The Lady Vols entered the day alone atop the SEC standings, but needed a comeback win in order to stay there. Arkansas led by as many as 11, and Tennessee came out of the gates flat. The Razorbacks led 28-19 at the half, and were up 36-33 at the 15:35 mark of the second half before a 10-0 run gave Tennessee a 43-36 lead. Though Arkansas stayed within striking distance, some clutch free throws and a midrange jumper from Taber Spani preserved the 60-54 Tennessee win.

Spani scored 14 points on 4-8 shooting.
Photo by Randy Sartin

Offense: Meighan Simmons, as she often does, led all scorers with 18 points on 6-17 shooting, while Taber Spani was the most efficient player offensively for the Lady Vols. She totaled 14 points on 4-8 shooting and was 4-4 from the line. In the paint, Bashaara Graves missed a double-double by just one rebound (11 points, 9 rebounds).

The Lady Vols committed 16 turnovers and Arkansas repeatedly turned those into easy points. Give credit to Tennessee for taking care of the ball down the stretch. If they hadn’t, they would have fallen to Arkansas for just the third time in program history.

Defense: It wasn’t a bad day defensively for Tennessee. Quistelle Williams led the Razorbacks with 15 points, but it took her 19 attempts to reach that mark. She was the only Razorback to score in double-figures, and Tennessee held Arkansas to 36.9% shooting for the game. Also of note, Isabelle Harrison returned to the court to play three minutes and pull down two rebounds. The Lady Vols outrebounded Arkansas 46-33.

Final Take: Tennessee should have beaten Arkansas handily, but didn’t show the energy and intensity typical of a Lady Vol team. They were fortunate to leave Bud Walton Arena with a win, and will have to come ready to play next game if they plan to beat No. 10 Texas A&M.

Up Next: The Lady Vols host No. 10 Texas A&M, Thursday at 7 p.m. (TV: CSS)