Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 23 Lady Vols drop heartbreaker to Gonzaga, 73-72

Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 23 Lady Vols drop heartbreaker to Gonzaga, 73-72

Posted on November 21, 2022

Box Score (PDF) | Highlights | Horston/Harper/Franklin Presser | Photo Gallery

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — No. 23 Tennessee fell to Gonzaga on Monday in a 73-72 nail-biter that featured 15 lead changes and nine ties. With the loss, the Lady Vols take fourth place in the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.

Seniors Jordan Horston and Rickea Jackson were the top scorers for UT (2-4) with 19 and 16, respectively, while graduate Jasmine Franklin narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Yvonne Ejim led the Zags (5-1) with 22 points, 20 of which came in the second half. Kaylynne Truong was also in double digits with 14 points, and McKayla Williams turned in 12.

Both teams came out of the gate hot, with Gonzaga shooting a perfect five of five to open the game, and Tennessee going five of seven while forcing two turnovers to result in five lead changes in just over three minutes of play. An old-fashioned three-point play by Horston at the 6:47 mark had the Lady Vols on top by two, but a 3-pointer from Truong put the Zags ahead by one at 15-14 a minute later. Franklin hit a pair of free throws to give UT a one-point advantage, but Truong once again answered with a trey, and GU led by two with 4:37 to go in the first. Jordan Walker tied it back up from the free-throw line at 18-all, but then the Lady Vols fell into a scoring slump as the Bulldogs closed out the period with two more threes to lead 24-18 by the buzzer.

Horston hit a layup on the fast break to open the scoring in the second, and a 3-pointer by Tess Darby gave UT a one-point advantage two and a half minutes into the quarter. The teams swapped buckets until the 3:11 mark when Horston nailed a trey, and the Lady Vols forced a turnover that Jackson turned into two quick points on the layup to stretch UT’s lead to four at 32-28 with 3:05 to go in the half. Truong cut it back to a two-point game from the free-throw line, but Horston and Tamari Key closed out the half with back-to-back buckets to put Tennessee ahead at the break, 36-30.

The Lady Vols went up seven off a Jasmine Powell free throw to start the second half, but Gonzaga whittled it down to four by the 7:17 mark. Powell fired in a jumper 12 seconds later, setting off a 6-0 run that put UT up 45-36 with five and a half minutes left in the quarter. The Bulldogs responded with a 9-2 run to narrow the spread to two points by the 2:47 mark. Horston and Key made layups on UT’s next two possessions, but the Zags answered with six straight points to tie the game at 51-all with 1:28 to go in the third. Key converted on the second of a pair of free throws, and Powell added a layup before Truong hit a free throw of her own to send the game into the fourth stanza with UT leading 54-52.

The Bulldogs opened the final quarter with a 6-1 run to lead by three with 8:27 left in the game, but the Lady Vols bounced back with six straight points to go up 61-58 by the 6:08 mark. The Zags crept back within one three times over the next three minutes before knotting it up at 66 with 3:08 to play. Horston put in a layup on the next play, and Jackson followed it up with a jumper to give UT a four-point cushion with two minutes left in the contest. Ejim drained a three with 1:12 on the clock and followed it up with a layup on the next trip down the court to reclaim the lead for GU at 71-70, but Horston nailed a 10-foot jumper with 36 seconds left in the contest to put the Big Orange on top. Gonzaga got the ball to Williams underneath the basket on its next play, but Jackson blocked a would-be layup, and UT regained possession. A turnover on the inbound play gave GU the ball back underneath its goal, and an Ejim layup put the Bulldogs on top, 73-72. The Lady Vols put up three shots in the closing seconds but couldn’t convert, and the final horn sounded with UT trailing by one.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will return to Knoxville where it will kick off a six-game homestand by hosting Colorado in a 7 p.m. ET matchup on Friday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: Senior Rickea Jackson was named to the Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team. The forward led UT in scoring with 56 points over three games to average 18.7 ppg. and 5.3 rpg. while in the Bahamas. 

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Hoops Preview: #11/12 Lady Vols vs. Gonzaga

Hoops Preview: #11/12 Lady Vols vs. Gonzaga

Posted on November 20, 2022

No. 11/12 Tennessee (2-3) will close out its stay at the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday, as it faces RV/RV Gonzaga (4-1) in the third-place game at Imperial Arena.

