Arkansas was making a run in the third quarter. Tennessee coach Holly Warlick had seen this scene play out before and asked for a timeout.
“We weren’t playing solid defense,” Warlick said of Arkansas’ 17-4 run. “I just think we had to slow down and get a little more disciplined on our defensive end.”
The Lady Vols made sure Arkansas’ comeback never materialized. The Razorbacks got within 5 late in the third, but they didn’t come any closer.
Tennessee gave Warlick her 100th win by closing the game on a 24-11 run to seal a 75-57 win over the Razorbacks Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. The players celebrated Warlick’s milestone by carrying her to center court.
“I am excited for our kids,” Warlick said. “Looking at Arkansas, I am shocked that their record is what it is because I think they play hard and they are right there. They have been in every game that they have played.
“I am glad we won by what we won by, but it was tight game heading into the fourth quarter.”
Tennessee (14-8, 5-4) ensured it didn’t get any tighter. The Lady Vols led 56-46 entering the fourth and made sure their lead never dipped below double-digits, outscoring Arkansas (9-14, 4-6) 19-11 in the final period.
Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell both scored 15 points. Te’a Cooper added 13 and Andraya Carter contributed 10. After scoring a combined 5 points against Mississippi State and Alabama, DeShields rebounded against Arkansas with a strong performance. She had seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals to go along with her points. And for the first time all season, she didn’t turn the ball over.
Her seven points in the second quarter propelled the Lady Vols to a 41-27 lead at halftime. Her steal and layup on the other end late in the fourth quarter placed an exclamation mark on an impressive victory.
“Tonight, I really took my time and found my spots,” DeShields said.
Jessica Jackson led the Razorbacks with 18 points, scoring seven points in the third. Devin Cosper dropped 17 points. Cosper’s 3-point with 1:35 to go in the third sliced Tennessee’s lead to 51-46, forcing Warlick to call a timeout.
“We put a lot of pressure on Tennessee there in the third quarter,” Arkansas coach Jimmy Dykes said. “I thought we outfought them there for a good 10 minute stretch, got it down to five or six. We are just so young, our margin for error is not real great right now.”
The Lady Vols didn’t wait long to capitalize on Arkansas’ errors. Arkansas gave Jordan Reynolds enough room to hit a jumper to extend the lead to seven. Then, it was DeShields turn to drain an open jumper to end the third. The Lady Vols lead was back to 10.
They finished strong the rest of game
The Lady Vols have a chance to finish the season strong also. They have now won two consecutive games for the first time since December, but extending their win streak will be tough. Tennessee travels to No. 12 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt next week before hosting No. 2 South Carolina on Feb. 11.
“It’s just a tough stretch for us,” Warlick said. “Obviously we didn’t make the SEC schedule or it wouldn’t be this bad, but we got to go with what we got. We just got to be ready.
“We got to take it one game at a time.”
