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Women’s BasketballJanuary 10, 2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —  After dropping back-to-back games to top-10 teams by a combined total of three points, No. 16/15 Tennessee (13-2, 1-2 SEC) hits the road looking to get back on the winning track when it meets Arkansas (8-10, 1-2 SEC) on Sunday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Lady Vols and Razorbacks will square off at noon CT (1 p.m. ET) in a contest televised by SEC Network and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 or 190. UT is coming off back-to-back home losses to No. 9/10 Oklahoma (87-86) last Sunday and to No. 6/4 LSU (89-87 on Thursday night, with those setbacks ending a 13-0 start by Kim Caldwell‘s squad. 

The Lady Vols feature five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, who puts up 18.2 points per game and shoots 51 percent from the field. Cooper is coming off a 24-point effort vs. LSU, marking her seventh 20+ scoring outburst of the season. Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear, who battled injuries late in non-conference play, has recovered and hit her stride. She has scored 15 or more in her last five games, dropping season highs of 20 at Texas A&M and 28 vs. OU, followed by 25 vs. LSU with a combined 17 three-pointers in 26 attempts (65.4 pct.) to produce 24.3 ppg. in league action and rank second in the SEC.

Arkansas also owns a 1-2 SEC record after losing, 98-64, vs. LSU and, 90-56, at Texas before winning at Auburn on Thursday night, 59-58. The Razorbacks are paced by guard Izzy Higginbottom, who averages 24.4 ppg. in all games and 28.7 ppg. in SEC play. The Arkansas State transfer ranks No. 1 in points (440) and is fourth in points per game. Guard Kiki Smith is UA’s only other player in double figures in all games, producing 10.7 ppg., while guard Carly Keats has elevated to 10.7 ppg. in SEC games and Smith has chipped in 5.7.

Kim Caldwell‘s first Lady Vol team enters Sunday’s match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in four statistical categories through Jan. 10. UT is tops in the NCAA in scoring offense (96.6), three pointers per game (12.0), three point attempts per game (36.1) and offensive rebounds per game (20.5).  It is second in turnovers forced per game (26.73), third in turnover margin (11.93), fourth in steals per game (14.3), and sixth in bench points per game (34.1).

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

• Opponent: Arkansas
• Date: Sun., Jan. 12
• Tip-off: 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
• Venue: Bud Walton Arena
• Watch: SEC Network
• Radio: Lady Vol Network
• Online: Live Audio, Live Stats

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BROADCAST DETAILS

• Brenda VanLengen (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) will have the call for SEC Network.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
• The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
• A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com. 
• For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
• Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
• The Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available via SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 and 190.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

• COOP TO THE HOOP: Guard Talaysia Cooper is having a break-out season, leading UT in scoring (18.2 ppg.), hitting double figures in 13 games, carding seven efforts of 20+ points and notching seven quarters where she has scored 10 or more points, including 12 and 10, respectively, in the fourth quarters vs. Florida State and Iowa.
• “FEAR DA SPEAR”: Jewel Spear is enjoying her best stretch this season, averaging 20.8 ppg. over her past five games and 24.3 ppg. in SEC play, hitting 17 of 26 three-point tries in league action (65.4 pct.) to run her season total to a team-high 40 treys.
• SMOOTH SAMARA: Samara Spencer is averaging 11.9 ppg. and 5.4 apg., ranking No. 9 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.12) with 81 assists and 26 turnovers and No. 29 in three-point field goal percentage at 43.5 with 37 treys to rank second on the team.
• DEPENDABLE RUBY: Ruby Whitehorn is UT’s third-leading scorer at 12.7 ppg. contributing 10+ points in her past nine games and ranking third in rebounding (5.0 rpg.). 
• ZEE STEPS UP: Forward Zee Spearman has been in double figures eight times, averaging 10.7 ppg. and a team-high 5.6 rpg.

FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE

• PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense, generating 96.6 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in ppg. is No. 4, where she was in 2023-24 (85.3) at Marshall.
• MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: UT ranks No. 1 in 3FGs made per game at 12.0 and has hit 10+ treys 11 times, eclipsing the old school best of six for most games with double-digit totals in a season.
• STRONG ON O-BOARDS: UT is No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 20.5. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
• TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 2 in turnovers forced per game (26.73) and No. 3 in T.O. margin (11.93). Oklahoma had 31 miscues on Jan. 5 for the 11th 20+ T.O. game (7th with 30+) by a foe in 2024-25.
• RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 4 nationally in steals per game (14.3). It now has 11 games of 10+ steals and 215 total in 15 games. It had 159 in 33 games a year ago.
• THAT’S A 10-COUNT: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 16 times in 15 games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• UT’S BEST START SINCE 2017-18: UT opened at 13-0 for the first time since 2017-18 (15-0) and the seventh time ever.
• SECOND BEST START FOR COACH: UT’s 13-0 start was the second-best opening of a season in Kim Caldwell‘s nine years as a head coach behind her 29-0 start at Glenville State in 2021-22 on the way to 35-1. 
• UT’S BEST COACHING START: The win over N.C. Central on Dec. 14 gave Kim Caldwell eight straight to open her tenure, making it the best coaching debut in Lady Vol basketball history. She upped it to 13-0.
• UT NO. 16 IN NET RANKINGS: UT has risen to No. 16 in the NCAA’s NET rankings following close losses to NET No. 13 Oklahoma (87-86) and NET No. 9 LSU (89-87).
• NO. 16 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols’ full schedule ranks No. 16 on the NCAA Toughest Schedule report (1/10).
• CHASING 2,000/500 STAT LINE: Jewel Spear needs one point and 18 rebounds to hit 2,000 and 500 for her career.
• EYEING 1,000: Junior Ruby Whitehorn (902) is closing in on 1,000 career points.
• 1,500/500/500 IN SIGHT: Samara Spencer sits at 1,546 pts., 462 rebs. and 446 assts. 

ONE POINT SHY OF THE 2K CLUB

• Jewel Spear enters the Arkansas game one point shy of 2,000 career points. 
• Sunday will mark her 136th career game and her 47th as a Lady Vol.
• She is poised to become the 10th player in the history of Lady Vol basketball to reach and surpass 2,000 career points. 
• Rickea Jackson joined that club in 2023-24, finishing sixth at 2,261 between her time at Mississippi State and Tennessee. 
• Five players (Chamique Holdsclaw, Bridgette Gordon, Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings and Meighan Simmons) scored all 2K+ of theirs as Lady Vols.
• Spear would become the fifth transfer to hit 2K. In addition to Jackson, she would join Cindy Brogdon, Jill Rankin and Patricia Roberts, who reached that plateau but played years previously at Mercer, Wayland Baptist and Emporia State, respectively, before coming to UT.
• Spear played three seasons at Wake Forest and is in season two at Tennessee.

RETURN TO BUD WALTON FOR SPENCER

• Samara Spencer returns to a campus and venue where she spent three seasons of her college career.
• Spencer started 97 of 101 games for Arkansas from 2021-24, averaging 13.5 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 3.5 apg.
• The 5-foot-7 point guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has averaged double figures in scoring all four years of her career and is putting up 11.9 ppg., 5.4 apg., 3.7 rpg. and 1.3 spg. while starting 14 of 15 contests for Tennessee this season.
• She hit triple digits in assists in her last two seasons in Fayetteville, carding 154 in 2022-23 and 115 in 2023-24. Spencer finished with 96 dimes as a rookie.
• Spencer was named SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC All-Freshman in 2021-22 after putting up 12.2 ppg., 3.7 rpg., 3.1 apg. and 1.2 spg. over 30.1 minutes per contest for the Razorbacks.
• During her rookie season, Spencer fired in 17 points in a road game at Tennessee, helping Arkansas push the No. 7/7 Lady Vols before UA fell, 86-83, in overtime.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

• Facing its second top-10 opponent in five days, No. 16/15 Tennessee overcame an 18-point second-quarter deficit and pushed unbeaten No. 6/4 LSU to the brink before falling, 89-87, Thursday night in front of 10,220 at Food City Center.
• The Lady Vols (13-2, 1-2 SEC) took two-point leads twice over the last four minutes and tied the game three times inside the final three minutes, including 87-all with 32 ticks left on the clock. LSU’s Kailyn Gilbert hit an acrobatic shot with a second remaining, however, to put her team back on top. After a timeout to advance the ball and a lob on the inbound play, a desperation attempt from the paint by UT with less than a second left wouldn’t fall, allowing the Tigers to improve to 18-0 overall and 3-0 in league play.
• Tennessee, which suffered a one-point loss to No. 9/10 Oklahoma on Sunday and has lost its last two contests by a combined three points, was led by a pair of players with 20-point nights. Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear was seven of 11 from the floor and drained five of seven attempts from beyond the arc to lead all scorers with 25 points. Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper was right behind her with 24, while junior guard Ruby Whitehorn and senior guard Samara Spencer tossed in 10 each.
• The Tigers also had four players in double figures, led by a 23-point, 21 rebound double-double from Aneesah Morrow. One of three LSU players with 20 or more points, she was aided by 22 from Gilbert and 20 from Flau’Jae Johnson, while Mikaylah Williams was her team’s fourth player in double figures with 16.

