GREENVILLE, S.C. — Lady Vols basketball’s stay in the SEC Tournament came to a quick close. 6-seed Tennessee fell to 11-seed Alabama, 76-64 on Thursday in its first game of the event. This now marks seven-straight losses and defeats in 10 of the last 12.
Here are three quick takeaways from the loss.
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Alabama Paced Tennessee Early
The first half was dominated by Alabama. By halftime, the Crimson Tide led 39-29. While the offense took a step back in the second quarter, it was still an overall effective unit. Alabama shot 48% from the field and 27% from three in the opening 20 minutes.
The Lady Vols didn’t have much of an answer on the inside. The Tide scored 24 of their points in the first half in the paint and scored four more at the line after drawing fouls.
For Tennessee, its press didn’t do much to force Alabama into mistakes. Instead of creating chaos, the Tide survived the first quarter without a single turnover. The second quarter saw the Lady Vols force six, but they only scored three points off of them. Alternatively, Alabama forced 12 turnovers for 12 points in the first half.
This sloppy play out of the gates made for a decent deficit heading into the third quarter, which has been disastrous for Tennessee this season.
Third Quarter Continued to be an Issue
The Lady Vols have had third-quarter struggles all season. Tennessee has played some top teams tight in the first half, but dissolved in the third and unable to stay in-step.
This time, the Lady Vols went into the half down 10. This meant that for Tennessee to win, it needed to flip the script in the third. Staying at the same margin wouldn’t be good enough; it needed to cut into the lead.
That’s not what happened, though. Instead, Alabama outscored the Lady Vols by five points. This was behind another strong offensive frame from the Tide, in which it scored 22 points on 53% shooting from the field and 60% from three.
While this third quarter wasn’t as shaky as some in the past, it wasn’t enough to get Tennessee back in the game.
Talaysia Cooper Sits in the Second Half
Talaysia Cooper often looks like the best player on the Lady Vols. While she had her share of struggles against Alabama, she was also one of the only players causing turnovers and at any point in a game due for a hot stretch.
In the first half against the Tide, Cooper produced four points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field and 0-for-2 from three. She also added a rebound, assist, two steals and just one turnover in 10 minutes, in which she had a plus/minus of +2.
However, in the second half, she hardly played. Cooper started the half, but passed for an assist and was subbed out just over a minute later. After a short rest, she checked back in, had a turnover on a bad pass, and was subbed out again with 6:27 left in the quarter.
That was the last we saw of Cooper in the game, despite the deficit continuing to grow. We’ll have more on RTI about Cooper’s absence after speaking to Kim Caldwell after the game.
Final Stats
Up Next
Now, the Lady Vols turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The first round is slated to be held on March 20-21. Tennessee is thought to be moderately comfortably in the field.
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