The Tennessee Lady Vols’ perfect run through SEC play hit a wall Thursday night in Knoxville, where Mississippi State came in and handed them a 77-62 loss - a game that slipped away in the second half and never came back.
Despite the return of Janiah Barker from injury, she didn’t start. Instead, Tennessee rolled out a lineup of Nya Robertson, Deniya Prawl, Talaysia Cooper, Alyssa Latham, and Zee Spearman. Early on, both teams struggled to find rhythm offensively, but Tennessee’s defense made its presence felt, forcing 11 turnovers in the first quarter and taking a narrow 12-9 lead into the second.
That’s when things started to shift. Mississippi State’s Des McPhaul caught fire in the second quarter, sparking a rally that flipped the momentum.
Barker, checking in off the bench, briefly reignited Tennessee’s offense with a big-time three that put the Lady Vols up 23-21. But the spark didn’t last.
Mississippi State responded with a 9-0 run to close the half, and suddenly Tennessee was staring at a 35-26 deficit at the break.
The third quarter was where things truly unraveled. Mississippi State came out aggressive, stretching the lead to 14 and forcing a timeout from head coach Kim Caldwell.
But even that couldn’t stop the bleeding. The Lady Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas, ballooning the lead to 19 and entering the fourth with a commanding 59-42 advantage.
By the final quarter, the energy had drained from both the Lady Vols and the home crowd. Mississippi State took control, managed the clock, and coasted to a statement road win.
With the loss, Tennessee drops to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in SEC play. They’ll need to regroup quickly - a tough road test awaits on Sunday when they travel to face top-ranked UConn.