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Tennessee Lady Vols dominate Stetson 73-46: Three takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Lady Vols moved to 5-0 with a win over the Stetson Hatters. Here are three takeaways from the women’s basketball Volunteers’ victory.

Kellie Harper’s team continues to look better. In her first game coaching the Tennessee Lady Vols while they were ranked in the top 25, they came away with a dominant win against the Stetson Hatters to get their fifth win of the year.

This was the second of a six-game home stand for UT, and they won’t play again until hosting the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Tuesday, Nov. 26. So they get another week at least to bask in their undefeated season and remain in the top 25.

In this matchup, UT never trailed, but after leading 20-11 at the end of the first, Stetson did make it close in the second quarter, cutting it to three with less than five minutes left. But Harper’s team closed things out on a 13-1 run to go into halftime up 39-24. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ win.

1. Half-court defense and rebounding remain the story.

We can’t stop touting this, but these kids look like the Lady Vol program Pat Summitt used to coach. They win by dominating with defense and on the inside. And they don’t even have to force turnovers. In this one, they held Stetson to under 30 percent from the field, and they outrebounded them 48-32. That was once again the story.

2. Offense comes from anywhere. 

This is a testament to Jazmine Massengill and Jordan Horston stepping up with the loss of Zaay Green. As Kellie Harper still goes 10-deep, the Tennessee Lady Vols can turn to anybody to score. Five players had double-figures in this game. Rennia Davis led the way with 15. Horston had 14, Massengill had 12, Kasiyahna Kushkituah had 11 and Rae Burrell had 10.

3. Jordan Horston’s coming-out party?

She showed flashes before. And she still had four turnovers. But given Jordan Horston’s production, those turnovers were not a bad number. That’s because she had 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. Horston was the star, and the real story was her shooting four-of-seven from three. If her shot’s falling, she could be unstoppable.