The match-up continues a trend of the Lady Vols facing teams ranked or receiving votes in five of six games in 2022-23, with Rutgers being the lone exception.

UT finds itself in the third-place game after defeating Rutgers in the opening round (94-54) on Saturday and then falling to RV/RV UCLA (80-63) in the semifinals on Sunday. Gonzaga, meanwhile, fell to Marquette, 70-66, in the semifinals on Sunday after toppling No. 6/4 Louisville on Saturday, 79-67, in overtime.

This will mark the fifth meeting between the Lady Volunteers and Zags, with the Lady Vols holding a 4-0 advantage in the series. UT has a 2-0 record vs. GU at neutral sites, most recently coming from 17-down to defeat the Zags at Spokane Arena, 73-69, in overtime on March 28, 2015.

Tennessee is in the midst of a six-game campaign-opening gauntlet over a 14-day period. UT played three games in the first seven days of the season and now is in the midst of a three-games-in-three-days stretch in the B4A tourney, followed by a two-in-three-day run at home on Nov. 25 (Colorado) and 27 (Eastern Kentucky).

Broadcast Information

  • ESPNU will televise the Tennessee vs. Gonzaga contest, with Kevin Fitzgerald (PxP) and Carolyn Peck (Analyst) on the call for the third-place game at the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis.
  • The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Voice of the Lady Vols Brian Rice in his first season behind the mic. He will be joined by studio host Andy Brock. 
  • A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com. 
  • For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

Lady Vol Trending Topics

  • Senior forward Rickea Jackson has emerged as the Lady Vols’ scoring leader the past four games, tallying 24, 17, 26 and 14 points after opening the season with nine points at Ohio State. She is averaging 20.3 points per game during that span and 18.0 for the season.
  • Jordan Horston has scored in double figures in every game she has completed in this season, averaging 14.3 ppg. over those three contests. She was injured in the second quarter vs. UMass and also missed the next contest vs. Indiana. 
  • Marta Suárez, who missed all of last season due to an injury and recovery, has shown flashes of her freshman year contributions. She has produced 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field over the past two games here in The Bahamas. She has led UT on the boards the past two contests.
  • Tennessee got to the free-throw line 31 times vs. UCLA and is averaging 16.0 points per contest at the charity stripe.
  • UT, which is looking to improve in its board play so far this season, limited UCLA to an opponent-low five second-chance points on Sunday.
  • Tamari Key has had her productivity limited offensively over the past two games, but she has continued to be a defensive presence. She blocked five shots vs. Rutgers and three vs. UCLA to average 4.0 during this tournament.

What’s Next?

  • Tennessee returns home Tuesday afternoon, has preparation days on Wednesday and Thursday, and welcomes Colorado and Eastern Kentucky to Knoxville on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
  • The Lady Vols and Buffaloes will meet at 7 p.m. ET on Friday in a game televised by SEC Network.
  • The Big Orange and Colonels face off on Sunday at 2 p.m. in a matinee streamed on SECN+.

First Time At B4A, Third Time In The Bahamas

  • This is the Lady Vols’ first appearance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but it is their third trip to The Bahamas.
  • They are visiting their third different island, having twice participated in the Junkanoo Jam Tournament on two other isles. 
  • In 2013-14, the Tennessee women went 2-0 and won the Lucaya Division at the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.
  • UT defeated Virginia, 76-67, and SMU, 87-47, in Freeport. 
  • In 2018-19, the Lady Vols traveled to Resorts World Bimini and won both games there to capture the Junkanoo Division crown at the Junkanoo Jam. 
  • In Bimini, the Big Orange turned back Clemson, 78-66, and UAB, 73-69 in overtime.
  • Thus far at the B4A, UT is 1-1 after streaking past Rutgers, 94-54, in opening round play on Saturday and falling, 80-63, to RV/RV UCLA in the semifinals on Sunday.

