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.”
De’Myla Brown came off the bench and scored 17 points to lead the Tigers (12-12, 1-8). Slaughter had 16 points, Ashton Judd totaled 13 points and six rebounds, and Laniah Randle had 11 and 11 for her fifth double-double this season.
Missouri scored the first seven points and shot 58% from the floor, building a 12-point advantage before settling for a 22-20 lead after one quarter. Tennessee shot just 4-of-18 in the second quarter but managed to outscore Missouri by two for a 33-all tie entering halftime
Cooper had five points in Tennessee’s 9-2 run to end the third quarter, and the Lady Vols led 59-52.
Tennessee will take a break from nonconference play to host No. 6 Connecticut (21-2, 12-0 Big East) on Thursday (6:30 p.m. on ESPN). The matchup pairs the Huskies, whose 11 NCAA Division I tournament titles are the most in women’s basketball history, with the second-place Vols, who have eight championships.