There was no “Memorial Magic,” or any magic on Sunday as Tennessee (18-9, 10-2 SEC) routed Vanderbilt (11-15, 2-10 SEC) 86-59 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The win comes after a week off for the Lady Vols. Before their week hiatus, the Lady Vols fell to Mississippi State in double overtime.
Rickea Jackson led the way on Sunday in the bounce-back win. The forward finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
“That’s a really good win for our basketball team,” Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper said. “We knew that we need to play better against Vanderbilt than the first time we played them, and that’s been our focus. Vanderbilt is playing some good basketball right now.”
Here are three takeaways from Tennessee’s blowout win.
Jordan Horston orchestrates third-quarter rout
Tennessee turned a tie game at halftime into a 27-point win. How did that happen? Horston.
Horston finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. 10 of her points game in the third quarter.
“It was just fun,” Horston said. “I was just letting my defense dictate how everything else was going to go. I feel like it’s a lot more fun playing that way.”
Tennessee’s defense shined in the third quarter. The Lady Vols held Vanderbilt to just eight points on 20% shooting.
“We let our defense energize us and motivate us to get easy points in transition,” Horston added. “Just take them out of the rhythm. I feel like we came out with a chip on our shoulder in that third quarter.”
Horston finished second in the +/- category for Tennessee with +24. Her play in the third quarter resulted in a 20-point swing and the win for the Lady Vols.
When Horston has an off-night, like she did against Mississippi State when she battled foul trouble, Tennessee struggles. When Horston is on, like Sunday against Vanderbilt, Tennessee is a scary team.
“We are at our best when she is stuffing the stats, and it does not have to be points,” Harper said of Horston. “Her effect on the game in every other column is so valuable to our team.”
Keeping Vanderbilt out of the paint
Women’s basketball games are often won in the paint. If a team is successful in the post, it will often dominate the game.
On Sunday, Tennessee dominated the post on both ends of the floor.
Vanderbilt was held to just 14 points in the paint compared to the Lady Vols’ 48 points in the paint.
“Our biggest goal is, whatever you got to do, keep them out the paint, and make sure you get into the boxout,” Horston said.
Tennessee overpowered Vanderbilt on the glass as well. The Lady Vols pulled down 51 rebounds compared to the Commodores’ 25. As for second-chance points, Vanderbilt finished with zero.
“I think their gameplan was to get back in transition, so they weren’t bringing the house on offensive boards,” Harper said. “We did our job when we need to and that was a good thing. (The second-chance points) was a good number.”
“You need a JoJo”
Jordan Walker has quietly been a crucial part of this Tennessee team.
On Sunday, she finished with six points, six rebounds, eight assists, and a block.
“She’s a dog, I say it all the time and she knows it,” Horston said of her fellow guard. “She’s the backbone of this team, really. All the things that she does, it goes unnoticed, but it is so big for us.”
Walker led Tennessee in the +/- category, finishing +40 on the day. Harper can’t remember the last time she’s seen a +/- that high.
“That’s how she was affecting the game on both ends of the court,” Harper said. “Six points and +40. Yeah, she’s so valuable to our success.”
