#7 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball defeats Arkansas in Overtime, 86-83

Knoxville, TN – Battling back from a 13-point deficit, the No. 7/5 Tennessee women’s basketball team defeated Arkansas 86-83 in overtime Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee (19-2, 8-1 SEC) found key offense from a number of contributors, Jordan Horston scored 24 points, Rae Burrell was clutch down the stretch, sinking 17 of her 21 points in the second half and overtime. Tamari Key got it done at the line, making a career-best eight free throws in a 14-point night.

Horston’s energy showed on both ends of the floor as she pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied 40 minutes on the floor, a career-high. It was Horston’s 10th double-double of the year, entering tonight only 26 players in Division I had 10 or more double-doubles and only eight play at Power 5 programs.

Another big night came from Sara Puckett of the bench. The freshman logged 10 points and a career-high 10 boards, nine coming on the defensive end, for her first career double-doubles. She blocked two shots, her first game with multiple swats at Tennessee.
 
Tennessee kicked into gear in the fourth quarter, taking its first lead of the game with 7:46 left in the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks (14-7, 4-4 SEC) hung around as the teams went back-and-forth with six lead changes and four ties in the final period of regulation. The Lady Vols owned the boards, pulling down 60. Monday night’s contest marked the first SEC game with 60 rebounds or more since the Lady Vols had 62 against Ole Miss on February 6th, 2003. It also marked the first time since the 2013-14 season the Lady Vols had three games with 60 or more boards.
 
Arkansas’ offense was powered by Amber Ramirez who scored 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

The first quarter was a battle with both offenses creating chances and converting through some tough defense. The Lady Vols made an offensive push in the middle of the period, going on a 10-3 run lasting four minutes and 39 seconds. Six different Lady Vols also got in the score column in the period.

Tennessee’s offense was held in check in the second quarter, scoring 13 in the frame, but the defense kept it to within three possessions. Alexus Dye gave the Lady Vols some momentum going into the half as she tipped in a put-back layup as the horn sounded, cutting the Arkansas advantage to 41-32, at the break.

The UT Lady Vols started to find some offensive rhythm in the middle of the third quarter, scoring in three straight possessions. Puckett knocked down a 3-pointer with 66 seconds left in the quarter to put some life in the Big Orange faithful heading to the final frame. Horston found her offensive flow in the quarter, sinking nine points while Jordan Walker added five rebounds out of the backcourt.

Tennessee exploded to start the fourth, Walker knocked down a trey with just under eight minutes left in the game to tie it, then Burrell intercepted a Razorback pass and took it to the rack for the first Lady Vol lead of the game. The fourth finished with both offenses trading blows as there were six lead changes and four times the game was tied up. Key’s strong night at the line was on display as she drained two clutch free throws with 26 seconds left.

About the UT Lady Vols Basketball

The Tennessee women’s basketball team takes to the road for a two-game swing, starting with Florida on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 6:00pm at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Tennessee returns to Rocky Top next Thursday to host Missouri at 6:30pm, tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com.

Box Score

Arkansas 83, Tennessee 86