The 18th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs could not overcome an 11-percent shooting performance in the second quarter as No. 11 Tennessee took a 62-46 victory Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Georgia falls to 21-4 overall and 9-3 in the SEC and loses on the road for just the second time this season. Tennessee is also now 21-4 overall and 9-3 in league play. The two squads are tied with South Carolina for second place in the conference standings.

Taja Cole and Mackenzie Engram each scored 12 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs, while Engram added a team-high 10 rebounds.

“We just missed a lot of opportunities in transition,” head coach Joni Taylor said. “I thought their length really bothered us and affected the way we played. With that said, we have to put this behind us and get ready for a really good South Carolina team on Thursday.”

Both teams came out cold from the floor as Georgia began just 1-for-6 and Tennessee started just 1-for-5 from the field. Things heated up midway through the first quarter when Jaime Nared scored four-straight, before Engram nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Lady Bulldogs the 9-6 lead.

Meme Jackson scored five-straight points and the Lady Vols finished with three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes to take a 17-13 lead at the end of the first frame. That is when Tennessee took control of the game.
 
 

 
 
The Lady Vols scored the first 10 points of the second quarter as Georgia was held scoreless for the first six minutes of the period and did not hit a field goal until 33 seconds left before halftime. The Lady Bulldogs finished the first half just 8-of-34 (24 percent) from the field and found themselves behind 36-19 at the break.

Taja Cole scored six points to open the second half and helped her team inch closer to Tennessee. Still, the Lady Vols were able to build as much as a 21-point lead and held a 55-37 lead at the end of three.

Georgia could not get closer the rest of the way as Tennessee hung on for a 62-46 win.

The Lady Bulldogs return home to host South Carolina Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.