With Janiah Barker sidelined, Tennessee needed someone to step up in its gritty 60-58 win over Kentucky. Naturally, eyes turned to Talaysia Cooper - the Lady Vols’ leading scorer heading into the matchup. But what unfolded was a night that tested both her patience and resilience.
Cooper struggled to find a rhythm offensively, finishing with just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting. Heading into the fourth quarter, she had only two points to her name. But that stat line doesn’t tell the whole story - not even close.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell didn’t hesitate to take the blame for the offensive struggles. In fact, she made it clear: this one’s on her.
Caldwell had a specific game plan for Cooper, directing her to certain spots on the floor. Cooper followed the script, but the looks she got weren’t as clean as expected.
The result? A night filled with tough shots and mounting frustration.
“I think I’ve over-coached it,” Caldwell said. “She tried to do exactly what I asked, and it didn’t work.
I wanted her to take more shots - and she did - but they weren’t the right ones. That’s on me.”
Even so, Cooper found other ways to leave her mark on the game. Her final stat line included five rebounds, three assists, and five steals - but the biggest moment came in the final seconds.
With Tennessee clinging to a two-point lead and Kentucky trying to inbound the ball for a potential game-tying or game-winning play, Cooper locked in. Guarding the inbounder, Tonie Morgan, she shut down every passing lane.
As the five-second count ticked dangerously close, Morgan tried to bounce the ball off Cooper’s leg to retain possession. But Cooper wasn’t having it - she snagged the ball and ran out the clock, sealing the win in the most clutch way possible.
It was a moment that spoke volumes - not just about Cooper’s defensive instincts, but about her mental toughness in a game where nothing came easy.
“She was frustrated tonight,” Caldwell said. “I’ll take every bit of that frustration.
I probably put her in positions that didn’t help her have a good night offensively. I even yanked her out at the end - she wasn’t happy about it.
But then I look her in the eye and say, ‘Give us a stop.’ And she goes out there and wins the game for us.
That’s the most Talaysia Cooper thing ever.”
That trust between coach and player isn’t just talk - it’s the foundation of how this team operates. And while the offense didn’t click the way they hoped, Cooper’s ability to impact the game in other ways is exactly what championship-caliber teams need from their stars.
Now, Caldwell’s next challenge is to put Cooper in better spots as Tennessee gears up for another ranked showdown. The Lady Vols - currently No. 17 and likely moving up - head to Oxford to face No. 18 Ole Miss, fresh off a dominant 21-point win over Missouri.
Tip-off is set for Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. And you can bet Cooper will be ready - this time, with a clearer lane to do what she does best.