It was the first We Back Pat night at The Summitt this season and the 23rd ranked Tennessee Lady Vols fell to Georgia, 67-66. The Lady Vols move to 8-2 and 2-1 in the SEC.
Georgia has not won in Knoxville since 1996 when Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper was a player on Pat Summitt's squad.
We Back Pat Week
January 14th through the 21st is We Back Pat Week in the Southeastern Conference. This is the 10th anniversary of the initiative within the league.
During the week, SEC schools will support the foundation during each of their 18 women’s basketball home games. Tennessee will close out the We Back Pat Week at home on January 21st against UConn.
First Half Strengths
The Lady Vols led by double-digits at halftime, 40-25. Tennessee came into Thursday night's game 8 and 0 when leading at halftime. Tennessee shot 51.5% from the field at the half, and 30% from the three-point line.
Sophomore post Tamari Key led the Lady Vols at halftime with 12 points and two blocks. Key shot 100% from the field in the first half. Kellie Harper’s squad used their height advantage against the Bulldogs in the paint in the first half, outscoring Georgia 22-12 in the paint. Key's next points did not come until late in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee out rebounded Georgia in the first half, 20-15.
The Lady Vols continue to struggle on protecting the ball, as they had 10 turnovers in the first half. However, they forced Georgia to turn the ball over 12 times in the first half, scoring 15 of their 40 points off those mistakes.
Second Half Woes
The Lady Vols lost a 17 point lead early in the second half. The momentum in the third quarter swung Georgia's favor, as the Bulldogs full-court press forced Tennessee to turn the ball over 14 times in the second half.
The Lady Vols finished the game with 24 turnovers, including the last play of the game when Tennessee was attempting the win.
Georgia went on a 19 and 2 scoring run, and overall, out scored Tennessee 29 to 9 in the third. The Lady Vols shot just 25% from the field in the third quarter and 45% in the second half.
Tennessee was led in scoring by Rennia Davis. Davis finished with 15 points and 4 rebounds. Tamari Key add 14 points, and Jordan Horston added 11 points and four assists.
Next Up
The Lady Vols travel to Alabama Sunday. Tip-off is set for 3:00pm on SECN+.
