Coach Jumper
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From; Hoops Central:
Lady Vols at Texas A&M
Women's Basketball January 12, 2024Tennessee (10-5, 3-0 SEC) begins a two-game stretch of road contests, beginning with a Sunday afternoon showdown at Texas A&M (13-3, 1-2 SEC). The Lady Vols and Aggies are set to rumble in Reed Arena at 4:02 p.m. CT (5:02 p.m. ET), with ESPN televising.
UT, one of only four schools in the league still undefeated in league play, takes a season-best six-game winning streak into College Station. Kellie Harper's squad came from 12 down to defeat Florida, 88-81, on Thursday night, marking the squad's third straight win after overcoming a double-digit second-quarter deficit. The Big Orange improved to 6-1 with Rickea Jackson in action and to 5-0 with its current starting lineup of Jackson, Karoline Striplin, Sara Puckett, Jewel Spear and Jasmine Powell.
Texas A&M dropped an 87-70 decision at LSU on Thursday night, with its defense yielding its most points in 2023-24. The Aggies, though, have proven stout defensively, allowing just 51.3 ppg. in all games and 61.7 vs. league opponents.
- Opponent: Texas A&M
- Date: Sun., Jan. 14
- Tip-off: 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT)
- Venue: Reed Arena
- Watch: ESPN
- Radio: Lady Vol Network
- Online: Live Audio, Live Stats
TRENDING TOPICS
- UT joins South Carolina, LSU and Vandy as the only teams unbeaten in SEC play.
- Tennessee's schedule ranks No. 9 on the NCAA's Toughest Schedule Report, factoring in cumulative opposition (past and future games this season).
- The Lady Vols are scoring 85.0 ppg. over their past five games, shooting 46.3 pct. from the field and 79.7 pct. at the FT line.
- Rickea Jackson continues to average a double-double in all games (20.7 ppg., 10.1 rpg.) in 2023-24.
- Only one player in UT history (Trish Roberts, 1976-77, 29.9 ppg., 14.2 rpg.) has ever averaged a double-double for a complete season.
- Jewel Spear has blossomed in SEC play, averaging 16.0 ppg., shooting 58.3 pct. from the field (14-24) and 90.5 pct. from the charity stripe (19-21), and dishing five assists with only one turnover.
- Tennessee has been stellar from the free-throw line in SEC play, hitting 81.2 percent of its tries (69-85).
- The Lady Vols hit their most free throws of the season vs. Florida (26 of 30) and notched their highest percentage (86.7).
- Tennessee has won its opening three SEC games over Auburn, Kentucky and Florida after erasing double-digit second-quarter deficits.
- On Thursday, the Lady Vols found themselves down 12 to Florida in the second quarter before evening the score at the half at 43 and going on to win, 88-81.
- UT previously had bounced back from being 11 and 17 points down to Auburn and Kentucky, respectively.
- The Lady Vols also came from 10-down to Oklahoma in the third quarter to defeat the then No. 22/20 Sooners.
- For the season, UT has come from behind to win eight of 15 games. For more info., please see the "Deficits Overcome By Tennessee" note on pages 11-12.
- In three conference games, the Lady Vols have outscored foes 136 to 85 (45.3 to 28.3) in the second half.
- For the season, Tennessee has out-pointed foes 623 to 527 (41.5 to 35.1) after halftime.
- UT's best frame has been the third quarter, where it has tallied 337 points (22.5) in 2023-24 compared to 257 (17.1) for opponents.
- In SEC play, UT's 69 third-quarter points (23.0) are substantially better than the 35 (11.7) of its opponents over the initial three contests.
- Tennessee features all five starters averaging double figures in scoring, including Rickea Jackson (20.7), Jewel Spear (12.0), Karoline Striplin (11.3), Sara Puckett (10.9) and Jasmine Powell (10.2).
- In SEC play, the Lady Vols are averaging 83.3 points per game and shooting 48.6 percent from the field.
- In 15 games, six different players have led UT in scoring. Karoline Striplin has done so five times, followed by Rickea Jackson (4), Sara Puckett and Jewel Spear (3), Jasmine Powell (2), and Destinee Wells (1).
- Tennessee is hitting free throws at a 74.4 percent clip overall, a mark that ranks No. 2 in the SEC this season and one that currently stands as the fourth-highest mark in school history.
- In SEC play UT has been even better, connecting at a rate of 81.2 percent that ranks third among SEC schools.
- Jasmine Powell and Jewel Spear rank fifth in SEC play at 90.5 percent (19-21). Kaiya Wynn is 10th (81.8).
- In all games, Spear hits 81.4, with Sara Puckett (81.0) and Rickea Jackson (78.8) hitting at the top rates.
- Tennessee fended off a scrappy Florida team to extend its win streak to six games, taking an 88-81 victory over the Gators in Food City Center on Thursday.
- For the third straight game in SEC play, the Lady Vols overcame a double-digit deficit to claim victory, this time overturning a 12-point UF advantage in the second quarter. The Lady Vols converted on 16 of 18 free-throw tries in the final frame to seal the victory.