International Success

  • Tennessee is making its fourth in-season trip outside the U.S. and sixth international excursion during the past 10 years, holding a 14-1 mark on foreign soil soil during that stretch, including 8-1 in games that count toward season records after Saturday’s win.
  • This is the program’s 10th all-time international excursion, and UT is 25-8 on foreign soil.
  • This is the Lady Vols’ first trip outside the country since going to The Netherlands, Belgium and France in August 2019 prior to Kellie Harper‘s first season at Rocky Top. Seniors Jordan Horston, Tamari Key and Jessie Rennie had just arrived at Tennessee.
  • The B4A is UT’s first in-season international trip since the 2018 Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas.
  • UT has been to Freeport, Bahamas/2013 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); Cancun, Mexico/2017 Cancun Challenge (3-0); Bimini, Bahamas/2019 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); and now Paradise Island, Bahamas/2022 Battle 4 Atlantis for NCAA countable competition.
  • Foreign Tours and records include Brazil in June 1987 (1-4), England in January 1992 (2-1), Belgium/France/Switzerland in August 1999 (5-0), Italy/Greece in August 2003 (3-2), Italy in 2015 (3-0) and The Netherlands/Belgium/France in 2019 (3-0). 
  • Not counting in these totals are trips to U.S. territory tournaments in San Juan, Puerto Rico/San Juan Shootout in November-December 2002 (3-0); and two appearances in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I./Paradise Jam in Nov. 2005 (3-0) and Nov. 2010 (2-1).

Looking Back At The UCLA Game

  • The No. 11/12 Lady Vols suffered a tough loss on Sunday in the semifinal round of the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis, falling 80-63 to an undefeated UCLA squad that is receiving votes in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls.
  • Tennessee (2-3) was led by seniors Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston who turned in 14 and 11, respectively. 
  • The Bruins (5-0) were hot from long range, knocking down 16 treys on 53-percent shooting from behind the arc. 
  • Charisma Osborne led that effort, hitting five threes en route to becoming the game’s leading scorer with 23 points. Kiki Rice was also in double figures with 15, while Gina Conti and Lina Sontag each turned in 12.

Free Throw Machine

  • Rickea Jackson scored 10 of her 14 points from the free-throw line against UCLA, going 10 of 12 on the night.
  • She is 16 of 19 from the charity stripe over the last three games for a free-throw percentage of 84.2 percent. 

Cutting Back On The Miscues

  • Tennessee limited its miscues to just 14 against the Bruins, marking the lowest turnover total of the season thus far.

Bench Production

  • Tennessee has averaged 31.5 points per game from its reserves at the Battle 4 Atlantis, getting 37 vs. Rutgers and 26 vs. UCLA.
  • For the season, the Lady Vols’ bench is outscoring the bench of UT’s foes, 21.2 to 16.4.

A Look At Gonzaga

  • Gonzaga enters Monday’s contest with five players averaging double figures in scoring, including Yvonne Ejim (17.2), Brynna Maxwell (13.8), Kaylynne Truong (12.0), Eliza Hollingsworth (11.8) and Kayleigh Truong (10.3).
  • The Zags shoot 40.2 percent from the three-point arc, led by Brynna Maxwell (14-24, 58.3) and Eliza Hollingsworth (7-12, 58.3).
  • GU is 73 of 91 from the charity stripe for a sizzling 80.2 percent through five games.
  • Gonzaga is led by Lisa Fortier, who is 209-55 in her ninth year as head coach at the school.
  • Fortier has directed the Zags to seven NCAA appearances and has been named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions.
  • Gonzaga and Tennessee both have wife/husband tandems holding down the head coach position and one of the assistant coach spots.
  • Lisa Fortier’s husband, Craig, and Kellie Harper‘s spouse, Jon, handle those responsibilities.

Gonzaga’s Last Game

  • Despite three Zags scoring in double figures, Gonzaga women’s basketball fell just short to Marquette, 70-66, in the second game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
  • Both Brynna Maxwell and Kaylynne Truong scored 18 points, and Eliza Hollingsworth also scored 12. Yvonne Ejim led the team in rebounds with 11 and scored nine points, just short of her second double-double of the year.
  • The game saw seven lead changes and the game tied at five different points. Rebounds were also competitive with both teams, as GU grabbed 38 compared to Marquette’s 39. 
  • The Zags were without Kayleigh Truong due to an injury sustained in Saturday’s game against Louisville.

