Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a decisive 92-53 victory over Wofford on Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Three Lady Vols (8-6) were in double figures, with senior Rickea Jackson leading the team with 16 points, and senior Jordan Horston and junior Tess Darby finishing with 13 and 11, respectively. Graduate Jasmine Franklin led the team in rebounding with 10 boards on the night while adding eight points, and freshman Justine Pissott notched a season-high three 3-pointers as seven Lady Vols recorded points from deep.
Tennessee tied its season-best of 12 treys against Wofford, shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc while holding WC to a season-low 53 points on the night.
For the Terriers (9-4), Jackie Carman scored a game-high 17 points.
Horston kicked things off for the Big Orange, knocking down two jumpers and a 3-pointer to score the first seven points of the game. Tennessee quickly picked up momentum from deep with three more Lady Vols hitting 3-pointers to fuel a 22-0 run. UT held the Terriers to just four points in the first quarter, tying the third quarter of the Rutgers game for the fewest points Tennessee has given up in a quarter this season.
The Big Orange continued to dominate offensively in the second quarter, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. Pissott netted three 3-pointers in just over a minute, while Sara Puckett drained two threes to stretch the score to 49-19 by the break. At halftime, Jackson and Pissott led the Lady Vols with nine points each, while Puckett followed with eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
The third quarter was a group effort inside the paint, with six Lady Vols contributing to a field goal percentage of 63 percent. Darby drilled two threes early in the period, marking her sixth game this season with multiple threes in a contest. Defensively, Tennessee notched three steals and a block, which led to five additional points for UT.
Kaiya Wynn rounded out the final quarter for the Lady Vols, posting a season-high seven points and two rebounds. Tennessee’s defense held the Terriers without a 3-pointer in the fourth, while limiting their field goal percentage to 23 percent. UT closed out the game with a strong showing at the free-throw line, hitting 11-of-14 free throws to secure a 92-53 victory over WC.
Sharpshooting Sara
Sara Puckett went a perfect 3-of-3 on the night, including two treys. Over the last four contests, she is averaging 10.8 ppg. and shooting a scorching 61.5 percent from behind the arc.
Firing From The Jump
Tennessee started the game by rattling off a 22-0 run. This is the second run of 20+ points UT has posted this season, tying its season-best run of 22-0 recorded in the third quarter against Rutgers on November 16th.
Raining Threes
Against the Terriers, Sara Puckett, Tess Darby, and Justine Pissott all hit at least two threes. This is the fourth time this season Tennessee has had three shooters hit multiple treys and the second time in three games. It also marks the first time the Lady Vols have had two different players knock down three triples during the 2022-23 campaign.
Happy To Assist
Tennessee racked up 22 assists against the Terriers with three Lady Vols recording three or more. Karoline Striplin doled out a team-high six assists, shattering her previous career high of one assist, while Jasmine Franklin set a season high with three assists on the night.
Next Up For UT Women’s Basketball
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team will begin conference play on the road, traveling to Florida for a 5:00pm CT matchup against the Gators on Thursday. The contest will be streamed on SECN+.
