Six In Double Figures As #11/12 Lady Vols Cruise Past C-N

Monday, October 30

Knoxville, TN

6:30 P.M.

University of Tennessee

0-0,0-0SEC

105

Carson-Newman (Exhibition)

0-0,0-0SAC

Carson-Newman

Tennessee

105

Destinee Wells vs. Carson-Newman (10/30/23)

Six In Double Figures As #11/12 Lady Vols Cruise Past C-N

October 30, 2023 | Women's Basketball

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By: Maddie Russo

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Six Lady Vols scored in double figures, as Tennessee cruised past Carson-Newman, 105-72, in a women's basketball exhibition game on Monday night at Food City Center.

Forward Rickea Jackson led the charge for UT, recording 17 points, while guard Kaiya Wynn and forward Sara Puckett each contributed 12. Guard Jasmine Powell totaled 11 points and Jillian Hollingshead chipped in 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Guard Destinee Wells made a statement in her debut as a Lady Vol, notching 11 points, six assists and a steal with no turnovers in 19 minutes. Tamari Key recorded seven points, making her first game appearance since a medical diagnosis ended her 2022-23 season last December.

The Lady Vols shot 50 percent from the field while recording assists on 22 baskets. On the glass, UT out-rebounded the Lady Eagles, 47-28, led by Puckett, Hollingshead and forward Karoline Striplin with eight each. The Big Orange also forced 23 turnovers and tallied 15 steals.

Carson-Newman was led in scoring by Braelyn Wykle with 15 points and Lindsey Taylor with 10.

The game began as a back-and-forth affair, with the Lady Vols tallying three consecutive layups to take an early 6-0 lead. Carson-Newman came out strong, though, shooting 62 percent from the field in the first period, led by Wykle's 11 points in the first 10 minutes. Tennessee dominated the glass, meanwhile, collecting 15 rebounds and generating eight second-chance points. Puckett set the tone in the opening frame for the Lady Vols, recording seven points, six rebounds and two assists. UT went on a 5-0 scoring run to end the first quarter, giving the Big Orange an 11-point cushion after one, 31-20, with all 11 active Lady Vols seeing the court during the frame.

Tennessee picked up momentum offensively in the second stanza, shooting 58 percent from the field and dishing out six assists. A three-point shot from Jackson sparked a Lady Vols' 12-0 scoring run, and the spree was aided by three consecutive scoring opportunities from Wynn. Jackson led the way offensively for the Lady Vols with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting during the period. UT also cracked down defensively, holding Carson-Newman to just 31 percent shooting, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc to go into the half with a 59-34 lead.

Tess Darby kicked off the third quarter with a laser three-pointer to get the Lady Vols going, followed by back-to-back layups from Jackson. Tennessee stayed strong on the boards, out-rebounding Carson-Newman 11-4 in the period. The Lady Eagles picked up offensive momentum, however, shooting 60 percent from the field and knocking down a trio of three-pointers to make the score 81-56 heading into the fourth stanza.

Both teams exchanged baskets throughout the final quarter. Defensively, UT continued to shut down the three, holding Carson-Newman to 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. The Lady Eagles went on a seven-point scoring run towards the end of the period before a Powell trey ended it at the 3:45 mark. Wells and Edie Darby also contributed treys in the final stanza to close out the 105-72 victory.

Up Next: Tennessee will return to action on Sunday, as the USA Women's National Team comes to Food City Center for a 6 p.m. exhibition contest on SEC Network. A reminder to Lady Vol fans, this game is not part of the season ticket package, so tickets much be purchased separately at AllVols.com. Parking is free in all UT lots.

Wearing Patches In Honor Of Fall Sisters: The Lady Vols wore patches on their shooting shirts in memory of fallen LVFLs Nikki McCray-Penson (1991-95) and Tasha Butts (2000-04). McCray, 51, passed away on July 7, and Butts died on Oct. 23. Both women had valiantly battled breast cancer and were members of the coaching community at Rutgers and Georgetown, respectively.

UT in Exhibitions: Tennessee is 52-4 all-time in preseason exhibition games, only falling to the Soviet National Team (1979), Athletes in Action (1992) and the USA National Team (1995, 2007). In the post-Pat Summitt era, UT is 12-0 in preseason exhibition games, defeating Carson-Newman eight times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) and both Georgia College (2021) and Coker (2012) on one occasion each. Kellie Harper is 4-0 in her time in Rocky Top, with wins in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. No exhibition contest was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

First-Time In Orange & White: Transfers Destinee Wells, Avery Strickland made their Lady Vol debuts in the first quarter. Wells, a guard from Lakeland, Tenn., who transferred from Belmont, saw 19 minutes of action in the contest and finished with 11 points. She also dished out six assists and had no turnovers. Strickland, a Knoxville product who transferred from Pitt, produced two points and a steal in 19 minutes of court time.

Tamari Key Returns To Action: At the 2:12 mark in the first quarter, senior center Tamari Key returned to the court for a game for the first time since Dec. 4, 2022. The Cary, N.C., native was diagnosed with blood clots in her lungs and missed the rest of the 2022-23 season. She also was held out of competition during Tennessee's summer trip to Europe. The Coaches Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection finished with seven points, four rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes vs. Carson-Newman. Prior to her diagnosis, Key had appeared in 99 consecutive games for UT and made 64 consecutive starts.

Century Mark: Tennessee raced to a 59-34 halftime lead and cruised to a 105-72 victory over Carson-Newman. The Lady Vols surpassed 100 points for the 13th time in 18 exhibition games vs. the Lady Eagles.

Balanced Attack: Tennessee saw six Lady Vols get into double-digit scoring on Monday. Rickea Jackson, Sara Puckett, Kaiya Wynn, Jasmine Powell, Destinee Wells and Jillian Hollingshead all recorded double figures. The veteran group is made up of all upperclassmen with many playing a big role last season and looking to help pave the way for UT this season.

Crashing The Boards: The Lady Vols crashed the boards hard during Monday's win, with Tennessee out-rebounding Carson Newman, 44-27. The Big Orange were balanced in rebounding numbers, with Striplin, Hollingshead and Puckett leading the way with eight each. Tennessee held an average rebounding margin of 10.1 last season, which was good for seventh in the nation.