KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women's basketball continued conference play with an 87-69 thrilling victory over Kentucky on Sunday afternoon.
Karoline Striplin opened up scoring for Tennessee with a layup and an excellent assist from Jasmine Powell. The Lady Vols played less aggressively in the first quarter and Kentucky remained in the lead for the entire first half.
Kentucky was beating the Lady Vols early on the glass and some bad passes led to 7 turnovers in the first ten minutes.
Both teams went on a four-minute scoring drought to end the first quarter, and Kentucky was up 18-14 heading into the second.
To start the second quarter, Tess Darby stole the ball after a Kentucky offensive board and passed it to Rickea Jackson for a nice jumper. Right after, Tamari Key blocked a Wildcat, and the crowd erupted. The play was a pace changer just briefly in the game.
Tennessee cut into Kentucky's lead with five points from Jackson. One layup off a missed three from Darby and then a corner three of her own kept the Lady Vols down by just two points, 24-22.
However, the Wildcat's ability to rebound on both sides affected the Lady Vols tremendously in the first half. Kentucky was also hitting threes left and right to take back a more significant lead with 6:45 left in the half, 31-22.
To end the half, Kentucky was 5-8 from beyond the arc, compared to Spear and Jackson making two of Tennessee's eight attempts. The Wildcats took a 40-24 lead with 4:35 remaining in the half. However, with 50 seconds left, Jewel Spear scored on back-to-back drives with a three and a fast break layup. Tennessee was still down by ten at the end of the half.
Spear led with 13 points in the first half, but the Lady Vols' trouble on the glass made it hard to catch up, even with Jackson and Spear scoring in double figures.
Kentucky had 15 points off turnovers, seven steals, and eight offensive rebounds that kept them in the lead, 49-39 by halftime.
However, It was a completely different team in the second half. Tamari Key had five blocks in the first seven minutes of play. One of them led to a Jasmine Powell and one made it a four-point game. Her fifth led to a Darby corner three to tie up the game 55-55.
Tennessee took the lead when Jackson made her two free throws, making it a 59-57 game. But it didn’t take long for Kentucky to take the lead back with an and-one on the next possession.
Tennessee ended the third quarter in the lead, 66-60. Key’s defensive plays affected the game in tremendous ways. Overall, the Lady Vols were playing at a more aggressive pace and playing smarter.
In the fourth, Rickea picked up six quick points early on, and a Darby jumper made it an eleven-point game. The Lady Vols were up by double digits for the first time on the day, 76-65. From then on, the lead kept growing. The final score was 87-69 in a thrilling second-half comeback game.
Jackson had 27 points to end the night, and Spear also knocked down 21. Key also ended the night with a season-high six blocks that ignited the win.
Next up, the Lady Vols take on the Florida Gators inside Food City Center on Jan. 11. That tip-off is at 7 p.m.
