University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Open Foreign Tour With Victory Over Venice All-Stars
June 13, 2023 | Women's Basketball
VENICE, Italy – After arriving at the Palestra Leo Perziano gym on the island of Murano by boat, the Tennessee women's basketball team utilized only nine players in opening its European Tour on Tuesday evening with an 89-76 victory over the Venice All-Stars.
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It was the capper on a day that saw the travel party enjoy a tour of Venice, visit Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge among other locales, witness a glass blowing exhibition from a Murano artisan, float the canals in gondolas and grab lunch before the focus turned toward the first of two contests on this excursion. Then, of course, the team utilized the only mode of transportation that could get it to a game on an island famous for its glass, making the trek there in approximately 25 minutes.
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Super senior forward Rickea Jackson fired in a game-high 20 points and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and three steals to pace the Lady Vols vs. a veteran-laden squad. Junior forward Jillian Hollingshead contributed a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, and junior forward Sara Puckett added 15 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
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Facing off against a collection of players from various European countries, the UT contingent led 19-9 after the opening stanza and 46-36 at the half, thanks to 10 points from Hollingshead and nine from Jackson over the first 20 minutes. Sophomore walk-on Edie Darby was UT's fourth-leading scorer, tossing in all eight of her points in the third period as UT outscored the hosts, 26-19, to push the lead to a comfortable 17-point margin.
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The rest of Tennessee's scoring was very balanced, with senior guard/forward Tess Darby tallying seven, super senior guard Jasmine Powell and junior guard Kaiya Wynn six apiece, and junior forward Karoline Striplin and sophomore guard/forward Avery Strickland five each.
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Redshirt senior Tamari Key, who returned to practice last week, did not play. Fourth-year Lady Vol Head Coach Kellie Harper opted to hold the 6-foot-6 center out of game action as Key continues to slowly work her way back after missing most of the 2022-23 campaign due to medical reasons.
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Transfer senior guards Jewel Spear and Destinee Wells are on the trip but did not see action. It was hoped that the standard reviews of the course credits earned at their previous schools could be completed in time for this trip, but to no one's fault that was not the case. While the early timing of this summer tour hindered Spear and Wells from hitting the court in Italy, it is expected that the routine process will be completed well in advance of the 2023-24 campaign.
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The Lady Vols depart for Rome on Wednesday and play their second game of the tour on Thursday night against the Rome All-Stars.
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It was the capper on a day that saw the travel party enjoy a tour of Venice, visit Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge among other locales, witness a glass blowing exhibition from a Murano artisan, float the canals in gondolas and grab lunch before the focus turned toward the first of two contests on this excursion. Then, of course, the team utilized the only mode of transportation that could get it to a game on an island famous for its glass, making the trek there in approximately 25 minutes.
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Super senior forward Rickea Jackson fired in a game-high 20 points and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and three steals to pace the Lady Vols vs. a veteran-laden squad. Junior forward Jillian Hollingshead contributed a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, and junior forward Sara Puckett added 15 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
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Facing off against a collection of players from various European countries, the UT contingent led 19-9 after the opening stanza and 46-36 at the half, thanks to 10 points from Hollingshead and nine from Jackson over the first 20 minutes. Sophomore walk-on Edie Darby was UT's fourth-leading scorer, tossing in all eight of her points in the third period as UT outscored the hosts, 26-19, to push the lead to a comfortable 17-point margin.
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The rest of Tennessee's scoring was very balanced, with senior guard/forward Tess Darby tallying seven, super senior guard Jasmine Powell and junior guard Kaiya Wynn six apiece, and junior forward Karoline Striplin and sophomore guard/forward Avery Strickland five each.
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Redshirt senior Tamari Key, who returned to practice last week, did not play. Fourth-year Lady Vol Head Coach Kellie Harper opted to hold the 6-foot-6 center out of game action as Key continues to slowly work her way back after missing most of the 2022-23 campaign due to medical reasons.
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Transfer senior guards Jewel Spear and Destinee Wells are on the trip but did not see action. It was hoped that the standard reviews of the course credits earned at their previous schools could be completed in time for this trip, but to no one's fault that was not the case. While the early timing of this summer tour hindered Spear and Wells from hitting the court in Italy, it is expected that the routine process will be completed well in advance of the 2023-24 campaign.
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The Lady Vols depart for Rome on Wednesday and play their second game of the tour on Thursday night against the Rome All-Stars.
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Players Mentioned
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