Lady Vols basketball remains undefeated in SEC play, decimating Arkansas 85-50 on Sunday afternoon at Food City Center. No. 20 Tennessee (12-3, 4-0 SEC) moves to 4-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2023, when they won their first eight SEC games.

The 35-point win was Tennessee’s biggest win in SEC play since Mar. 4, 2025, when it defeated Texas A&M 77-37 in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Tennessee’s offense came out of the tunnel flying. It connected on three of its first four shots to take an early lead. The Razorbacks (11-7, 0-4) pushed back, cutting Tennessee’s lead to one, but the Lady Vols’ offense kept rolling. Over the next four minutes, Tennessee outscored Arkansas 17-4 to take a 23-9 lead with four minutes left in the quarter.

Though Tennessee’s offense was clicking, the Razorbacks’ defense slowed them down in the final three minutes of the quarter, conceding just six points. They added nine points of their own, with six coming off six trips to the free-throw line.

Even with a slow ending to the quarter, Tennessee was able to outscore Arkansas 29-18 in the first quarter. The Lady Vols’ 27 first-quarter points was its most in an SEC game this season as they shot 13-for-26 from the field, but just 3-for-13 from the 3-point line.

“I think our spacing helped,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “Not trying to score off the first pass, sharing the ball and trusting your teammates.”

While the first quarter saw a solid offensive showing, the next quarter had the opposite. The Lady Vols shot 5-for-17, and a poor 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. They also turned the ball over four times after losing it once in the first quarter.

With Tennessee struggling to score, the Razorbacks had an opportunity to close the gap on the scoreboard. However, they wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the opportunity, shooting 5-for-22 with eight turnovers. 

Both teams continued to slug it out, but the Lady Vols would ultimately outscore Arkansas in the second quarter. Freshman Mia Pauldo connected on a midrange shot with seconds left in the quarter, lifting the Lady Vols to a 43-30 halftime lead.

With Tennessee unexpectedly missing redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper after she got hit in the head by a ball in shootaround and junior Alyssa Latham playing limited minutes, everybody needed to step up in place of their absence.

Senior Zee Spearman helped fill the gaps on offense, leading the team with 12 points in the first half. She also pulled down four rebounds, had two assists and two blocks in 15 minutes.

“I think the biggest thing is she’s being a little more patient,” Caldwell said. “She’s not trying to force it off her first pass, and she’s sharing the ball. She’s not trying to dribble on five, she’s cutting, she’s screaming, she’s rebounding and I think that’s what she is.”

Heading into the second half, Tennessee held a 13-point lead. While neither team was having a great shooting outing, the difference came from turnovers. While the Lady Vols had five, the Razorbacks had 15. Arkansas managed just two points off those turnovers, while the Lady Vols managed to score 17 in the first half.

Tennessee pulled away from the Razorbacks in the third quarter. Its offense produced 22 points, exactly doubling Arkansas’ third-quarter score. The Lady Vols forced seven more turnovers on the Razorbacks and ended the quarter with a 24-point lead.

Despite leading 65-41 with just 10 minutes left in the game, the Lady Vols never took their foot off the gas. The Lady Vols shot 7-for-20 and 4-for-12 from the 3-point line, outscoring the Razorbacks 20-9 in the final quarter to seal an 85-50 win in Tennessee’s annual ‘We Back Pat’ game.

“It means a lot,” freshman guard Jaida Civil said. “She (Pat Summitt) has a great legacy from when she was here and I feel like it’s a bit of pressure just to keep that legacy up. As a freshman coming into something with a great background and trying to bring it back, I’m really glad to be a part of it.”

With the win, Tennessee remains one of the four teams undefeated in SEC play. The Lady Vols will have a week off before their next matchup against Alabama on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. ET.

“I thought we had a lot of players step up,” Caldwell said. “ I was really proud of our young ones, proud of everyone for giving us a little bit more, that’s what we challenge them to do. We still have some things to work on.”