FORT MYERS, Fla. — The 19th-ranked Lady Vol basketball team struggled offensively against No. 21 Indiana on Thursday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.
Tennessee played its third-straight game without top player Rickea Jackson, who has now missed two weeks with a lower-body injury, and the team sorely missed her scoring prowess in a 71-57 loss against Indiana.
The Lady Vols managed to tie the game at 16-16 in the second quarter when Jewel Spear drained the team's first three-pointer of the game, but Indiana quickly rallied off 11 unanswered points and prevented Tennessee from ever taking the lead in the game.
Indiana's Yarden Garzon dominated Tennessee in the first half with four three-pointers, which was double Tennessee's total at the break. The Lady Vols finished 35.9% shooting from the floor and 6-for-20 from deep compared to a 10-for-22 long-range effort by the Hoosiers.
Karoline Striplin and Sara Puckett led the Lady Vols in scoring with 13 points each, while Jasmine Powell joined them as the only other double-digit scorer with 12. Puckett also posted a team-high seven rebounds, while Powell hauled in six boards.
The Lady Vols will take on No. 22 Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 25 to conclude the Fort Myers Tip-Off at 1:30 p.m. The Sooners are coming off an upset loss against Princeton.
