No.12 / 21 Womens Basketball fell to Tennessee No. 16/12 in overtime, 74-70

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.Another ranked opponent, another exciting straightforward battle for the Texas women’s basketball team.

This time, the Longhorns survived little in that fight as they dropped to 12/21 in Tennessee overtime, 74-70, at the Lady Volunteers Thompson-Boling Arena.

With the loss, UT drops 3-1 in the season. Tennessee moves to 4-0.

As expected, there was a meager defense in the game, especially in the first half, as both teams were below 30 points. Tennessee led the break 29-28.

The Longhorns found their offensive rhythm in the third quarter as they opened the halftime in a 14-4 run, leading by as much as 12 points with a 4:21 mark in the third quarter.

The Lady Vols rushed back in the fourth quarter, beating Texas 20-10 and postponing the game to extra time, where they sealed a return victory.

Young guard Aliyah Matharu continued his ferocious pace of attack early in the season as he led the team to the best point of his career with 27 points in a 10/18 shootout, including 5/11 behind the arc.

Freshman Rori Harmon made his first career double with 10 points and a season record of 11 assists. Joanne Allen-Taylor added 11 points and Lauren Ebo dropped the team’s top eight rebounds.

UT fired only 31.3 percent (26/83) from the floor and 30.4 percent (7/23) from a distance. Texas won the substitution battle 24-14, but Tennessee has a 56-41 advantage over the glass.

Lady Volsia led the attack on Jordan Horston, who scored 28 points. Tamari Key made a triple doubles with 10 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks.

Texas will be back in action next Saturday (1 p.m. CT) as they play host to Cal State-Northridge at the Frank Erwin Center. Longhorn Network televises the match nationwide.