UT/GU Notes

  • Tennessee is 4-0 all-time vs. Gonzaga, while UT’s Kellie Harper is 0-1 vs. the Zags.
  • UT is 2-0 vs. GU at neutral sites.
  • The teams last met on March 28, 2015, in the NCAA Sweet 16 at the off-campus Spokane Arena, where the Lady Vols erased a 17-point late second-half deficit to win in overtime, 73-69.
  • Former Lady Vol Angie Bjorklund (2007-11) hails from Spokane, Wash., where Gonzaga is located, and her sister Jami played for the Zags from 2005-09.

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols – Gonzaga / Credit: UT Athletics
Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 11/12 Lady Vols give up 16 three-pointers, lose to UCLA in the Bahamas, 80-63

Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 11/12 Lady Vols give up 16 three-pointers, lose to UCLA in the Bahamas, 80-63

Posted on November 20, 2022

Box Score (PDF) | Highlights | Jackson/Harper/Horston Presser | Photo Gallery 

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – The No. 11/12 Lady Vols suffered a tough loss on Sunday in the semifinal round of the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis, falling 80-63 to an undefeated UCLA squad that is receiving votes in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls.

Tennessee (2-3) was led by seniors Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston who turned in 14 and 11, respectively. 

The Bruins (5-0) were hot from long range, knocking down 16 treys on 53 percent shooting from behind the arc. Charisma Osborne led that effort, hitting five threes en route to becoming the game’s leading scorer with 23 points. Kiki Rice was also in double figures with 15, and Gina Conti and Lina Sontag each turned in 12.

Tennessee got out to a 4-0 lead early off jumpers from Horston and Jackson, but UCLA quickly found its stride offensively, putting together a 10-0 run to jump out to a 10-4 lead three minutes into play. Jasmine Powell ended the slump for UT with a 3-pointer, and it became a back-and-forth affair until Jordan Walker and Powell combined for five straight points to pull the Lady Vols within two at the 2:14 mark. The Bruins once again countered, closing out the quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 26-18 lead into the second period. 

Sara Puckett hit the first bucket of the second quarter, but UCLA responded with a 12-2 run to go up by 16 with 6:42 left in the half. Jackson knocked down a pair of free throws and Marta Suárez followed it up with a layup to cut the deficit to 12, but Osborne and Christeen Iwuala combined for five quick points to put the Bruins up 43-26 by the 4:28 mark. Horston drained a 3-pointer on UT’s next possession to set off a 10-0 Lady Vol scoring streak that pulled them back within seven, but a three at the buzzer by Rice pushed the halftime margin back to 10, 46-36.

Tamari Key cut the Bruins’ lead down to single digits with a layup to start the second half, but an 11-2 UCLA run stretched the score to 57-40 by the media timeout. Tennessee went cold from the floor, going without a field goal in the final six minutes but hitting seven free throws to stay within 18 as the game headed into the final period with a score of 65-47.

Horston opened the scoring in the fourth with a fast-break layup, and Jackson followed it up with a pair of free throws to pull the Big Orange back within 14. A layup by Camryn Brown put the Bruins back on top by 16 with just over seven minutes to play, and the Lady Vols failed to find momentum in the closing minutes as the teams traded baskets through the buzzer with the final score landing at 80-63.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will face the loser of Marquette and Gonzaga at 2:30 p.m. ET Monday in a battle for third place. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

FREE THROW MACHINE: Rickea Jackson scored 10 of her 14 points from the free-throw line against UCLA, going 10 of 12 on the night. She is 16 of 19 from the charity stripe over the last three games for a free-throw percentage of 84.2 percent. 

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Tennessee limited its turnovers to just 14 against the Bruins, marking the lowest turnover total of the season thus far.

-UT Athletics

Rickea Jackson – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Quotes/Notes/Stats/Story: No. 5 Vols can’t get stops, routed by red-hot Gamecocks, 63-38

Quotes/Notes/Stats/Story: No. 5 Vols can’t get stops, routed by red-hot Gamecocks, 63-38

Posted on November 20, 2022

Final Book (PDF) | UT Postgame Notes (PDF) | UT Postgame Quotes (PDF) 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A red-hot South Carolina offense could not be held down as the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers fell to the Gamecocks, 63-38, on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium.

