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Tennessee Lady Vols hold off Vanderbilt 65-51: Three takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Smokey, the mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers, performs during a time out in the second half against the Wright State Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Smokey, the mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers, performs during a time out in the second half against the Wright State Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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In their second straight road game and first as a team ranked in the top five in at least one poll under Kellie Harper, the Tennessee Lady Vols came away with another win. UT beat Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt Commodores 65-51 to remain the only undefeated team in the SEC.

With the score tied 9-9 in the first, Rocky Top finished the quarter on a 9-2 run. They then had a 9-0 run in the second quarter and a second 9-0 run from the end of the second into the third to go up by as many as 25 points. Vandy mounted a bit of a comeback in the fourth, bringing it to within 11 late, but it wasn’t enough.

Ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, UT improves to 16-1 and 5-0 in the SEC with the Kentucky Wildcats, ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, set to visit Sunday. Vandy falls to 10-7 and 1-2 in the SEC with a trip to the LSU Tigers set for Sunday. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ win.

1. All big names stepped up, but Jordan Horston dominated.

Jordan Horston, Tamari Key and Rae Burrell were the three players to score double figures in this game. Burrell had her best performance yet since returning from injury. She still came off the bench, but she had 11 points, went 2-of-4 from the field and shot 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Key, meanwhile, had 10 points and six rebounds, going 5-of-6 from the field.

However, Horston was the story. She had another double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but she also added five assists, three steals and four blocks. Yes, she had four blocks, and to nobody’s surprise with this line, she led the team in every notable stat. Her breakout year continued here, and it was impressive.

2. Vanderbilt shot the ball horrendously.

With Horston getting three steals, it’s safe to say the Tennessee Lady Vols were aggressive defensively. However, their defense wasn’t the same as it has been most of the year. Vanderbilt had open looks, and they got 17 offensive rebounds, as UT used its energy on offense. The problem was that the shots weren’t falling.

For the game, the Commodores were 20-of-75, or 26.7 percent, from the field. They were 3-of-22 from the three-point line. You can tell this a well-coached team in Ralph’s first year, but they just don’t have the weapons yet. It proved costly in this one, but the Lady Vols didn’t have too much to do with it like they usually do.

3. Turnovers were once again an issue.

Okay, so it’s more forgivable here than it has been. Ralph was pressing a lot in this game to try to generate fast-break points. However, the problem was that strategy worked, and it helped Vanderbilt win the fourth quarter, which they at one point were winning 18-8 before UT was able to put it away.

The Tennessee Lady Vols had 18 turnovers for the game. Horston had three, but Jordan Walker had five. This has to be corrected. If Vandy had more elite level talent, they may have won this game. UT was elite when it came to scoring, but the turnovers were a huge problem. It was only a blowout because the ‘Dores couldn’t buy a bucket.