Former Lady Vols basketball coach Kellie Harper made another appearance in the SEC Network studio Sunday.
Harper, who was fired as the Tennessee coach in April, discussed No. 13 Tennessee’s first loss of the season after a full slate of games. The Lady Vols fell 87-86 in their SEC home opener against No. 10 Oklahoma, and the game came down to the final shot.
Senior forward Sara Puckett, who was recruited and signed by Harper, took a 3-pointer with three seconds left and missed. Puckett isn’t a stranger to taking and hitting big shots – she hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Belmont in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman.
“You’ll take that from her all day at the end of the game,” Harper said of Puckett. “I think Oklahoma was lucky in that last possession.”
Tennessee trailed by as much as 19 points in the third quarter, but it outscored the Sooners 27-12 in the fourth quarter to get back in the game. Jewel Spear scored a game-high 28 points and hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the game.
Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said the final play went how they drew it up, but the ball wasn’t supposed to go to Puckett. But Puckett was wide open, and that’s the kind of shot they’ll take.
“It you have a wide-open 3, take the 3,” Caldwell said. “You’re not going to get a much better shot than that. Sara’s in the gym all the time. She was wide open. So even though it wasn’t the play, it was a great shot. It was a high-percentage shot, I’m fine with it. Didn’t come down to that play, it came down to the 38 minutes before that.”
Harper believes the Lady Vols’ first loss under Caldwell could re-center them before they face No. 4 LSU at home Thursday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).
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“I think it could be very similar to what happened when South Carolina had their loss against UCLA, it could refocus them,” Harper said. “It could take them back to the basics of who they are and why they’ve been undefeated up until this point. I think you’re going to see a team that’s going to be very motivated to getting back to who they are, playing like (Kim Caldwell) said for 40 minutes.”
This is the second time this season Harper has discussed her alma mater, where she coached from 2019-2024, on SEC Network. The last time was after Tennessee set the NCAA Division I record with 30 made 3-pointers against NC Central.
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: What ex-Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said about Tennessee’s loss to Oklahoma
