee 10 points off turnovers in the third quarter alone.
Tennessee forced four more turnovers in the fourth but only captured five points on those efforts. Part of that inefficiency kept Missouri in the game.
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Offense warmed up in the third
The Lady Vols opened the second half connected on three of its first five attempts. A Talaysia Cooper layup gave the team its largest lead of the game at 42-39.
Alyssa Latham drove baseline and battled through the contact for a layup that gave the Lady Vols to extend their lead to five and the 12th point in the paint.
Late in the third quarter, Kaniya Boyd showed great awareness on a crucial putback and drew the foul to get the Lady Vols a one-possession lead.
On the next possession, Samara Spencer had the chance to capitalize on a three-point play; a driving layup falls but not the free throw. However, Sara Puckett was there for the offensive rebound and Cooper cashed in a triple to give the Lady Vols another five-point lead.
Tennessee had its best effort from the field in the third, converting 52.6% of their tries.
The Lady Vols couldn’t maintain that in the final period, going on several two-plus-minute scoring droughts. The Lady Vols only had 11 attempts from the field, its fewest on the game.
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Talaysia Cooper puts it on her back
It took a while for Cooper to find her shot in the first quarter, but once the first one fell with under four to go in the frame it was over.
Cooper’s first bucket came off a triple try and that was just a sign of what was to come.
At the 3:43 mark, Cooper went off, scored 8 points (two 3-pointers) in one minute of game-play, and snagged a steal to cap it off. Tennessee trailed 18-13.
Cooper was 5-8 in the first quarter and the rest of the team was 1-13.
That effort helped fuel the Lady Vols in the third quarter to help give the Lady Vols a maintained lead.
She added two more triples in the third to give her five in the game. She entered the contest averaging 1.2 threes a game.
The fourth quarter was more of the same, at the top of the press Cooper deflects the ball, scoops the loose ball, and banks it in for a layup.
She picked the pocket of Nyah Wilson who was trying to cross and gave Cooper a perfect look at the ball to snag for her sixth steal and 27th point of the game.
This was her second-best scoring effort this season, behind a 33-point night against Liberty at the beginning of the season.
Cooper’s day ended with 1:09 to go after she fouled out.
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