Lady Vols basketball avoids upset, comes back at Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team avoided a major upset on Thursday night, coming back from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Florida Gators 77-70 at Exactech Arena.
The Lady Vols (20-5, 10-2 SEC) were led by a dominant performance from senior forward Rickea Jackson, who poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Jackson also added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks to her impressive stat line.
Tennessee also got significant contributions from junior guard Jordan Walker, who had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, and sophomore guard Sara Puckett, who chipped in with 12 points and 3 rebounds.
The Gators (16-9, 5-7 SEC) were led by senior guard Lavender Briggs, who had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Florida also got 18 points and 7 rebounds from junior forward Nina Rickards.
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to gain a significant advantage until the final minutes. Florida took a 42-32 lead into halftime, thanks to a strong shooting performance from Briggs.
However, the Lady Vols came out strong in the second half, using a 12-2 run to take a 54-52 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. Tennessee continued to pull away, using a 10-2 run to take a 72-62 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining.
Florida cut the deficit to 5 points with just over 1 minute remaining, but the Lady Vols were able to hold on for the 77-70 win.
“I’m so proud of our team for the way they fought and competed tonight,” said Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper. “We didn’t play our best basketball in the first half, but we made some adjustments and came out strong in the second half. Rickea was incredible, and Jordan and Sara also had big games for us.”
The win marked Tennessee’s 10th in SEC play, and it kept the Lady Vols in second place in the conference standings behind only undefeated South Carolina.
Tennessee will look to keep its winning streak alive on Sunday, when it hosts Vanderbilt at Thompson-Boling Arena.
_Game Stats:_
– Tennessee: Rickea Jackson (26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Jordan Walker (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Sara Puckett (12 points, 3 rebounds)
– Florida: Lavender Briggs (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Nina Rickards (18 points, 7 rebounds)
_Game Notes:_
– The win marked Tennessee’s 20th of the season, marking the 10th time in the last 11 seasons that the Lady Vols have reached the 20-win mark.
– Rickea Jackson’s 26 points marked her 10th 20-point game of the season.
– Tennessee improved to 10-2 in SEC play, marking the Lady Vols’ best conference record through 12 games since the 2010-11 season.
The Lady Vols’ comeback win over Florida marked a critical victory in the SEC standings, and it sets up a big showdown with Vanderbilt on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“We’re proud of our team for the way they responded to adversity tonight,” Harper said. “We know that we have a tough stretch of games coming up, and we need to be ready to compete at a high level every night out.”
Tennessee’s win over Florida also marked a significant milestone for Harper, who earned her 150th career win as a head coach.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach at Tennessee, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as a program,” Harper said. “But we’re not satisfied with where we are right now. We know that we have a lot of work to do if we want to achieve our goals this season.”
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