It was an offensive battle from the jump as the two sides combined for 59 points in the first half. South Carolina (7-4, 4-4 SEC) put up 21 points in the first quarter and followed it with a pair of scores in the second. Tennessee (9-2, 5-5) kept the pressure on with offensive success of its own, tossing up a 17-point second period and going into the half down just 11.

The Vols came up with a stop on South Carolina’s opening drive of the second half and turned it into points as Hendon Hooker found Princeton Fant streaking up the middle of the field for a 41-yard touchdown. Narrowing the deficit to four was as close as the Vols would come to evening the ballgame in the last 30 minutes.

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler was 30-of-37 with 438 yards and six touchdowns, setting a new program record for single-game passing touchdowns.

Hooker finished 25-of-42 with 247 yards and three touchdowns before exiting the game due to injury with 11:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. He connected with Cedric Tillman (three yards) and Bru McCoy (seven yards) for his other two scores. Jabari Small would also get into the end zone with a rushing score, dashing 31 yards to paydirt on the Vols’ opening drive.

Tennessee would score a final touchdown with 1:14 remaining in the game as Joe Milton III delivered a beautiful ball to Tillman, who high-pointed it in the back corner of the end zone.

Tillman finished the night as the Vols leading receiver, posting 81 yards on nine catches and a pair of touchdown grabs. It marked his third career multi-touchdown contest and his first of the season.

South Carolina opened the game with a score on their first drive, but it wouldn’t take long for the Vols to answer. After a pair of completions to open the game, Hooker and Small ripped off back-to-back long runs as Hooker escaped a closing pocket and found space, running for 29 yards and getting the Big Orange into plus territory. The very next play, Small took an inside handoff from the shotgun, made a linebacker miss and was off to the races punching in a responding touchdown in just 64 seconds.

Rattler then orchestrated a couple of quick-strike drives, propelled by long passes, to take a 21-7 lead. The Vols would again answer with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that started in the first quarter and ended in the second. It was a meticulous sequence capped by a fourth-down conversion from the three-yard-line when Hooker tossed his first touchdown of the game, a corner fade to Tillman near the left pylon.

The Gamecocks rattled off four more touchdown scores and racked up 606 total yards of offense to Tennessee’s 507.

Cornerback Kamal Hadden was the Vols’ leading tackler with nine, while defensive end Byron Young and linebacker Aaron Beasley each notched three tackles for loss.

The Volunteers conclude the regular season at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday when they travel to face Vanderbilt in Nashville at FirstBank Stadium. The contest will be televised by SEC Network.

-UT Athletics

Vols RB Jabari Small / Credit: UT Athletics
Hoops Preview: #11/12 Lady Vols vs. UCLA

Hoops Preview: #11/12 Lady Vols vs. UCLA

Posted on November 20, 2022

No. 11/12 Tennessee (2-2) will meet UCLA (4-0) in Imperial Arena on Paradise Island, Bahamas, at noon ET on Sunday in the semifinal round of the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis.

The Lady Vols evened their record by racing by Rutgers, 94-54, on Saturday in the opening round. The Big Orange led from start to finish and built a 54-point lead before turning things over to the reserves.

UT had entered the tournament with a 1-2 mark against three teams who participated in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including No. 14/15 Ohio State on the road (L, 87-75), UMass at home (W, 74-65) and No. 12/11 Indiana at home (L, 79-67). The game vs. Rutgers marked Tennessee’s third against a Big Ten foe in 2022-23, with UT improving to 81-17 vs. that league after suffering losses to Ohio State and Indiana in games one and three.

UCLA advanced on Saturday by holding off South Dakota State, 72-65 in a battle of teams receiving votes and residing just outside the top 25 in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls. The Bruins pocketed a trio of home wins before making their way to The Bahamas, handling Cal Poly, UC Riverside and Troy over the course of six days.

