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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a double-double from Jasmine Powell and three 14-plus-point scorers, the No. 11/4 Tennessee Lady Volunteers fell to No. 12/11 Indiana, 79-67, Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Powell turned in a strong night in just her second game played on The Summitt, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. It marks just the second career double-double for the senior transfer from Minnesota. The guard was the Lady Vols’ leading scorer in the first half, sinking 11 points on 3-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Tennessee’s leading scorer was Rickea Jackson, who posted 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 2-of-3 marksmanship from downtown. She also made all three free throw attempts in the game and was complimented by solid paint play from Tamari Key, who also finished in double figures in scoring with 14 points. Key was perfect from the floor, converting all four layup tries in the game for the Big Orange (1-2).
Indiana (3-0) won the game with a balanced attack, having five different double-digit scorers, led by Sara Scalia and Mackenzie Holmes who both finished with 16. Holmes and Grace Berger both carded IU’s first double-doubles of the season, as they both logged 10 boards. Berger finished with 13 points in her seventh career double-double, while Holmes is the team leader in the category, having 12 career games with multiple categories in double digits.
The night started off slow for the Lady Vols in the shooting department, but Powell supplied the early firepower by sinking a pair of 3-pointers. Tennessee lead 10-9 at the media timeout after back-to-back lay-ins from Jackson, but Indiana found its offensive rhythm, closing the quarter on a 12-4 run and leading 22-14 after 10 minutes of play.
The second stanza featured both sides getting shots and converting at a similar rate with the Hoosiers posting a 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) line, while UT was 6-of-18 (33.3 percent). The difference in the quarter was IU’s ability to put it away from deep, doubling up the Lady Vols’ total on 3-pointers with four makes to Tennessee’s two.
Tennessee made a bid at climbing out of its hole in the middle minutes of the third quarter. The Lady Vols had a 5-for-5 field goal stretch that included a pair of makes from deep by Tess Darby and was jump-started by an and-one from Jackson. While the team would outscore Indiana 20-17 in the quarter, the Lady Vols still faced an eight-point deficit entering the fourth period.
Jackson was a sparkplug in the final period and did all she could to lead the Big Orange to a comeback win. Tennessee cut the deficit to four at the 7:05 mark before the Hoosiers kicked into gear and brought their lead back up to 10. Jackson finished the quarter 2-of-3 from the floor with both buckets coming from beyond the arc. Indiana repelled any UT threats in the final 10 minutes as, going 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor and sinking all six shots from the free-throw line, closing out the final quarter with a 22-18 margin.
UP NEXT
The Lady Vols take to the road for their only regular-season tournament of the season, the Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Action begins with Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 19, and tips off at noon ET on FloHoops.com.
TESS FOR THREE: Junior Tess Darby has hit three 3-pointers in three straight games, the longest streak in her Lady Vol career, and is averaging nine points per contest.
POWELL POPS OFF: Senior Jasmine Powell posted 16 points and 10 rebounds, notching the second double-double of her career, her first as a Lady Vol.
TRANSFERS STAND OUT: Transfers Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell have shined in the inaugural showdowns of the season. Jackson has accumulated 50 points and 23 rebounds through three games, while Powell has recorded 39 points and 15 rebounds.
-UT Athletics
