After beginning the season as the No. 5 team in the country, Tennessee has struggled out the gates.
Due to a string of early losses, the Lady Vols have fallen out of the rankings. Most recently, they dropped a match to No. 9 Virginia Tech at home.
However, this disappointing start didn't stop Tennessee (5-5) from taking care of business in a 69-39 win over Chattanooga (6-5) in Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday.
In the loss to the Hokies, the Lady Vols were without Rickea Jackson, Jasmine Franklin and Jillian Hollingshead. In the matchup with the Mocs, Hollingshead returned to action but Tamari Key joined the group of inactives.
Following the game, coach Kellie Harper provided updates on Key and Jackson. She said that Key was unable to attend the game due to a medical issue. She had no update for when Jackson will return to the floor.
Despite missing the presence of three impactful players, Tennessee was able to create an early advantage. The Lady Vols outscored Chattanooga by 11 points in the first and second quarter to create a 22-point halftime lead.
This difference in this stretch was a suffocating defense by the Lady Vols. They held Chattanooga to an over 10 minute field goal drought stretching between the opening two periods. During this time, Tennessee ballooned its lead to 18.
This defensive effort would prove to be critical when the offense sputtered at times in the second half. Tennessee's offense cooled down after the halftime break giving the Mocs an opportunity to cut into the lead. However, sound defense shut the door on any hint of a comeback.
"I thought it started with our ball pressure and our activity on the ball," said Harper. "Our awareness, something we've been really working on, our awareness off the ball, our communication, all those things were good. They were at a high level defensively to start the game. Glad we were able to carry that through."
Overall, Chattanooga was held to just 30% shooting from the field and 25% shooting on 3-pointers. Tennessee forced 21 turnovers in the contest, as well, leading to 19 points.
Offensively, it was a total team effort. All 11 players who saw the court for more than five minutes were able to connect on a shot.
"I thought it was good for our team to have a lot of people come out and be productive," said Harper. "To make plays and share the basketball. I think it's great for their confidence but also team morale. Keeps them working hard but also having great confidence in their teammates, as well."
Leading the group was Jordan Horston. Despite playing just 12 minutes due to a big lead and foul trouble, she scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 on 3-pointers.
Outside of Horston, Karoline Striplin impressed in her first career start. The sophomore quickly connected on shots from the field while totaling seven first half points. She also added three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal throughout the game.
"Really happy that Karoline (Striplin) had really good minutes," said Harper. "It gave her confidence.
"She's been low minutes last year, a little bit early this year. We always say to our players, you never know when your name is going to get called. You never know when we're going to need you. You have to stay ready. That's sometimes hard to do but she has been our hardest worker. She's been the player that gets in the gym more than anyone. When her number got called, she was ready. I'm really proud of her for that."
As a whole, Tennessee hit on 46.6% of its field goals and 35.3% of its 3-pointers. This mark was good for 1.062 points per possession.
Next for the Lady Vols is a home matchup with Wright State at 2 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 (SEC Network+). Following Sunday's affair, Tennessee will host UCF and travel to face No. 2 Stanford.
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