The Tennessee Lady Volunteers are riding high on a trio of victories after a 99-64 win against the UCF Knights Wednesday night.
This home court faceoff at Thompson-Boling Arena started off dicey, as the Vols worked to gain their footing against the Knights. Just 18 seconds in, senior guard Mya Burns had already put UCF on the board.
But Tennessee’s Jordan Horston quickly answered that deficit, sinking a trio of two-pointers. Just over four minutes in, a subsequent three-pointer by Jasmine Franklin positioned the Lady Vols at 10-9 against UCF.
The majority of the first half continued in similar fashion, with the two teams volleying back and forth for the lead. In total, the duo made seven lead changes during the first two quarters. That left Tennessee to control the lead for just over 11 minutes.
Harper helps ease halftime woes
The Lady Vols led 41-38 going into halftime and kicked off the second half with a newfound fire underfoot. Head coach Kellie Harper commented on the team’s locker room discussion, saying:
“I gently told them that we had given up 12 offensive boards in the first half, and I didn’t think that was appropriate. We just challenged them to be better on the defensive end, to be tougher, to be more disciplined with their box-outs. I thought some of us missed shots in the first half that affected our defense, and you never want to see that. We challenged them to really lock in and win the game on the defensive end of the court.”
Tennessee picked up the pace in quarter three, scoring 34 points against the Knights and allowing only 10 points in return.
That momentum continued well into the fourth quarter, where the Lady Vols logged another 24 points to extend the final gap to a 35-point lead.
Justine Pissott leaves breakout impression
This matchup wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the breakout talent of young forward Justine Pissott. The freshman scored 6 points from behind the arc early in the game and ultimately aided with 14 total points.
With senior center Tamari Key benched for the remaining season, Jordan Horston became the night’s lead contributor, tallying up 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Meanwhile, Jillian Hollingshead added nine points to the scoreboard, while Sara Puckett and Tess Darby contributed eight points each.
And although Rickea Jackson didn’t make her game debut until the third quarter, she still managed to find the basket for five points.
All 14 active players took to the court against UCF. Fan favorite Edie Darby made her appearance in the fourth quarter upon crowd request.
Lady Vols remain No. 1 in the SEC
Despite a handful of season-long struggles, Tennessee’s 7-5 record still positions the team No. 1 in the SEC.
On the UCF side, Mya Burns led the charge with 12 points scored. Guard Sierra Godbolt followed with 11 points, and sophomore Laila Jewett rounded out the team’s top three with 10 points scored.
Although UFC drops to a 6-3 season record after this matchup, the Lady Knights remain No. 1 in the American Conference.
Next up, Tennessee travels all the way to California to face No. 2 Stanford. Tennessee’s current three-game win streak should put them in prime position to deliver a confident blow to the Cardinal.
Tennessee Lady Vols Jordan Horston and Jasmine Powell cheer on the team.
