KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols faced their first real test of the 2019-2020 season on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena and things didn’t go well for Tennessee, which suffered its first loss of the season to a Texas team that has been inconsistent as it has played a tough schedule.
The Lady Vols came up on the short end of a 66-60 decision against the Longhorns (5-4).
It was Kellie Harper’s first loss as Tennessee’s head coach.
The Lady Vols (7-1) trailed by as many as 12 points Sunday and battled from behind for much of the game, but they took a 53-50 lead early in the fourth quarter and proceeded to commit three consecutive turnovers. Texas cashed in on the miscues and went on an 8-0 run to put the game away.
The Lady Vols were their own worst enemy at times, settling for outside shots despite the fact that Texas post players Joyner Holmes and Charli Collier were in foul trouble all day.
Constant foul trouble rendered that duo ineffective, but the Longhorns’ guards stepped up. Lashann Hicks and Alecia Sutton scored 19 points each and Jada Underwood added 13 for Texas which led 42-36 at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer from Tennessee’s Rennia Davis as time expired in the second stanza.
Davis led the Lady Vols with 15 points. Jazmine Massengill added 10 for Tennessee, which hosts Colorado State Wednesday night.