KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Sunday afternoon, the Lady Vols got out early in an 86-81 win against in-state rival Vanderbilt inside Memorial Gymnasium. Tennessee completes the regular season sweep in the 25-point victory.
Tennessee's starting lineup included Rickea Jackson, Jasmine Powell, Jewel Spear, Tamari Key and Sara Puckett. This was Key's sixth straight start for the Lady Vols this season.
UT got to work early in those first ten minutes. The Lady Vols went on a 12-0 run and led 20-7 with 4:10 left in the first quarter.
Tennessee shot 5-6 from beyond the arc and was 76.9 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes. Spear led with nine points and the Lady Vols were up 30-15 at this point in the game. Thirty points is a season-high best in a quarter so far this season for the team.
About seven minutes into the second, Tennessee led 37-19, but the Commodores went on a 10-2 run to make it a nine-point game, 39-30.
Jackson knocked down her second three of the day and recovered the ball on the next possession to sink a contested jumper. Those five points slowed down Vanderbilt's momentum before halftime. Tennessee was able to get the lead back up to 15, 44-29.
Jackson led in points with 12 and the Lady Vols were shooting 59.3 percent from the floor at the half.
After halftime, Vanderbilt went on a 6-0 run and cut the lead to 11, but Jackson ended the run with another jumper and followed it up with a driving layup to make it a 50-37 game.
On the next possession, she sank her ninth from the floor to give her 20 points with a little under half a quarter left in the third. This was her 7th game, scoring 20 points or more this season.
Tennessee led by 21 on an 8-0 run. The run ended when Jillian Hollingshead sank a jumper in the paint to make it a 64-43 game.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Vols didn't knock down a field goal until the 6:30 mark when Spear drained her third three on the day.
The Commodores went on a 9-2 run early in the last ten minutes, but the Lady Vol's efficiency on offense later in the quarter and their already swollen lead made it difficult for Vanderbilt to catch up.
UT never trailed in all 40 minutes and ended up shooting 52.5 percent from the field. Jackson ended the day with a 24-point performance. Spear also went 3-6 from deep and ended with 16 points. Jasmine Powell was the third Lady Vol to score in double figures with 12 points.
Next, the Lady Vols have a week between games before taking on No. 13 LSU inside Food City Center. The tip-off is an afternoon matchup at noon.
