Higgs helps No. 8 Texas defeat No. 4 Lady Vols 64-53
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Lashann Higgs scored 18 points and led an efficient 3-point attack Sunday as the eighth-ranked Longhorns defeated No. 4 Tennessee 64-53 to remain unbeaten.
The freshman guard shot 3 of 5 from 3-point range and posted her highest point total of the season to help Texas (5-0) end Tennessee's 27-game home winning streak. Texas went 6 of 13 from beyond the arc.
Tennessee (5-1) hadn't lost at home since a 75-71 defeat by Kentucky in February 2014.
Diamond DeShields had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Tennessee.
Tennessee cut an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to four when Lady Vols guard Andraya Carter sank two free throws with 1:18 left. Carter then made a midcourt steal to start a fastbreak, but Te'a Cooper missed a contested layup with a minute remaining.
The Lady Vols wouldn't get any closer, missing their last nine field-goal attempts. Tennessee shot just 30.4 percent overall.
Brooke McCarty had 12 points and Imani Boyette had 11 points and nine rebounds for Texas.
Tennessee forward Jasmine Jones and Cooper collided head-to-head while chasing a loose ball with 7:41 left in the fourth quarter. Jones was helped to the locker room with and didn't return to the game.
DeShields gave Tennessee an early lead by scoring 10 points in the first 11 1/2 minutes of the game, but she picked up her second foul with 6:35 left in the second quarter and didn't score the rest of the first half.
While DeShields dominated the first quarter, the second quarter belonged to Higgs, who hadn't scored more than 12 points in her first four college games. She scored 13 points in the second quarter alone Sunday to help Texas grab a 29-24 halftime lead. When Higgs wasn't sinking 3-pointers, she was driving into the lane.
Texas built a 10-point lead in the third quarter by shooting 4 of 5 from 3-point range. The Lady Vols got the margin down to five on three occasions in the third, but each time, Texas answered with a 3-point basket or a three-point play.
TIP-INS
Texas: Although Texas and Tennessee play each other every year, it was first time the Longhorns have won back-to-back games against Lady Vols since winning four straight from February 2002 to November 2004. Texas beat Tennessee 72-59 in Austin last season.
Tennessee: The Lady Vols will make their first road trip on Dec. 11 to Wichita State, which is coached by former Tennessee player Jody Adams.
UP NEXT
Texas: Hosts No. 8 Mississippi State on Wednesday.
Tennessee: Hosts East Tennessee State on Wednesday.
