Tennessee 78-68 Iowa (December 7, 2024) Game Recap

NEW YORK – Talaysia Cooper scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half to help Tennessee beat No. 17 Iowa 78-68 in the inaugural Women’s Champions Classic on Saturday night.

Her jumper with 3:04 remaining in the fourth gave the Lady Vols (7-0) a 68-67 lead and sparked a 12-1 run that ended the game on the road. Cooper scored four straight goals on the spurt, including one on an inbounds steal with 1:23 left, to secure the victory.

Lucy Olsen scored 23 points for Iowa (8-1), which had a season-high 30 turnovers.

It was a matchup between two first-year head coaches at their schools. Jan Jensen took over for Lisa Bluder, who retired in the offseason after leading Iowa to two straight national championship games. Jensen, an assistant at Iowa for the past 24 years, became the first coach in school history to start her career 8-0.

Kim Caldwell came to Tennessee after a successful stint at Marshall and before that at Division II Glenville State. She brought her fast-paced pressing style and hockey line changes to Tennessee. The Lady Vols are constantly rotating players in and out every minute or two to keep them fresh.

Iowa struggled against the frantic pace, committing 18 turnovers in the first half with the game tied at 35 at halftime.

Neither team was able to build a significant lead in the second half until Cooper initiated the game-winning run in the final minutes.

Chamique Holdsclaw, Diamond DeShields, Rickea Jackson, Andraya Carter and Sue Bird were all in attendance at the Barclays Center and sat courtside along with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

This was the first meeting between the storied programs since 1993, when Pat Summitt and C. Vivian Stringer coached the schools.

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