Inside Lady Vols basketball's upset of Ohio State in March Madness to return to Sweet 16
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lady Vols basketball almost let the win slip away.
No. 5 seed Tennessee went on a 14-0 run to take a 17-point lead over No. 4 seed Ohio State in the third quarter. But the Buckeyes wouldn't go out that easily, especially at home in the Schottenstein Center in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Ohio State stormed back, going on a 16-0 run to cut Tennessee's lead to one point.
Coach Kim Caldwell wanted to see how the Lady Vols would respond after taking a punch. Tennessee (24-9) showed it could punch right back Sunday in an 82-67 win over Ohio State (26-7).
Tennessee fought back, battling on every possession. It played like its season was on the line, and it led to an upset to return to the Sweet 16. It's the Lady Vols' third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.
Talaysia Cooper led the Lady Vols with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, five assists and a block. Ruby Whitehorn added 14 points.
The Lady Vols will play the winner of No. 1 seed Texas and No. 8 seed Illinois in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will tip off at either 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Lady Vols win battle of the full-court presses
Tennessee turned a four-point deficit after the first quarter into a five-point lead at halftime after outscoring Ohio State 23-14 in the second quarter.
The Lady Vols stepped up their defensive pressure in the second quarter and strung together stops to slow down the Buckeyes. They also started getting looks inside, scoring 12 points in the paint in the second compared to only six in the first.
Tennessee scored 14 points off of nine OSU turnovers in the first half. It only committed seven of its own, and those only led to seven points for the Buckeyes. The Lady Vols scored 35 points off 23 OSU turnovers, which was a season-high for the Buckeyes.
Zee Spearman comes up big for Tennessee
Zee Spearman turned the tide for the Lady Vols in the second quarter when she got more aggressive.
Four of her six points in the second gave Tennessee a lead it carried into halftime. Spearman had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first half with four rebounds.
Spearman was aggressive again in the third, hunting her shot and getting in the paint. Ohio State couldn't contain her off the dribble, and she added five more points. She finished with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting and five rebounds.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols vs Ohio State in 2025 March Madness: Tennessee returns to Sweet 16
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