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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee took a commanding victory over in-state foe ETSU on Monday night, winning 112-58 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The score reflects UT’s highest point total since claiming a 131-69 triumph against Troy on Dec. 6, 2017, and is the most points scored in a single game during head coach Kellie Harper‘s tenure.
Six Tennessee (10-1) players were in double figures, led by freshman Sara Puckett, who turned in a career-high 19. Junior Tamari Key was close behind with 16 points, and Keyen Green finished with 13, while Karoline Striplin set a new career high with 10. Freshman Kaiya Wynn recorded her first double-double as a Lady Vol with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and graduate Alexus Dye notched 11 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Jakhyia Davis was the high scorer for ETSU (1-11) with 17 points, and Aaliyah Vananda tallied 12.
ETSU was first on the board, going up by three off a trey by Davis 30 seconds into the game, but the Lady Vols answered with buckets by four of the five players on the floor to take an 8-3 lead by the 7:45 mark. UT would maintain its five-point lead through the media timeout and, following the break, Tennessee closed out the quarter with a 10-4 run fueled by eight straight points from Keyen Green to send the game into the second stanza with a score of 24-13.
The Lady Vols picked up where they left off in the second quarter, holding ETSU scoreless for more than two and a half minutes. Meanwhile, they expanded their run to 15-0 to lead 33-13 before Abby Carrington knocked down a trey with 7:22 left in the half. The teams traded baskets through the 5:00 mark when Key hit back-to-back layups to put the Big Orange up by 22 at the media timeout. A three by Jada Ryce cut the Bucs’ deficit to 19 on the next possession, but Tennessee closed out the half with a 7-0 run capped off by a Wynn steal and pass to Brooklynn Miles for the fast-break layup just before the buzzer, making the halftime score 51-26.
Jordan Horston was the first to score in the second half, knocking down a layup 20 seconds into the third quarter. The Bucs got two points off free throws from Davis on the next possession, but the Lady Vols responded with a 15-0 run spanning more than four minutes to go up 68-27 before Davis hit a jumper at the 4:08 mark. The teams traded buckets through the end of the period with Striplin and Puckett combining for nine of UT’s 11 points over that stretch to send the game into the fourth with Tennessee up 79-39.
The first half of the fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, as UT’s reserves saw extended minutes, but with 3:26 to go in the game, Wynn hit a 3-pointer to set off a 17-2 run to close out the contest. Puckett added seven points to her total during that stretch while Emily Saunders scored layups on back-to-back plays to push the final margin of victory to 54.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will host Chattanooga following the holiday break in a 6:30 p.m. ET matchup on Monday, Dec. 27. The contest will be streamed on SECN+.
SEEING DOUBLE: Freshman Kaiya Wynn and graduate Alexus Dye each recorded double-doubles against the Bucs. At least one Lady Vol has recorded a double-double in every game this season for a team total of 14 on the year.
DOMINATING THE PAINT: The Lady Vols scored a season-high 70 points in the paint and out-rebounded ETSU, 61-27. Tennessee has out-rebounded its opponent in 10 of 11 games this season and carded its sixth game of 50+ rebounds this season and second with 60 or more.
BALANCED ATTACK: On the night, the Lady Vols had six players in double figures. It marked the first time UT had done that since doing so against Murray State on Dec. 28, 2018. Every active Lady Vol scored at least two points and grabbed one or more rebounds.
-UT Athletics
