Spear, Spearman score 18 apiece, No. 18 Lady Vols top Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jewel Spear and Zee Spearman both scored 18 points and No. 18 Tennessee held off Memphis 90-75 on Wednesday night at the FedEx Forum.

The Lady Vols (9-0) had six players in double figures with Spearman and Talaysi Cooper, who had 12 points, notching double-doubles with 11 rebounds apiece. Cooper also had six assists and four steals. Samara Spencer and Tess Darby also had 12 points and Ruby Whitehorn had 10.

Tilly Boler led the Tigers (2-8) with 23 points. Deede Hagemann, a Michigan State transfer, had 19 in her season debut and Tanyuel Welch added 16 with eight rebounds and three steals.

One game after setting NCAA records with 30 3-pointers on 64 attempts, Tennessee was 12 of 37 from distance and shot just 40%. The Lady Vols also had a hard time getting away from Memphis, which led a majority of the first half.

Spearman sandwiched a pair of layups around a Spear 3-pointer in the last two minutes of the first half to give Tennessee a 42-41 lead at the half. Whitehorn opened the second half with a layup and capped a 7-0 start with a 3-pointer, the 14-0 run making it 49-41.

Four players scored, with Darby hitting a 3, in an 8-0 run for a 60-47 lead.

The lead didn’t stay in double figures until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Lady Vols head to the West Palm Beach Classic, facing Richmond on Friday and Tulsa on Saturday. Memphis is home against Louisville on Saturday.

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