Talaysia Cooper sliced through Liberty’s defense like butter.
The way the Lady Vols basketball guard moved with the ball was effortless. Cooper had a defender collapsing on her, but she already had her beat. It was a drive that most players get blocked on, or at least have a defender attempt to.
But Cooper’s handle and angles kept the ball protected, and she finished the layup easily. Everything looked easy for the redshirt sophomore on Saturday at Food City Center.
Whether Cooper was hitting the first 3-pointer of the game or throwing a pass that makes spectators pause for a moment to appreciate the assist, she showed Lady Vols fans what they had been waiting a year to witness.
Cooper’s game-high 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting led Tennessee (4-0) to a 109-93 win over Liberty (2-2), extending the undefeated start under new coach Kim Caldwell. Cooper added nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Tennessee shot 36.8% on 14 made 3-pointers. It had a strong start from 3-point range, going 5-for-7 in the first quarter.
While it was the most polished the Lady Vols have looked offensively this season for the first three quarters, the defense and rebounding are still a work in progress. Tennessee led by 31 points with 3:49 left in the second quarter. In the next eight minutes, Liberty outscored it 28-9 to cut the deficit to 12.
The Lady Vols gave up too many good looks in transition and too many easy bucket in the half court. Liberty was even in fast break points (29) and points in the paint (42). The Flames outscored UT in second-chance points (15) off fewer offensive rebounds (eight). Tennessee only outrebounded Liberty 38-37.
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Liberty outshot the Lady Vols, hitting 51.5% from the floor – UT shot 47% – and went 11-for-22 from 3-point range. Tennessee gave up 28 points in the second and third quarter, the most it has given up in a two-quarter span all season.
The Lady Vols created the separation due to Caldwell’s style of play. They took 17 more shots from the field and scored 38 points off 25 Liberty turnovers.
Tennessee now has a 10-day break between games. The next game is against Western Carolina on Nov. 26 (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball: Talaysia Cooper leads Tennessee in Liberty win
