Survive and advance.
It wasn’t pretty, but Tennessee pulled out a win over Kentucky in its SEC Tournament debut, 76-62
The 5-seed Lady Vols (18-11) didn’t get out to a great start, but a run in the third quarter created the necessary separation.
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The 12-seed Wildcats (12-20) got as close as eight in the fourth quarter but didn’t have enough in the tank. This ends Kentucky’s season in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Leading the way for the Lady Vols was Sara Puckett. With Rickea Jackson only playing 17 minutes due to foul trouble, Puckett shouldered the scoring load with 22 points.
Tess Darby also pitched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
As a team, Tennessee shot 43.5% from the field and 36.4% on 3-pointers.
On the defensive end, the Lady Vols held Kentucky to just 35.5% from the field and 23.5% on 3-pointers.
The Lady Vols got out to a bit of a sluggish start. It took Tennessee nearly two minutes before scoring its first points on a Jewel Spear 3-pointer. Kentucky would jump out to a of as much as five but Puckett refused to let it get any larger.
Ultimately, her 10 first-quarter points pushed the Lady Vols into their first lead of the game after Puckett hit a 3-pointer with a minute remaining. This gave Tennessee a 19-18 advantage after the first frame.
Due to Jackson’s pair of fouls, Kellie Harper held her out for the entirety of the second quarter. The Lady Vols still managed to win the quarter 9-8 after ugly offensive stretches from both sides. Tennessee went an over four-minute period without making a shot from the field.
At halftime, the lead sat in the Lady Vols’ favor at 28-26. Tennessee shot a poor 25.8% from the field and 25% on 3-pointers. Puckett led the way with 12 points followed by five from Spear.
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Puckett continued her hot stretch in the second half. She continued to be a consistent option on offense scoring five early points. However, Kentucky went on a short run to tie the game while forcing Jackson into her third foul to resend her to the bench.
The Lady Vols fired right back, though, going on a 10-0 run to create a double-digit lead. At the end of third quarter, the Wildcats had scratched the deficit to nine.
In the fourth quarter, Tennessee extended its lead. It led by as much as 15 in the frame but ultimately took the win by 14.
The Lady Vols dominated the glass. With an immediately noticeable size advantage, it was tough for Kentucky to compete in this area.
This resulted in a 50-33 lead in this category. Darby led the way for Tennessee with 10.
The Lady Vols’ rebounding translated to plenty of second-chance opportunities, as well. They grabbed 17 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points.
On the other end, the Wildcats scored just nine points in this fashion after grabbing 10 on offense.
Next, Tennessee will return to the arena tomorrow to face 4-seed Alabama. The Tide got an extra day of rest and a chance to scout the Lady Vols during the match against Kentucky.
Tip-off is set for approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. The winner will face the victor between 1-seed South Carolina and 9-seed Texas A&M in the semifinals.
