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Three takeaways from Tennessee Lady Vols ugly 59-49 season-opening win vs. Southern Illinois

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee guard Jordan Walker (4) and Southern Illinois forward Awa Keita (35) battle for the ball during a game between Tennessee and Southern Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.Kns Lady Vols Southern Illinois
Tennessee guard Jordan Walker (4) and Southern Illinois forward Awa Keita (35) battle for the ball during a game between Tennessee and Southern Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.Kns Lady Vols Southern Illinois /
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That was way ugly. The Tennessee Lady Vols, coming off a 17-8 season and second-round NCAA Tournament, held off the Southern Illinois Salukis 59-49 in the season-opener for both teams. Kellie Harper, in her third year on Rocky Top, saw her team trailing by three at halftime, by six at one point in the third quarter and by four points entering the fourth quarter.

Trailing 47-42 with five minutes to go, UT finished the game on a 17-2 run. Back to back three-pointers by Jordan walker and Sara Puckett put them up 48-47, giving them the lead for good, and sparked a 9-0 run. They did it without Rae Burrell, who left the game late in the second quarter due to an injury, and Jordan Horston, who had an ankle injury.

Led by ninth-year head coach Cindy Stein, who said this will be her final year, the Salukis return all five starters from last year’s 9-16 team, and it showed. They will next visit the Kansas City Roos on Sunday. UT, ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, will host the UCF Knights Friday. Here are three things we learned from this Tennessee Lady Vols victory.

1. Injury bug bites.

As the heir apparent to Rennia Davis, who is gone after leading UT in scoring and rebounding last year, Rae Burrell showed how dominant she can be. She had 12 points in the first half. However, she left the second quarter with a knee injury, and there’s no way of knowing how bad it is. Although this team was struggling to put away SIU with Burrell on the court, it got worse.

Another  reason they were struggling was Jordan Horston being out. Horston is the most explosive backcourt player on the team, and UT needs her just like Burrell. Missing both was going to make this ugly. Combine it with them being less than two weeks removed from Marta Suárez suffering a season-ending injury, and they had a lot to adjust to in this game.

2. Jordan Walker and Alexus Dye stepped up.

Talk about a welcome addition. Troy Trojans transfer Alexus Dye started at the four and immediately showed why she was the Sun Belt Player of the Year. With Tamari Key in foul trouble  and Burrell hurt, Dye was the player who needed to step up on the paint for the Tennessee Lady Vols. She did just that with 12 points and 13 rebounds. This really took pressure off Burrell’s injury.

Then in the fourth quarter, it was Jordan Walker’s time. Shouldering an extra load with Horston out, Walker scored nine points in the fourth quarter. Not only did she hit a three on that 9-0 run to take the lead for good, but she assisted on the three to Sara Puckett. She got a late put-back on an offensive rebound as well, from her own missed free throw, to seal the deal.

3. Shooting was atrocious.

We just mentioned Walker’s clutch play in the fourth quarter, but she missed her final two free throws in that quarter. Still, she hit her first four in the fourth and was 7-of-10 on the night, so she gets a pass. As a whole, though, UT was 11-of-20 from the free throw line and 2-of-15 from the three-point line. That explains why they struggled.

There really is no other explanation. UT had just 10 turnovers and dominated the glass, 37-26. However, they couldn’t buy a bucket. Dye, who also stepped up, was 0-for-2 from the line. Key was 3-of-6. Three-point specialist Tess Darby was 0-for-4 from outside. That level of shooting, combined with the injuries, explain why the Tennessee Lady Vols struggled.