University of Tennessee Athletics
Jackson Claims Trio Of Player Of The Week Awards
January 09, 2024 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Southeastern Conference, Tennessee Sports Writers Association and Associated Press announced their weekly women's basketball awards on Tuesday, and Tennessee's Rickea Jackson has been been recognized by all four organizations for her play last week.
The USBWA named Jackson as one of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honorees along with Caitlin Clark of Iowa, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, Madison Booker of Texas and Avery Brittingham of UT Arlington. The Lady Vol standout also was the sole recipient of SEC and TSWA Women's Basketball Player of the Week accolades. Additionally, she picked up honorable mention in voting by the Associated Press.
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Jackson has been on a tear since returning from an eight-game hiatus due to injury, helping Tennessee reel off five straight wins. The Big Orange opened SEC play at 2-0 last week with victories at Auburn last Thursday night and at home vs. Kentucky on Sunday.
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The 6-foot-2 forward from Detroit, Mich., averaged a double-double of 25.5 points and 13.0 rebounds last week while dishing out 2.0 assists per contest and shooting 54.3 from the field, 40 percent beyond the arc and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line. Her scoring average is tops in the league after two games, while her rebounding average ranks fourth, her defensive rebounds per game average (10.0) is third and her field goal percentage is eighth.
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At Auburn, Jackson contributed 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds as Tennessee overcame an 11-point second-quarter deficit. She produced 14 points and 11 boards in the decisive second half, including nine and five in the fourth period to propel her team to victory.
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In the third quarter, which Tennessee won 22-8 after trailing 40-32 at the half, she had several key plays that swung the momentum the Lady Vols' way. She had a three-pointer and put-back to cut the deficit from six to one. She later grabbed a rebound off an Auburn miss, turned up court and fired a long pass to an awaiting Tess Darby for a three-point dagger that pushed a precarious three-point Tennessee advantage to six at the 1:15 mark in the midst of an 8-0 run that enabled UT to seize control.
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Tennessee got off to a slow start against Kentucky on Sunday, trailing by 17 in the second quarter and 10 at the half. Jackson, though, again stepped to the forefront over the final 20 minutes, pushing the Big Orange to its biggest comeback win since coming from 17-down vs. LSU in the 2023 SEC Tournament semifinals. She tallied 16 points in the second half, including eight in the third period as UT erased its deficit and took a six-point lead with a 27-11 blitz. It continued in the fourth, as she tossed in eight more in a 21-9 final frame to finish with a game-high 27 points along with seven boards, three assists and a steal.
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With her two performances, Jackson moved into a tie with Meighan Simmons for seventh place on UT's career 20-point scoring list with 20 in only 41 games as a Lady Vol. Just above her on that list are Diamond DeShields (21 in two complete seasons), Rennia Davis (23 in four seasons) and Tamika Catchings (27 in 3 full seasons + 17 games as a senior before injury).
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For the season, Jackson is averaging 21.2 ppg. and 10.5 rpg. while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the arc and 80 percent at the charity stripe. UT (9-5, 2-0 SEC) is 5-1 in games she has played, with its only loss a 92-91 heart-breaker at No. 18/22 Florida State in which she supplied 31 points and 17 rebounds. The Lady Vols were 4-4 this season while the All-America candidate was out of action.
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The USBWA named Jackson as one of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honorees along with Caitlin Clark of Iowa, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, Madison Booker of Texas and Avery Brittingham of UT Arlington. The Lady Vol standout also was the sole recipient of SEC and TSWA Women's Basketball Player of the Week accolades. Additionally, she picked up honorable mention in voting by the Associated Press.
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Jackson has been on a tear since returning from an eight-game hiatus due to injury, helping Tennessee reel off five straight wins. The Big Orange opened SEC play at 2-0 last week with victories at Auburn last Thursday night and at home vs. Kentucky on Sunday.
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The 6-foot-2 forward from Detroit, Mich., averaged a double-double of 25.5 points and 13.0 rebounds last week while dishing out 2.0 assists per contest and shooting 54.3 from the field, 40 percent beyond the arc and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line. Her scoring average is tops in the league after two games, while her rebounding average ranks fourth, her defensive rebounds per game average (10.0) is third and her field goal percentage is eighth.
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At Auburn, Jackson contributed 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds as Tennessee overcame an 11-point second-quarter deficit. She produced 14 points and 11 boards in the decisive second half, including nine and five in the fourth period to propel her team to victory.
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In the third quarter, which Tennessee won 22-8 after trailing 40-32 at the half, she had several key plays that swung the momentum the Lady Vols' way. She had a three-pointer and put-back to cut the deficit from six to one. She later grabbed a rebound off an Auburn miss, turned up court and fired a long pass to an awaiting Tess Darby for a three-point dagger that pushed a precarious three-point Tennessee advantage to six at the 1:15 mark in the midst of an 8-0 run that enabled UT to seize control.
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Tennessee got off to a slow start against Kentucky on Sunday, trailing by 17 in the second quarter and 10 at the half. Jackson, though, again stepped to the forefront over the final 20 minutes, pushing the Big Orange to its biggest comeback win since coming from 17-down vs. LSU in the 2023 SEC Tournament semifinals. She tallied 16 points in the second half, including eight in the third period as UT erased its deficit and took a six-point lead with a 27-11 blitz. It continued in the fourth, as she tossed in eight more in a 21-9 final frame to finish with a game-high 27 points along with seven boards, three assists and a steal.
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With her two performances, Jackson moved into a tie with Meighan Simmons for seventh place on UT's career 20-point scoring list with 20 in only 41 games as a Lady Vol. Just above her on that list are Diamond DeShields (21 in two complete seasons), Rennia Davis (23 in four seasons) and Tamika Catchings (27 in 3 full seasons + 17 games as a senior before injury).
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For the season, Jackson is averaging 21.2 ppg. and 10.5 rpg. while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the arc and 80 percent at the charity stripe. UT (9-5, 2-0 SEC) is 5-1 in games she has played, with its only loss a 92-91 heart-breaker at No. 18/22 Florida State in which she supplied 31 points and 17 rebounds. The Lady Vols were 4-4 this season while the All-America candidate was out of action.
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