Welcome back, Rickea Jackson.

Tennessee (7-5) used a great game from the senior forward in its 90-55 win over Liberty (5-10) on Sunday afternoon.

This is Jackson's second game back following an injury that held her out for the majority of out-of-conference play. It was her first game back in the starting lineup, as well.

In the road test, she finished with 21 points on 9-for-18 shooting. She also knocked down two 3-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and passed for an assist. This all came in only 24 minutes on the court.

Against Wofford in her return in the team's previous outing, Jackson finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tess Darby also had a game to remember. She set a career-high in scoring in the third quarter. She shot a blistering hot 6-for-8 from deep for a total of 18 points. She played only 17 minutes.

As a team, Tennessee shot 43.6% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers. Liberty shot just 31% from the field.

It would be tough to draw up a much better start on either end for Tennessee. By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Vols held a 25-9 advantage and were already in firm control.

This got started early with an 8-0 out the gate. Then, a 12-2 run to wrap up the quarter left Liberty in the dust. This was a deficit it was never fully climb out of.

The second half was narrow to begin, but turned back in the favor of Tennessee once again. It outscored the Flames by three in the frame to take a 43-24 lead into the halftime break.

At this point, the Lady Vols were shooting 39.5% from the field while holding Liberty to 27% shooting. Jackson led the way with 14 points and six rebounds while Darby connected on four 3-pointers for 12 points.

The third quarter saw Tennessee continue to lengthen its lead. Jewel Spear put up seven points in the frame after going scoreless in the first half. Jackson also contributed another seven to the team's total.

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A 16-5 run to finish the third frame was the final blow the Lady Vols needed to coast in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee took its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter while not playing either of its leading scorers. Despite this, the Lady Vols still won the period by two to seal a 35-point win.

Tennessee never trailed in its win. After jumping out to the 8-0 advantage, Liberty was left in the dust.

This featured the Lady Vols holding the lead for all but one minute and seven seconds. Nearly 39 minutes of the match were controlled by Tennessee, instead.

Tennessee will open up SEC play in its next appearance.

The Lady Vols will travel to play Auburn on Jan. 4, 2024. Then, it will return home to play Kentucky in its first SEC home game of the season.

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