One of the best SEC rivalries continues on Thursday night, as the Tennessee women’s basketball team travels to Rupp Arena to compete against Kentucky. The No. 16 Lady Vols are 12-3 on the season and 6-1 in the SEC, while the No. 20 Wildcats currently sit at 13-5 and 6-4 in the conference.
“I think we’re going to face a very motivated Kentucky team,” Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper said. “They’ll have the intrinsic motivation going on, and I’m sure coming off a loss also is adding fuel to that fire. They’re going to come out all guns blazing. They’re going to be playing hard and coming right at us, for sure.”
“When you play teams twice, if you’re the winning team the first time, you go in it, and you want to do the same game plan. You want to do what worked. However, you’ve got to look at what the opponent is going to do. They’re not going to do the same thing, so your same game plan for the winning team may or may not work the second time around. So, I think the challenges are that you have to make sure that your team is focused again and not overlooking a team that you beat.”
Tennessee’s last game was a 79-65 win against the Florida Gators on Jan. 31, as they had to miss their Feb. 4 matchup against Mississippi State due to Covid-19 protocols. During the game, Tamari Key recorded the fourth triple-double in Lady Vol history after recording 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. Rae Burrell was second on the team in points with 21, and Rennia Davis finished the game with 14 points, seven boards and four assists.
The Gators were paced by Kiara Smith and Lavender Briggs, who combined for 46 points. Smith earned a double-double after dropping 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while adding five assists and four steals. Lavender Briggs tallied 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The game was 58-54, Tennessee, going into the final quarter. The Lady Vols would finish the final stanza out-scoring the Gators, 21-11, after holding their dynamic duo to just two points combined.
Throughout the game, Tennessee dominated on the glass and in the paint, as they out-rebounded Florida 57-42, turning that into 22 second-chance points. The Lady Vols had a +40 point differential in the paint as well.
Kentucky is coming off of a 72-60 upset loss against Ole Miss. Rhyne Howard did it all with 26 points (13 in the fourth quarter), 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Chasity Patterson was next up on the Wildcats roster with 14 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.
Ole Miss had a trio of players who finished in the double-digit point totals. Shakira Austin led the group with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Mimi Reid added 14 points and four assists off of the bench. Donnetta Johnson rounded out the group with 12 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Wildcats struggled to find their shot all night. They averaged 31.8% from the floor and finished the first and third quarters with a game-best 36.8% stroke. Kentucky didn’t have better luck from deep, shooting 23.1% (6-26) from three. Meanwhile, the Rebels shot 47.4% from the field and nearly scored at a 60% clip in the second quarter.
Ole Miss dominated in other aspects of the game. The Rebels outscored the Wildcats 42-20 in points in the paint. Ole Miss had a more productive bench in regard to scoring, 16-9. Ole Miss also out-scored Kentucky in every quarter, except in the third.
Thursday night’s contest will be the 71st meeting between these two programs. Tennessee currently holds a 56-14 edge in the series. The last time these two teams met with on Jan. 24, when the then-No. 25 Lady Vols dominated then-No.12 Kentucky, 70-53 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Key tallied a then-career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Davis posted a double-double of 15 points and a career-high 20 boards. The Tennessee defense did their part as well, holding the Wildcats to 28.6% shooting from the floor.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET this Thursday and will be broadcast on SECN+.
