KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Samara Spencer shattered the school record by sinking nine 3-pointers, achieving a career-best 33 points to propel the No. 19 Tennessee Lady Vols to an unprecedented victory, 139-59, over North Carolina Central on Saturday.
Spencer’s impressive shooting included making 9 of her 13 attempts from beyond the arc, contributing to the team’s overall performance of 30 successful 3-pointers out of 63 attempts. In total, nine players registered at least one 3-pointer, while seven of them made two or more, and three players hit at least five.
Previously, the record for the most 3-pointers made by a single Lady Vol was eight, accomplished on three occasions. As for team achievements, Tennessee surpassed their former record of 16 3-pointers, breaking the Southeastern Conference benchmark of 19 (held by Arkansas) and the NCAA standard of 28 set by Western Illinois. Furthermore, Tennessee claimed a new SEC record for points, eclipsing their earlier mark of 136 established in 2002 when they triumphed 136-26 over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The 80-point win margin is now the fourth largest in history.
The 30 3-pointers recorded also top the Division I men’s record, which is co-held by Troy and Wyoming. Both the Milwaukee Bucks and California’s Boston Celtics share the NBA record with 29, while the WNBA’s highest is 18, a feat achieved by multiple teams.
First-year head coach Kim Caldwell expressed her surprise. “It does surprise me,” she said. “We shot enough of ’em, we should have broken it, but yeah, it was surprising to hear that it was a record.”
In support of Spencer’s accomplishment, Talaysia Cooper scored 21 points and Tess Darby added 17, both hitting five from long range. Other notable contributions came from Zee Spearman with 15 points, Ruby Whitehorn with 13, and Sara Puckett scoring 11. Spencer also achieved a career-high with 10 assists during the game.
On the opposing side, Shakiria Foster led North Carolina Central with 17 points, and Terriana Gray contributed 10. However, the Eagles struggled significantly, committing 44 turnovers throughout the game.
By halftime, Tennessee had built a commanding 69-18 lead, matching the school record for points in a half. Their explosive start included hitting seven 3-pointers and forcing 15 turnovers, propelling them to a 33-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Spencer scored 13 points in the second quarter, during which Tennessee made nine 3-pointers and outscored the Eagles 36-8, as North Carolina Central added 13 more turnovers to their tally.
Continuing the momentum, Tennessee broke both the school and conference 3-pointer records before the end of the third quarter, leading 111-39. At this point, the Eagles had as many turnovers as points, while Tennessee’s 42-point quarter was just two points shy of a school record.
Notably, Destiny Wells was responsible for the 3-pointer that officially set the new NCAA record.
