COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Lady Vols are returning to the Sweet 16 in their first year coached by Kim Caldwell.
5-seed Tennessee is advancing in the NCAA Tournament after an 82-67 second-round win over 4-seed Ohio State on the Buckeyes’ home floor.
This is the Lady Vols’ (24-9) first 37th appearance in the round and first since 2023. Tennessee will now play the winner between 1-seed Texas and 8-seed Illinois. The Longhorns and Illini will meet on Monday.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
The Sweet 16 bout will be played in Birmingham, Alabama on March 29. A win sends the Lady Vols to their 29th Elite Eight and first since 2016.
The Round of 32 win over Ohio State (26-7) wasn’t without dramatics, though. Tennessee managed a lead of as much as 17 points in the third quarter. Just over four minutes later, the Buckeyes had stormed back to take the lead.
However, the Lady Vols finished strong from there. Tennessee took a lead into the fourth quarter and expanded on it to hold on to the win.
Leading the way in scoring for the Lady Vols was Talaysia Cooper. She dropped 19 points while playing 29 minutes. She also grabbed eight rebounds, passed for five assists and grabbed seven steals.
Right behind Cooper was Zee Spearman. The forward managed 17 points to go with five rebounds in her dominant showing.
As a team, Tennessee shot 45.1% from the field and 29.4% on 3-pointers while turning it over just 14 times against Ohio State’s press.
Things went in the wrong direction quickly for Tennessee. The Lady Vols took a 3-2 lead off a Tess Darby three before allowing a 9-0 run to fall into a hole. After this, Ohio State scored five unanswered to balloon the lead to 11 points.
Tennessee fired back, though, to keep things within reach. A 10-2 stretch pushed the game back within a single point. By the end of the quarter, the Lady Vols were only trailing by four.
Any momentum from the late play in the first quarter was carried into the second. Tennessee took its first lead since the 3-2 advantage early in the game via a Spearman bucket. This pushed the Lady Vols to a 27-25 lead with six minutes until half.
At the break, Tennessee’s lead sat at 40-35. The Lady Vols were led by Darby’s nine points after a successful end to the half.
The halftime break didn’t stop Tennessee’s positive play, either. A 14-0 run for the Lady Vols early in the frame pushed them to a 17-point advantage before the Buckeyes could respond.
This didn’t last long, though. Ohio State fired back with a 12-0 run to bring the game back within five before Caldwell called a timeout. The Buckeyes extended the run to 16-straight before Tennessee had a response. By that point, it was a one-point game.
A three on the ensuing possession tied the game at 56 before Ohio State managed to grab a lead shortly after. Overall, it took just over four minutes from a 17-point advantage to switch into the hands of the Buckeyes.
By the end of the third quarter, Tennessee had pulled back in front, though. The Lady Vols held a seven-point lead with 10 minutes to play after bouncing back.
Tennessee kept its foot on the gas in the fourth. By the time the media timeout hit and 4:26 sat on the clock, the Lady Vols held an 11-point lead.
A strong finish sealed the deal. Tennessee kept Ohio State at arm’s width and held onto a 15-point lead to win.
Tennessee is now headed to Birmingham, Alabama. The Lady Vols will meet with winner between 1-seed Texas and 8-seed Illinois in the Sweet 16.
The game will be played on March 29 on ABC at either 1 or 3:30 p.m. ET.
Tennessee has already met the Longhorns in SEC play this season. The Lady Vols fell in Austin 80-76 while Caldwell was on leave due to the birth of her child.
A win would send Tennessee to the Elite Eight. That round would be played on March 31 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Likely opponents are 2-seed TCU or 3-seed Notre Dame.
