After beginning the season 1-2, the No. 11 Lady Vols traveled to The Bahamas as a part of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

In Tennessee’s opening two games, it displayed vastly contrasting performances.

In the first game of the tournament, the Lady Vols dominated Rutgers from start to finish. Tennessee jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage and refused to surrender the lead.

Leading the Lady Vols was transfer Rickea Jackon. She finished the contest with 26 points on an astonishing 11-for-12 shooting. She also pitched in six rebounds and three assists to cement her best game to date in orange.

Jasmine Powell and Jordan Horston also contributed to the offensive outburst. The pair both scored 12 points, respectively. Powell shot 4-for-5 on 3-pointers and added eight assists, three rebounds and a steal. Horston went 5-for-9 from the floor and dished out four assists.

Defensively, Tennessee shut down Rutgers’ offense. The Scarlet Knights shot 33.9% from the field and 20% from on 3-pointers. The Lady Vols’ best defensive effort came in the third quarter where they outscored Rutgers 30-4.

Tamari Key anchored the defense with five blocks. Her presence in the paint caused issues for the Scarlet Knights throughout the game.

As a whole, the defense forced 21 turnovers leading to 27 points. Tennessee also outrebounded Rutgers 47-24. 13 offensive rebounds led to an abundance of second-chance opportunities, as well.

After shooting 53.1% from the field and 48% from 3-point range against Rutgers, the Lady Vols followed it up with a poor shooting performance vs. UCLA. Tennessee was held to 38.5% shooting from the field and 30% on 3-pointers.

Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, on inefficient shooting. Nobody else on the team was able to reach double digits.

On the other end, the Lady Vols struggled to stop UCLA’s attack. The Bruins kept their undefeated season alive with 43.5% shooting from the field and a blistering hot 53.3% shooting on 3-pointers.

Tennessee couldn’t stop Charisma Osborne throughout the game. She surged for 23 points on five made 3-pointers. Kiki Rice, Gina Conti and Lina Sontag all also reached double-digit scoring marks.

For the third time this season, the Lady Vols also lost the rebound battle. The Bruins grabbed 11 more boards than the Tennessee.

On Monday, the Lady Vols will face Gonzaga. The winner will claim third place in the tournament. The game will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and air on ESPNU.

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