- Tennessee (10-5, 3-0 SEC) was led by senior Jewel Spear and junior Sara Puckett, who each fired in 20 points. Spear shot 50 percent from the field and 91 percent from the charity stripe on 10 made free throws, while Puckett went 4-of-5 from behind the arc for a season-best four treys. Fifth-year senior Rickea Jackson was also a top producer with 18 points and eight rebounds.
- Aliyah Matharu was the high scorer for Florida (9-6, 0-3 SEC) with 23 points. Leilani Correa was also in double digits with 12, and Alberte Rimdal and Zippy Broughton each finished with 11.
- COMEBACK KIDS: Tennessee has come from double digits down to win all three SEC games this season. The Lady Vols trailed Florida by 12, 35-23, with 5:53 remaining in the second quarter before rallying to a 43-all tie by halftime. The Lady Vols previously erased second-quarter deficits of 11 vs. Auburn and 17 vs. Kentucky to win those contests. This time, however, the Lady Vols made up the entire gap by intermission.
- SEALING IT AT THE LINE: Tennessee made 26 of 30 free-throw attempts against Florida, the most the Lady Vols have completed from the charity stripe since last season's contest at Mississippi State. UT went 37 of 44 vs. the Bulldogs in that contest on Feb. 6, 2023. Against the Gators Thursday night, the Big Orange closed out the game by hitting 16 of 18 tries in the fourth quarter and 21 of their 25 opportunities in the second half. UT's 86.7-percent marksmanship also was a season best.
- BIG NIGHT FOR PUCKETT: Sara Puckett co-led Tennessee with a personal SEC high of 20 points, ranking as the second-best scoring output of her career behind a career-topping 24 vs. Memphis on Nov. 13. The junior forward got off to a fast start, dropping a trio of three-pointers against the Gators in the first five minutes of the game that tied her season high of three-balls for an entire contest. She finished with a career-best 4-of-5 night behind the arc and was eight of 12 from the field on the evening. She also matched Rickea Jackson as UT's leader in rebounds with eight, equaling her season best first recorded vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 25.
- SPEAR STRONG AGAIN IN SEC: Jewel Spear tallied 20 points to tie Sara Puckett as Tennessee's scoring leader vs. UF, marking the first time she has produced back-to-back 20-point efforts as a Lady Vol. She had 21 vs. Kentucky in the previous game. Spear was five of 10 from the field and 10 of 11 from the charity stripe vs. Florida. She also grabbed six rebounds and tied her season high with three assists.
- KEY PAINT PRODUCTION: Tamari Key tied her season high with nine points vs. Florida. Key went three for three in the first quarter and finished with six points by the end of the first half, already her second-highest scoring output of the campaign behind a nine-point effort vs. Ohio State on Dec. 3. The 6-foot-6 redshirt senior wound up four of five from the field in 15 minutes of duty vs. the Gators.
- UT is 4-2 in Knoxville, 2-4 in College Station and 4-1 at neutral sites vs. the Aggies.
- The Big Orange women are 8-7 vs. A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC.
- A&M is 2-0 in overtime games vs. UT, with both of those taking place in College Station.
- In the initial meeting in Knoxville between these teams on Feb. 28, 2013, Tennessee defeated Texas A&M, 82-72, on Senior Day to give UT an SEC regular-season championship on the Lady Vols' home court.
- Kellie Harper is 2-3 all-time vs. the Aggies, including 2-2 as Tennessee's head coach with victories in the last two meetings.
- Junior Tamari Key blocked a career-best 11 shots against TAMU on Jan. 6, 2022, ranking second all-time in Lady Vol single-game records behind Kelley Cain's 12 vs. LSU on Feb. 22, 2010.
- As a student-athlete at UT from 1995-99, Kellie (Jolly) Harper was 1-0 vs. the Aggies.
- She had 14 points as the Lady Vols defeated Texas A&M, 105-81, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Dec. 19, 1997, during their second game at the Northern Lights Invitational.
- The Aggies are allowing only 51.3 ppg. to their opponents and 32.4 percent shooting.
- Ware has emerged as TAMU's leading rebounder in league games, pulling down 6.3, while Barker is second at 6.0.
- Tennessee's next four games will provide the Lady Vols an opportunity to enhance their place in the NET rankings.
- UT will face four top-55 teams in the NET, including No. 27 Texas A&M, No. 36 Mississippi State, No. 45 Vanderbilt and No. 54 Ole Miss. All but the game against Vandy are road games.
- Tennessee checks in at No. 64 as of Jan. 11.
TAMU Roster:
* #1 Rogers = 3 PT shooter 29/83 and the best A/TO rating 68/21 = 3.23 ATO ratio
Games played:
TAMU has played one top 25 team - LSU
Significant foes:
#78 Purdue L 58-72
#47 California W 65-51
#153 Wake Forest W 81-57
#48 Kansas W 63-52
SEC
#90 Georgia L 50-54
#69 Auburn W 66-44
#16 LSU L 70-87
Predictions:
Masse - 71-65
Coach Jumper: 80-61
@Volfan2012 80-75
@LV renaissance 68-67
@brittannica 72-66
@glv98 69-58
@knoxvol52 72-69
@Ladyvol777 83-80
@VolFuture 83-74
@mudcat1973 85-81
@J-Dog 1313 87-60
@VolBalls33 67-65
@Vols2015 77-65
@VolBalls33 66-58
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