COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lady Vols basketball set a program record in its first win of the NCAA tournament.
No. 5 seed Tennessee hit 16 3-pointers during its 101-66 win over No. 12 seed South Florida at Schottenstein Center on Friday. That set the program record for the most 3-pointers in an NCAA tournament game. The Lady Vols shot 10-for-21 from 3-point range in the first half to build a 55-34 lead.
“It just feels good to see the ball go in again,” Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said. “It feels like such a long time since we’ve shot that well from 3 and we’ve been that efficient. I really think we needed that.”
The Lady Vols will play No. 4 seed Ohio State in the second round Sunday for a trip to the Sweet 16.
Tennessee shot 43.2% from 3-point range, which was the highest percentage it has shot since shooting 50% against Auburn on Feb. 13.
It’s the second 3-point record the Lady Vols have set this season. They set the NCAA Division I record of 30 made 3-pointers against NC Central on Dec. 14.
“This team shoots really well behind the arc .. setting another record today was really huge,” senior guard Jewel Spear said. “It just speaks to our depth that we have on this team, with me and Sam (Spencer) and Tess (Darby). A lot of people know that we can shoot the ball, but we have other people on the team that can shoot the ball as well.”
Eight Lady Vols hit a 3-pointer in the win over USF. Spencer, Zee Spearman and Talaysia Cooper led the team with three apeice. Cooper led the team with 20 points, Spencer had 15 and Spearman had 13.
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.
