Rickea Jackson is still sidelined with a lower leg injury.
It showed in Tennessee's 71-57 opening loss of the Fort Meyers Tip-Off.
The No. 19 Lady Vols (3-2) squared off with No. 21 Indiana (3-2) but didn't have enough push without their star forward.
This is now the third straight game Jackson has been unable to go for Tennessee. In its most recent game, Jasmine Powell and Avery Strickland also weren't able to play. This time, Powell returned from a wrist injury but Strickland was still sidelined with a concussion.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
In Jackson's absence, the scoring was led by Karoline Striplin and Sara Puckett. They both put up 13 points. Puckett also added a team-high seven rebounds.
Behind the junior duo was Powell with 12.
However, this wasn't enough to keep up with the Hoosiers' shooting. They shot 43.9% from the field and knocked down 10 3-pointers at a 45.5% clip to leave the Lady Vols in the dust.
With Tennessee shooting a mere 35.9% from the field and 30% on 3-pointers, the large deficit was created.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee fell behind quickly. Indiana struck first but Destinee Wells responded with a basket to tie it at two.
While the teams went back in forth in scoring with neither team able to string together consecutive scores while holding their opponent, the Hoosiers' 3-point attack built an advantage.
By the end of the first quarter, Indiana led 12-9. Tennessee shot an abysmal 18.2% from the field and missed all five 3-point attempts but were still in the game.
Despite the poor shooting in the opening 10 minutes, the Lady Vols went into the second quarter at full steam. Jewel Spear hit a 3-pointer and Wells followed it up with a long two. After giving up a layup, Spear knocked down another triple to make it a tie the game at 16.
After this point, things got ugly. The Hoosiers stormed to an 11-0 run while holding Tennessee off the board for over three minutes. The Lady Vols finally scored again with a 3-pointer by Powell but Indiana knocked down two of their own for a direct response.
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By halftime, the score sat at 33-21.Tennessee shot 25.7% from the field and 18.2% on 3-pointers. The Hoosiers just shot 38.2% from the field but 50% on 3-pointers while knocking down six.
Things continued to get out of hand in the third quarter. The Lady Vols were outscored by four in the frame but had a bright spot in Striplin. She put up 11 of her points in the third quarter alone.
The fourth quarter was the only frame won by Tennessee. It outscored Indiana 21-19 but it wasn't nearly enough to make a meaningful cut into the deficit.
STAT OF THE DAY
Tennessee got most of its points off the bench. 30 of the 57 points put on the board came from non-starters.
Striplin led the way with her 13 points and Powell put up 12. The other five came from three by Kaiya Wynn and two from Tamari Key.
While Striplin and Powell both have plenty of experience as starters, their role as sixth and seventh women off the bench worked out in the scoring department.
UP NEXT
Next up, the Lady Vols will take the court again in the Fort Meyers Tip-Off. This time, it'll be No. 22 Oklahoma on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on the Women's Sports Network.
Following this trip to Florida, Tennessee returns to Knoxville to host No. 17 Notre Dame in the ACC-SEC challenge on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET airing on ESPN2.
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