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Lady Vols forfeit 23-point lead, fall to No. 5 Irish

The Lady Vols were on the wrong side of history Thursday night. Tennessee gave up a 23-point lead to No. 5 Notre Dame falling to the Irish 84-70. That's the largest comeback in program history.
Jan 18, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers guard Meme Jackson goes up for a shot as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Kathryn Westbeld (33) defends in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The Lady Vols were on the wrong side of history Thursday night. Tennessee gave up a 23-point lead to No. 5 Notre Dame falling to the Irish 84-70. That's the largest comeback in program history.

Tennessee was firing on all cylinders early on. They shot over 68 percent from the field in the first quarter and reached that 23-point lead before halftime.

Tennessee has averaged about 20 turnovers a game since the start of SEC play. The team tallied 13 in the first half alone, and Notre Dame was able to knock their lead down to 12 points heading into the break.

Turnovers continued to be an issue, they finished with 28 points on the night, and surprisingly senior Jaime Nared led the team with seven.

Mercedes Russell, Tennessee's only other starting senior, should have been a difference-maker in the game as the tallest player on the court. But, after shooting 4-6 in the first half, she had just one shot in the final 20 minutes.

The Irish took the lead on a Marina Mabrey three-point shot with about five minutes left in regulation and never looked back.

The Lady Vols have now lost four straight games to the Irish in South Bend.

Looking ahead, they take on No. 3 Mississippi State at home on Sunday.

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