With the season just over a week away, Tennessee took to Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center for an exhibition with Carson-Newman.
In the first of two preseason matches this week, the Lady Vols blew past the Lady Eagles 105-72.
This gave fans their first look at Tennessee's 2023-24 team. However, one key piece was missing. Transfer guard Jewel Spear continued her rehab from her injury suffered last week and wasn't active.
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Outside of the missing Spear and ineligible Talaysia Cooper, all 11 players on the roster saw ample playtime and scored.
This included Tamari Key as she returns from a health scare that left her sidelined for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign. She would play for 14 minutes while totaling seven points, four rebounds and two assists.
It was Tennessee's dynamic offense that led it to victory. The team shot 51% from the field for a total of 105 points.
Leading the way on the attack were six double-digit scorers. The highest mark was set by Rickea Jackson who reached 17 on an efficient 7-for-12 shooting including a 3-pointer.
On defense, room was left to be desired, though. Carson-Newman finished with 72 points on 48% shooting. Braelyn Wykle led the way for the Lady Eagles with 15 points.
Ultimately it was the rebounding and turnovers that proved to be the biggest difference. Tennessee out-rebounded Carson-Newman 47-28 over the course of the match.
It also forced 23 turnovers compared to the just 13 given-up offense. The Lady Vols capitalized on the turnovers for 34 points, as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee got things started early on Monday. In the first quarter, it jumped out to a 10-2 lead after just three minutes. By the end of the frame, the Lady Vols had powered to a 31-20 advantage.
This fast start was led by Sara Puckett. In just three and a half minutes, she reached seven points which remained the team-high by the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was owned by Jackson, though. As Tennessee lengthened its already solid lead, she scored nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting. At the break, she owned a team-high 13 points as the Lady Vols held a 59-34 lead.
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This came on efficient shooting. While hitting on 51.1% of shots from the field, Carson-Newman was left in the dust while getting limited second-chance opportunities.
However, the third quarter was evenly played. Tennessee and the Lady Eagles both produced 22 points to keep the lead at just 25. Tess Darby led the team with five points in the frame while Key made an impact, as well, with four late points.
The Lady Vols finished strong, though, outscoring Carson-Newman 24-16 in the fourth quarter. It was a group effort with seven Tennessee players finding the bottom of the net in the period.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Standing out the brightest for Tennessee was a collection of double-digit scorers.
Jackson finished with the highest mark at 17 despite not playing any minutes in the fourth quarter. She also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Behind her, it was juniors Puckett and Kaiya Wynn who recorded 12 points. They both did the majority of their damage early in the game before cooling off late.
Point guards Jasmine Powell and Destinee Wells both finished with 11 points and two rebounds. Wells narrowly beat her in assists, though, with six compared to five. Powell grabbed three steals, too.
Finally, Jillian Hollingshead wound up with 10. This came on an extremely efficient 5-for-6 shooting with the only miss coming on a long midrange. She also put up eight boards.
UP NEXT
Next, Tennessee will continue its preseason preparation with an exhibition against the USA Women's National Team on Nov. 5 at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
This will be the final preseason affair for the Lady Vols before they take the court in Knoxville on Thursday, Nov. 7, to kick off the regular season against Florida A&M.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
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