Lady Vols drop third SEC road game in loss to Alabama

For the third time in six SEC road games, Tennessee wasn't able to get it done away from Knoxville.

This time, the loss came in Tuscaloosa to Alabama in the form of a 72-56 defeat.

The Tide (19-6, 6-4 SEC) used a strong third quarter to create separation. They outscored the Lady Vols (14-8, 7-3) by 14 in the frame.

This advantage was too much for Tennessee to deal with. The team's cold 35.3% shooting compared to Alabama's 45.8% mark throughout the game was the difference.

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Leading the way for the Lady Vols in scoring was Rickea Jackson who finished with 13 points. Also in double figures was Jasmine Powell who finished with 10.

Now, Tennessee sits at 3-3 in road games in SEC play. This mark is a drastic difference compared to the 4-0 mark the team owns in Knoxville.

Heading into Thursday, the Lady Vols sat alone in second place. However, now, Tennessee will join the mix of teams with three losses. It is still in a great spot to earn a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament to utilize the double-bye, but the upcoming stretch will be crucial.

The first quarter was a tightly contested affair. The largest lead was four held by Tennessee after a made 3-pointer by Jewel Spear.

However, by the end of the opening frame, Alabama reclaimed the lead. A 5-1 run to finish the half gave it a two-point advantage after 10 minutes. This included holding the Lady Vols scoreless from the field for over four minutes.

In the second quarter, the Tide stretched their lead. Alabama pushed the mark to eight after beginning the period on an 11-5 run. Tennessee responded well, though. It used a 7-0 run to pull within one and went into the halftime break trailing by two.

Jackson led the way with nine points while Sara Puckett posted six. As a team, the Lady Vols shot a poor 31.4% from the field while allowing a 36.4% mark to the Tide.

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The third quarter is where things swung in the favor of Alabama. It would outscore Tennessee 28-14 and blew the game open. A 14-4 run to start the frame got the dominant quarter started and the Tide kept its foot on the gas.

Alabama shot 84.6% from the field while missing just two shots in the period. This included three 3-pointers and three free throws.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Lady Vols had a 16-point deficit to overcome. Tennessee would get as close as six after opening the quarter on a 10-0 run but couldn't get any closer.

Alabama took care of business down the stretch, primarily from the free throw line, and took down the Lady Vols by 16. On offense, Tennessee was unable to make a field goal for the final four minutes of the match.

Neither team utilized its bench in the win.

For Tennessee, just 11 points came from non-starters. On the other side, Alabama only had nine points coming off the bench.

The Lady Vols' production came from Kaiya Wynn, Karoline Striplin and Jillian Hollingshead. Wynn and Striplin posted four while Hollingshead managed three points.

Next, Tennessee returns to Knoxville for a long-awaited home stretch. The Lady Vols will open with a struggling Arkansas squad on Feb. 12. Then, they will face top-ranked South Carolina on Feb. 15.

Following a short trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt, Tennessee will host LSU and Texas A&M to mark five straight games inside the Volunteer State.

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