This will mark the 21st meeting between the Lady Volunteers and Bruins, with the Big Orange holding an 18-2 advantage.  The teams are 1-1 vs. one another at neutral sites after UCLA won the most recent meeting in College Park, Md., 89-77, in the NCAA First Round on March 23, 2019. That Bruin triumph snapped a 15-game losing skid to the squad from Rocky Top.

Tennessee is in the midst of a six-game campaign-opening gauntlet over a two-week period. UT played three games in the first seven days of the season and now is in the midst of a three-games-in-three-days stretch in the B4A tourney, followed by a two-in-three-day run at home on Nov. 25 (Colorado) and 27 (Eastern Kentucky).

Broadcast Information

  • FloHoops will stream the Tennessee vs. UCLA contest, with Jill Painter Lopez (PxP), Isis Young (Analyst) and Dani Wexelman (Reporter) on the call for games at the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis.
  • The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Voice of the Lady Vols Brian Rice in his first season behind the mic. He will be joined by studio host Andy Brock. 
  • A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com. 
  • For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

Storylines

  • Sunday’s match-up is Tennessee’s first vs. two Pac-12 opponents this season. The Lady Vols will travel to the West Coast to play at No. 2/2 Stanford on Dec. 18 as part of the programs’ annual clashes that date back to 1988.
  • Tennessee rookie Justine Pissott and UCLA freshman Kiki Rice joined forces to win a gold medal with the 2022 USA U18 National Team at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the summer.
  • Rickea Jackson has led the Lady Vols in scoring the past three games, tallying 24, 17 and 26 after opening the season with nine points at Ohio State. She is averaging 22.3 points per game during that span.

What’s Next?

  • The lower half of the bracket features another semifinal matchup between Marquette and Gonzaga at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
  • The winners of Sunday’s semifinal contests will advance to Monday’s Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis championship game at noon on ESPN. 
  • The losers of the semifinal games will play for third place at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, with ESPNU televising.
  • Kevin Fitzgerald and Carolyn Peck are on the call for those ESPN/ESPNU broadcasts.

First Time At B4A, Third Time In The Bahamas

  • This is the Lady Vols’ first appearance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but it is their third trip to The Bahamas.
  • They are visiting their third different island, having twice participated in the Junkanoo Jam Tournament on two other isles. 
  • In 2013-14, the Tennessee women went 2-0 and won the Lucaya Division at the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.
  • UT defeated Virginia, 76-67, and SMU, 87-47, in Freeport. 
  • In 2018-19, the Lady Vols traveled to Resorts World Bimini and won both games there to capture the Junkanoo Division crown at the Junkanoo Jam. 
  • In Bimini, the Big Orange turned back Clemson, 78-66, and UAB, 73-69 in overtime.
  • Thus far at the B4A, UT is 1-0 after streaking past Rutgers, 94-54, in opening round play on Saturday.

International Success

  • Tennessee is making its fourth in-season trip outside the U.S. and sixth international excursion during the past 10 years, holding a 14-0 mark on foreign soil soil during that stretch, including 8-0 in games that count toward season records after Saturday’s win.
  • This is the program’s 10th all-time international excursion, and UT is 25-7 on foreign soil.
  • This is the Lady Vols’ first trip outside the country since going to The Netherlands, Belgium and France in August 2019 prior to Kellie Harper‘s first season at Rocky Top. Seniors Jordan Horston, Tamari Key and Jessie Rennie had just arrived at Tennessee.
  • The B4A is UT’s first in-season international trip since the 2018 Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas.
  • UT has been to Freeport, Bahamas/2013 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); Cancun, Mexico/2017 Cancun Challenge (3-0); Bimini, Bahamas/2019 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); and now Paradise Island, Bahamas/2022 Battle 4 Atlantis for NCAA countable competition.
  • Foreign Tours and records include Brazil in June 1987 (1-4), England in January 1992 (2-1), Belgium/France/Switzerland in August 1999 (5-0), Italy/Greece in August 2003 (3-2), Italy in 2015 (3-0) and The Netherlands/Belgium/France in 2019 (3-0). 
  • Not counting in these totals are trips to U.S. territory tournaments in San Juan, Puerto Rico/San Juan Shootout in November-December 2002 (3-0); and two appearances in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I./Paradise Jam in Nov. 2005 (3-0) and Nov. 2010 (2-1).

