KNOXVILLE – Instead of doubt and complacency festering in the game’s final minutes, an aura of confidence permeated Thompson-Boling Arena.
As the Tennessee women’s basketball team turned a two-point fourth-quarter deficit into a double-digit lead, players forced turnovers and dived on the floor for loose balls while a crowd of 8,841 chanted its approval.
Effort had been a problem when the Lady Vols lost at unranked LSU on Sunday. Thursday night, effort abounded, and especially when it mattered most.
No. 12 Tennessee reversed course on its recent late-game struggles and beat No. 14 Texas A&M 82-67 by outscoring the Aggies 25-8 in the fourth quarter. The stellar finish helped the Lady Vols gain revenge on the team that ended their 15-0 start in an overtime game three weeks ago.
That game began Tennessee’s spiral of four losses in six games. This one may have snapped the Lady Vols out of their funk.