Lady Vols defeat Florida in SEC basketball opener

No. 22 Tennessee (9-3, 1-0 SEC) defeated Florida (12-4, 0-1 SEC), 76-65, Thursday at Food City Center in a SEC opener for both schools.

The Lady Vols led, 37-30, at halftime.

Talaysia Cooper totaled 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal for Tennessee, which led, 32-15, early in the second quarter. She converted 7-of-20 field goal attempts, 2-of-7 three-point attempts and 1-of-1 free throw attempts. Cooper was one of three Lady Vols to score 10-plus points against the Gators.

Advertisement

Zee Spearman posted a double-double as she scored 16 points and recorded 10 rebounds. She also had two assists and two blocks. Mia Pauldo recorded 10 points, converting 8-of-8 free throws in the game. She also finished with four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Janaiah Barker and Alyssa Latham scored nine points against Florida. Barker also had 12 rebounds, three assists and one steal, while Latham finished with eight rebounds, two steals and one assist for the Lady Vols, who outrebounded Florida, 50-25.

The Gators' Liv McGill had 32 points to lead all scorers.

More: Lady Vols-Florida basketball series

Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Talaysia Cooper leads Lady Vols past Gators in SEC opener