(9) Tennessee demolished (16) Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday morning by a score of 77-37.
The Aggies took advantage of a slow Tennessee start and outscored the Lady Vols 13-11 in the first quarter, but it was all orange after that.
In the final three quarters of the game, Tennessee outscored Texas A&M 66-24 to find the 40-point victory. The Lady Vols’ win also serves as a great bounce-back moment after dropping the final two games of the regular season.
Tennessee guard Tayalsia Cooper was dealing with a knee injury from the regular season finale and didn’t start but still recorded a game-high 19 points in 23 minutes on the court, showing fire and passion as she tallied 12 points in the final 20 minutes.
game one WON
pic.twitter.com/2clUFMylRQ
— Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) March 5, 2025
More from RTI: How to Watch: Tennessee Lady Vols’ Run in the SEC Tournament From Greenville
While A&M has been dealing with injuries this season, the Aggies had no answer for Tennessee’s press and defense. Texas A&M had 32 turnovers on Wednesday compared to just 13 made shots from the floor. Tennessee was able to score 37 points off of Texas A&M’s turnovers while the Aggies only scored five points on seven Tennessee giveaways.
The Aggies were just 1-of-15 from the three-point line against the Lady Vols. Tennessee, on the other hand, knocked down eight of its 36 attempts from deep.
Tennessee held A&M to just six points in the second quarter, nine points in the third quarter, and nine points in the fourth quarter.
Including Cooper’s 19 points, Tennessee had four double-digit scorers on Wednesday. Jewel Spear and Zee Spearman finished with 11 each while Samara Spencer put up 10 points. Cooper also led the team in assists (7) and rebounds (8).
Tennessee will now turn its attention to 8-seed Vanderbilt in a rematch from the Commodores’ 1-point win over the Lady Vols back in January. That second-round matchup will take place on Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. ET from Greenville, South Carolina.
