Tennessee coach Holly Warlick liked her team’s energy in practice this week.

That same spirit carried over to Thursday night’s game against Vanderbilt.

Tennessee established an early lead and never trailed, defeating Vanderbilt 58-49 at Thompson-Boling Arena before a crowd of 11,159 to snap a two-game losing streak.

Warlick pointed to the Lady Vols’ shot selection as a big reason for the victory, saying she didn’t see too many bad shots from Tennessee (12-6, 3-2 SEC). Turnovers also played a major role Thursday. The Lady Vols forced 23 Vanderbilt turnovers, while only turning it over 15 times themselves.

“For us, any win is a great win,” Warlick said. “Especially when I thought we stuck to the game plan. Our kids, they played hard. I didn’t have to preach on effort, energy or heart. I just thought we were solid. These are the things that we can do.

“I think this game correlates to (us) having two great practices. We were very focused. We were attentive. We listened to the game plan. Everybody was just all in.”

And still, nothing was easy for the Lady Vols. Vanderbilt (12-6, 3-2) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to make the Vols earn the win in the final minute.

The Commodores, trailing 52-49, had two opportunities to tie the game in the last 60 seconds.

Vanderbilt, however, turned it over twice. The Lady Vols sealed the win at the free throw line in the final seconds.

“I am really proud of our team tonight,” Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. “To come back against a team that’s fighting the way they did. I can’t ask anymore from them. Yeah, we had two possessions we didn’t execute to win the game, but it was right there. That’s what you want on the road.”

Te’a Cooper led the Lady Vols in scoring with 13 points after only scoring 11 points in the past five games. Diamond DeShields was the only other Lady Vols in double figures with 11. Mercedes Russell and Andraya Carter both finished with eight.

Cooper bolstered the Lady Vols to their first double-digit lead of the night in the third quarter. She scored nine straight points in a three-minute span to transform a slim 30-28 Tennessee lead into a 39-30 advantage. The Lady Vols led 44-32 at the end of the third.

“I just thought she played heady and smart,” Warlick said. “She didn’t rush a shot.

“I just thought she was solid and the most focused she has been in a long time.”

Rebekah Dahlman was the only Commodore in double figures with 17 points. Morgan Batey chipped in nine, and Jasmine Jenkins added eight.

Dahlman’s 3-point shot midway through the fourth quarter sparked a 13-3 Vanderbilt run that brought the Commodores to within one-possession with 1:42 to go. The Lady Vols, however, clamped down on defense and didn’t let Vanderbilt get any closer. Dahlman, pressured by Tennessee’s defense, committed a mental error and step out of bounds with 16 seconds left. Carter extended the Lady Vols’ lead to 54-49 with two free throws.

“It was a great win for us,” Warlick said. “We had two great practices and it carried over to the game.”