And… Exhale: Lady Vols Win Thriller vs. Florida State
Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics
By Dawson Wise
After 20 minutes, it looked like I would be bringing you another blowout recap. Kim Caldwell's Lady Vols led by 18 at the halftime break and had even pushed it to 20 just before that point.
When you look at the final box score, clearly that didn't end up being the case, so what happened?
Tennessee finally faced major adversity. The breaks didn't fall their way for one of the first times all year. Shots wouldn't fall and the Noles' top-ranked offense suddenly settled in and couldn't miss.
Caldwell's group responded, though, putting together a masterful final quarter that saw several key contributors pitch in and will their team to victory. The effort was highlighted by Talaysia Cooper's 12 fourth quarter points and Zee Spearman's cold blooded shooting down the stretch, including the game winner with under 20 seconds to play.
This team needed this, as I'll discuss later. They needed adversity before this weekend's meeting with Iowa, and especially before conference play (and the matchup with Geno Auriemma and UConn). They are now battle tested and ready to take on the rest of their schedule.
Let's take a look at the key stats and some of my takeaways as the Lady Vols move to 6-0.
FIrst Quarter
Score: Tennessee 21, FSU 15.
FG: Tennessee 9-24 (38%), FSU 6-18 (33%).
3P: Tennessee 2-12 (17%), FSU 0-2.
Rebounds: Tennessee 15, FSU 12.
Turnovers: Tennessee 3, FSU 6.
Highlight: Jewel Spear returned to the lineup for UT and quickly got on the scoresheet, driving to the basket and helping kick the offense into gear early on.
Second Quarter
Score: Tennessee 45, FSU 27.
FG: Tennessee 9-16 (56%), FSU 5-17 (29%).
3P: Tennessee 6-11 (55%), FSU 2-7 (29%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 11, FSU 7.
Turnovers: Tennessee 7, FSU 6.
Highlight: Talaysia Cooper's soaring block on an FSU 3 jumpstarted a 17-3 run for Tennessee, propelled by 3 quick triples in 4 possessions by Cooper, Spear, and Tess Darby, that would give the Lady Vols an 18-point lead at the half.
Third Quarter
Score: Tennessee 57, FSU 57.
FG: Tennessee 5-23 (22%), FSU 11-18 (61%).
3P: Tennessee 1-7 (14%), FSU 1-3 (33%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 11, FSU 14.
Turnovers: Tennessee 4, FSU 1.
Highlight: The third frame was all Seminoles. FSU would embark on a 23-4 run as the shooting went cold for the Lady Vols. Ta'Niya Latson would have most of her 38 points in this quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Score: Tennessee 79, FSU 77.
FG: Tennessee 11-22 (50%), FSU 9-16 (56%).
3P: Tennessee 0-5, FSU 1-5 (20%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 13, FSU 6.
Turnovers: Tennessee 2, FSU 3.
Highlight: Talaysia Cooper hit several tough shots, but it was Zee Spearman's turnaround fadeaway jumper that gave the Lady Vols the lead for good with 18.7 seconds remaining in the game. Ta'Niya Latson got a look to tie the game but it hit rim and Tennessee survived.
Overall Stats:
Score: Tennessee 79, FSU 77.
FG: Tennessee 34-85 (40%), FSU 31-69 (45%).
3P: Tennessee 9-35 (29%), FSU 4-17 (24%).
Rebounds: Tennessee 50, FSU 39.
Turnovers: Tennessee 16, FSU 16.
Points off Turnovers: Tennessee 21, FSU 10.
Second Chance: Tennessee 19, FSU 6.
Bench: Tennessee 23, FSU 10.
Paint: Tennessee 46, FSU 54.
Fast Break: Tennessee 16, FSU 25.
FT: Tennessee 2-7 (29%), FSU 11-13 (85%).
Notable Scorers:
Tennessee: Cooper-22 (7 reb, 3 ast), Spearman-13 (5 reb), Spencer-11 (7 reb, 4 ast), Latham-9 (7 reb), Spear-8, Darby-6, Hollingshead/Whitehorn-4 (4 reb each; Whitehorn-4 ast).
FSU: Ta'Niya Latson-38, O'Mariah Gordon-16 (6 reb), Timpson-13 (11 reb), Bowles-10.
Takeaways
I know there is going to be some frustration around how the second half of this game went. It's a given. Tennessee blew a big lead and nearly lost on their home floor. All this says to me is that it is still hard to put good teams away.
Up until this point, there had been little to no obstacles for Kim Caldwell in her first year on Rocky Top. Eventually, a game like this needed to happen. We needed to see how she and her team handled the adversity. To me, they passed the test with flying colors.
Games will not come easy in conference play, not to mention the schedule is a gauntlet that includes powerhouses like South Carolina, LSU, and a nonconference matchup with UConn, along with perennial conference powers like Alabama, Mississippi State, and newcomer Texas. Those teams will not roll over, and neither did Florida State.
The offense had 4 different quarters. It was another slow start, but quickly picked up once the second frame started. Tennessee was red hot in the second ten minutes, building that 18-point lead behind crisp three point shooting. The shots wouldn't fall out of the halftime break, but UT dug deep and had a gritty final quarter, finding clutch shot after clutch shot to come away with the victory. Talaysia Cooper and Zee Spearman shined in particular.
Defensively, the first half was the best defensive performance of the year for Caldwell and company. They swarmed to the ball, made the Noles uncomfortable, and forced bad decisions and shot selection as they have done all year. When the offense went cold in the third, the energy level suffered and the defense was lacking. Whatever coach Caldwell said in the late third quarter timeout helped them speed back up and do just enough to hold on and win.
The offensive rebounding was stout once again. It contributed to many second chance buckets, including several down the stretch. It continues to be one of the major strengths of this team.
Not every win is going to be pretty or stress-free. That doesn't matter when you add another number in the win column, and that's exactly what the Lady Vols did against a tough, likely tournament-bound opponent. Because of that, they're still undefeated, staring down another big matchup this weekend. Another test that Caldwell will look to pass.
Next Up
Tennessee will face Iowa in Brooklyn in the Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 PM EST on FOX.