POSTGAME NOTES VS. LSU

• SPEAR SPARKS THE OFFENSE: Jewel Spear’s sharpshooting continued vs. LSU, as she carded her fifth-consecutive double-digit game and third straight with 20 or more. The guard carded a 25-point game, which followed her 28-point performance against Oklahoma and a 20-point effort vs. Texas A&M. Spear hit seven field goals and five treys vs. the Tigers Thursday night. Over her past three games in SEC play, the fifth-year guard is averaging 24.3 ppg. and has hit 17 of 26 three-point attempts for 65.4 percent marksmanship. 
• COOPER COLLECTS 24: Talaysia Cooper tallied her seventh career 20-plus contest, recording a personal SEC-game high 24 points against the Tigers. Cooper finished with six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. The redshirt sophomore fired in a personal SEC-best 10 field goals, three free throws and a three-pointer to account for her point total. 
• LETTIN’ IT LOOSE FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Tennessee carded its 11th performance of knocking down ten or more three-pointers in a single contest, hitting 11 against the Tigers. Five Lady Vols knocked down a three-pointer, with Jewel Spear leading the charge and draining five. Tennessee notched its highest three-point game against N.C. Central, draining an NCAA, SEC and school-record 30 treys. The Lady Vols have tallied 10 or more three-pointers against the following programs: N.C. Central (30), MTSU (15), Liberty (14), Tulsa (14), Memphis (12), LSU (11), Western Carolina (10), Winthrop (10), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (10), Samford (10).

UT/UA SERIES NOTES

• UT holds a 35-5 all-time record vs. UA, including 17-2 in Knoxville, 16-3 in Fayetteville and 2-0 at neutral sites.
• Tennessee is 2-1 in overtime and 2-0 in the postseason vs. Arkansas, meeting for the first time in SEC Tourney play in 2016. UT prevailed, 68-51, in the second round in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 3 that year.
• UT point guard Samara Spencer spent three years at Arkansas, starting 111 of 116 games and averaging 13.5 ppg. She hit triple digits in assists her last two years there, including 154 as a sophomore in 2022-23 and also hit 65 three-pointers that year as well.
• Arkansas assistant Lacey Goldwire had the same role at Tennessee from 2019-21 before returning in 2021-22 to Mike Neighbors’ staff at UA, where she worked from 2017-19 in his first two years as head coach there. 

A LOOK AT THE RAZORBACKS

• Izzy Higginbottom, a 5-foot-7 transfer guard from Arkansas State, paces Arkansas at 24.4 ppg.
• Higginbottom has made an incredible 128 of 142 free-throw attempts (90.1 pct.) in 18 games, ranking No. 2 nationally in free throws made and attempted. 
• LSU, which edged UT 89-87 on Thursday night, crushed the Razorbacks on Jan. 2, 98-64.
• Liberty, a foe the Lady Vols beat 109-93 on Nov. 16, took care of Arkansas, 75-61, on Dec. 18.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Mike Neighbors is 146-102 in his eighth year in Fayetteville and 244-143 overall in 12 years.
• Neighbors has three 20-win seasons at Arkansas after producing four such years at Washington (2013-17).

UA’S LAST GAME

• After being outscored 21-8 by Auburn in the first quarter, Arkansas flipped the script by taking the second frame by a 22-12 count and outpointing the Tigers by four over the final two periods to triumph on the road, 59-58.
• Izzy Higginbottom was the only player in double figures for the Razorbacks, making 13 of 20 shots from the field en route to a game-high 36 points.
• Higginbottom was five of seven from the field and three of five from the charity stripe for 13 points in the final quarter to will her team to victory.

LAST TIME WE MET THE RAZORBACKS

• A 53-percent shooting effort from behind the arc and a 21-point night by Rickea Jackson lifted the Lady Vols to their seventh straight home triumph in a dominant 81-55 victory over Arkansas in Food City Center on Feb. 12, 2024, the last time these teams met.  
• The 55 points represented the fewest scored at that point in 2023-24 by Arkansas, which entered averaging 73.1 per contest. It also tied as the fewest allowed by Tennessee in 2023-24, matching the total Liberty scored in a 90-55 loss to UT on Dec. 31.
• Junior Jillian Hollingshead recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Jewel Spear was close behind for Tennessee (15-8, 8-3 SEC) with 13 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high seven assists on the night. 
• Taliah Scott was the high scorer for Arkansas (17-9, 5-6 SEC) with 23 points, and Maryam Dauda added 10.

LAST TIME WE MET IN FAYETTEVILLE

• UT outscored Arkansas in the first period 25-9 and led wire to wire, taking an 87-67 road win on Feb. 16, 2023, the last time these teams met in Fayetteville. 
• Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston had double-doubles to lead the Lady Vols (19-9, 11-2 SEC). Jackson finished with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Horston logged 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Tess Darby chipped in 11 points
• Erynn Barnum led UA with 25 points, while Chrissy Carr and Samara Spencer added 14 and 10.

UP NEXT

• The Lady Vols return home to host Mississippi State on Thursday night at Food City Center in Tennessee’s “We Back Pat” game.
• Tipoff between the Big Orange and the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. with SEC Network televising the action.
• The game also will be available on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.