Looking Back At The Rutgers Game

  • No. 11 Tennessee took a commanding victory in its first game at the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis, defeating Rutgers, 94-54, in Imperial Arena on Saturday afternoon.
  • The Lady Vols (2-2) shot a sizzling 53 percent from the floor, including 48 percent from behind the arc, and were led by senior forward Rickea Jackson who poured in 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting while grabbing six boards in only 20 minutes of duty. Senior guards Jordan Horston and Jasmine Powell were also in double figures with 12 each, as well as redshirt-sophomore Marta Suárez who finished with 10. Powell and Suárez led UT with eight assists and seven rebounds, respectively.
  • All 15 of UT’s active players saw the floor with 12 contributing at least two points toward the final score.
  • Kaylene Smikle was the high scorer for Rutgers (3-2) with 16 on the day. Kassondra Brown and Awa Sidibe were also in double figures with 12 and 10, respectively.

Jordy Returns

  • UT’s decorated 6-2 guard Jordan Horston, who had been out of the lineup after being sidelined with a lower extremity injury in the UMass game on Nov. 10, was back in the starting five vs. Rutgers.
  • She played 15 minutes and finished with 12 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal.

Making Runs

  • Tennessee was explosive offensively against the Scarlet Knights, posting three double-digit scoring streaks of 11-0 and 10-0 in the second quarter and a 22-0 run in the third.
  • Prior to Saturday’s game, UT had not posted a double-digit run during the 2022-23 season.

Big-Time Bench Play

  • Every active player on UT’s roster saw the floor against Rutgers, combining for 37 points and 23 rebounds.
  • Marta Suárez led that effort with 10 points and seven boards, while Karoline Striplin scored her first points of the season, finishing with six.

Suarez Gets Her Groove Back

  • Redshirt-sophomore Marta Suárez, who missed last season due to injury, turned in 10 points against the Scarlet Knights, marking her first 10-point performance since dropping 10 against UConn on Jan. 21, 2021.

Powell Performing

  • Senior Jasmine Powell, who transferred to UT from Minnesota, has scored in double figures in three of four games this season.
  • The 5-foot-6 point guard scored 19 at Ohio State, 16 vs. Indiana and 12 vs. Rutgers.
  • Powell is Tennessee’s second-leading scorer at 12.8 per contest and paces the Lady Vols in assists with 5.8 per contest after dishing out a season-high eight on Saturday vs. Rutgers.

A Look At UCLA

  • UCLA is now 4-0, after collecting home victories over Cal Poly (84-48), UC Riverside (64-43) and Troy (95-83), and then opening play at the Battle 4 Atlantis with a 72-65 victory over South Dakota State.
  • The Bruins have three players averaging double figures in points entering Sunday’s game.
  • Charisma Osborne, a 5-9 senior guard, sets the tone for UCLA, producing sparkling averages of 22.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
  • Osborne is on preseason watch lists for the Wooden Award and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
  • Also scoring in double figures for UCLA are 6-4 redshirt sophomore forward Emily Bessoir (11.3) and 5-11 freshman forward Gabriela Jaquez (10.3).
  • Gina Conti, a 5-11 graduate guard, is on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List. She currently is averaging 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds.
  • Freshman Kiki Rice (9.3 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) joined Tennessee rookie Justine Pissott in winning a gold medal with the 2022 USA U18 National Team at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the summer.

UT/UCLA Notes

  • This marks the 21st meeting between the Lady Vols and UCLA, with UT possessing an 18-2 record in the series.
  • UT is 1-1 at neutral sites, 8-1 at home and 9-0 on the road vs. the Bruins.
  • UCLA ended a 15-game Big Orange series win streak on March 23, 2019, as the No. 20/24 Bruins took down an unranked UT team, 89-77, in College Park, Md., in the NCAA First Round.
  • All 20 games between these teams have been completed in regulation.
  • Tennessee is 68-24 all-time vs. programs in the Pacific-12 Conference.
  • Kellie Harper is 0-1 vs. UCLA, falling to the Bruins as head coach at NC State, 74-54, on March 21, 2010.

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols vs. UCLA / Credit: UT Athletics

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