COLUMBIA, Mo. — Talaysia Cooper made five 3-pointers and scored 27 points before fouling out late, with the Tennessee guard’s success shooting — and in other aspects of the game — helping the 18th-ranked Lady Volunteers end a three-game losing streak as they held on for a 76-71 victory at Missouri on Sunday.
Cooper picked up her fifth foul with 2:18 remaining and Tennessee leading 74-68, and Lady Vols forward Zee Spearman was whistled for a technical foul for slamming the ball on the court after the call. Missouri’s Angelique Ngalakulondi missed both of her foul shots, but Grace Slaughter was 1-of-2 at the line for the technical and later scored off an inbound pass to get Missouri within 74-71 with 56 seconds left.
Ngalakulondi missed a layup after a Tennessee turnover, though, and Jewel Spear made two free throws with 16 seconds on the game clock to seal the victory as the Lady Vols improved to 16-5 overall in Kim Caldwell’s first season as head coach, including 4-5 in Southeastern Conference play.
Spearman scored 13 points as the only Tennessee player in double figures besides Cooper, who shot 10-of-23 from the floor while adding seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and a trio of blocked shots.
“I think her ability to just go get a steal whenever she wants one is her best offense, her easiest offense,” Caldwell said of Cooper, a redshirt sophomore, during a postgame news conference. “And she makes our team better, and she really gets everyone else to pressure with confidence as well.”