Lady Vols take down Ohio State to punch ticket to Sweet 16

Yahoo

24-03-2025

COLUMBUS, OH (WATE) – In her first season as head coach of the Lady Vols, Kim Caldwell is taking Tennessee back to the Sweet 16. The Lady Vols picked up an 82-67 win over Ohio State to punch their ticket.
It marks Tennessee's third trip to the Sweet 16 in the past four years after falling in the second round last season.
Talaysia Cooper led the way with 19 points, while Zee Spearman poured in 17. Tess Darby drained a trio of three-pointers as the Lady Vols knocked down 10 threes in the game.
Tennessee forced 23 turnovers and scored 37 points off of those turnovers. The Lady Vols picked up eight steals.
Chaz Lanier breaks Tennessee 3-point record as Vols punch ticket to Sweet 16
The Buckeyes opened up the scoring with a layup from Chance Gray. However, the Lady Vols quickly took the lead on a Darby three-pointer.
Ohio State then went on a 9-0 run to to take an 11-3 lead just a few minutes into the first quarter. Jillian Hollingshead ended the Buckeyes' run with a layup for her first points of the game.
Jaloni Cambridge extended Ohio State's advantage to 16-5 with 3:49 left in the opening frame, before Talaysia Cooper drained a triple to pull the Lady Vols back within eight points.
Darby hit her second deep ball of the first quarter to pull Tennessee within five, and then Zee Spearman followed up with a layup to make it a three-point game with 1:16 left in the first.
Jewel Spear put home her first field goal of the game to cap off a 7-0 run for the Lady Vols that cut the deficit down to just one point late in the first quarter. However, three late free throws gave the Buckeyes a 21-17 lead entering the second quarter.
Out of the break, Tennessee pulled within one thanks to a Samara Spencer three-pointer. Back-to-back buckets from Ajae Petty made it a five-point advantage for Ohio State.
However, Tennessee responded with a quick 7-0 run to pull ahead for the first time since early in the first quarter. Darby knocked down her third triple of the first half, while Zee Spearman added a layup and a tip-in.
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Hollingshead gave the Lady Vols their largest lead up until that point as she cleaned up her own rebound for the 29-26 lead. The Vols continued to build their advantage as Ruby Whitehorn drained her first triple of the game, and Tennessee's sixth three-pointer of the first half, to give UT a 32-26 lead with 4:23 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes cut the deficit back down to three points thanks to a Cotie McMahon layup with 27 seconds left on the clock, but Spencer drained a pair of free throws before the halftime buzzer to take a 40-35 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Vols jumped out to a double-digit lead out of the break thanks to an 8-0 run. Ruby Whitehorn, Talaysia Cooper, Alyssa Latham and Zee Spearman each hit layups to give Tennessee a 48-37 lead with 8:02 remaining in the third.
Back-to-back triples from Jewel Spear and Samara Spencer extended Tennessee's run to 14-0 as the Lady Vols jumped out to a 54-37 lead. Madison Greene put an end to that run with a triple of her own.
A quick 7-0 run from the Buckeyes pulled OSU back within 10 points with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
That run continued as Jaloni Cambridge knocked down a deep ball and then put home a layup to cut the deficit back down to just five points as Kim Caldwell was forced to call a timeout.
Spearman ended Ohio State's 16-0 run with a layup but McMahon then drained a triple to tie the game at 56 with 3:21 left in the third.
Talaysia Cooper put the Lady Vols back on top with a three-pointer and then added a layup to extend Tennessee's lead to four points, 61-57.
Tennessee's run continued with a Whitehorn layup and a Spearman free throw to make it a seven-point advantage. A Ruby Whitehorn put-back gave the Lady Vols a 66-59 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Ohio State's Taylor Thierry opened up the fourth with a layup to cut the deficit down to five points. Cooper responded with a layup of her own as Tennessee regained its seven-point advantage.
Whitehorn's second triple of the game extended the Lady Vols lead back to double digits. Samara Spencer made it a 13-point Tennessee lead with 3:24 left on the clock.
The Lady Vols knocked down late free throws to secure the 82-67 win.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will face the winner of Texas/Illinois in the Sweet 16 in Birmingham, Alabama.
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