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Three takeaways from Tennessee Lady Vols’ 70-63 win vs. Arkansas

By Caleb Calhoun

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 15: Detail view of a basketball goes through the basketball net during warmups before a game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bud Walton Arena on January 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 15: Detail view of a basketball goes through the basketball net during warmups before a game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bud Walton Arena on January 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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SEC play beginning hasn’t stopped the Tennessee Lady Vols from continuing to come through in the clutch. UT scored another fourth quarter victory on the road, this time beating the Arkansas Razorbacks 70-63 Sunday afternoon.

Despite roaring off to a 13-3 start in the first quarter, Kellie Harper’s team, ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, faltered for a while after that. By late in the third quarter, they trailed by six. However, then they went on a 6-0 run early into the fourth, and that was part of a 20-7 run that gave them the lead for good with three minutes left.

With the win, Rocky Top improves to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. They will next host the Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday, Jan. 6. Arkansas falls to 10-4, 0-1 in the SEC and will next visit the the Vanderbilt Commodores that same day. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ loss.

1. Length made up for three-point shooting issues.

Generally, UT’s game without Rae Burrell has been an inside-out game that involves reliable three-point shooting from either Tess Darby, Brooklynn Miles or Sara Puckett. However, it was an off-day for them Sunday, as the team went 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. The post game stepped it up a notch to make up for it.

Tamari Key was her usual self, scoring 17 points and picking up five blocks and seven rebounds. Alexus Dye had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Keyen Green had 11 points off the bench. They drew lots of fouls with their play as well, shooting 36 free throws, hitting 23 of them and forcing four players to foul out.

2. Turnovers still a problem.

With Jordan Horston back, you might have expected this, but she wasn’t the problem, as she had five assists to just three turnovers. Ironically, given what was just mentioned, the starters in the post game were the biggest culprits along with the backups.

Both Key and Dye had four turnovers. Green even had two off the bench. Miles, meanwhile, had three turnovers, and Kaiya Wynn even had two turnovers. This is why the team as a whole had 20 turnovers on the day,, which could have proved costly.

3. Jordan Walker keeps taking a step forward.

For most of the year, even with Rae Burrell hurt, Jordan Walker was more like one of the glue players in the starting lineup. However, with Horston out, she had to accept more of a role. Well, with Horston back, she continued to help with that role. While Horston had 12 points in her return, Walker was the more efficient player.

On the day, Walker had 13 points and went 3-of-8 from the field while also hitting the only three-pointer of the game for UT. Her strength has been free throw shooting, though, and she went 6-of-8 from the foul line. With those abilities, she can continue to be a versatile scoring threat, another one for the Tennessee Lady Vols.