Three takeaways from Tennessee Lady Vols’ biggest win of the season at Georgia

This team is starting to look unstoppable. The Tennessee Lady Vols, ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, cashed in on their week off with a huge victory Sunday afternoon. Kellie Harper’s team beat Joni Taylor’s Georgia Bulldogs, ranked No. 13 in both polls, 63-55 on the road to remain the only undefeated team in SEC play.

It was close early, but the Dawgs took control early in the second quarter and built a 32-23 lead with under two minutes to go. However, UT then got red-hot and finished the half on an 8-0 run to only trail by one entering the third quarter. They began to pull away in the middle of the third, going up by as many as eight and never relinquishing their lead.

Rocky Top improves to 18-1 and 7-0 in the SEC with a trip to the Auburn Tigers on Thursday up next. UGA falls to 15-4 and 4-3 in the SEC with a week off before a trip to the Ole Miss Rebels set for next Sunday. Here are three things we learned from the Tennessee Lady Vols’ win.

1. Rae Burrell and Jordan Horston thrived starting together.

For the first time all year, Harper started her two best players. Rae Burrell got hurt in the opener, which Jordan Horston didn’t play in due to injury. When Burrell came back, she was largely used for scoring off the bench. However, although she was starting, Tamari Key was banged up, so Harper needed more punch in her lineup.

As a result, Burrell and Horston finally started together, and it worked to perfection. Horston had another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Burrell added 13 points. They were the only two players to score double figures, and that was all this team needed.

2. Perimeter defense complemented interior dominance.

We’ve been talking all year about how dominant the Tennessee Lady Vols are on the inside, particularly on defense, and that was no different in this one. Even banged up, Key had five blocks. Alexus Dye had nine rebounds, both had eight points, and UT won it on the glass 49-41. However, in this game, Rocky Top was just as dominant with its perimeter players on defense.

Horston, shockingly, had five blocks as well, and she came away with three steals in an amazing performance. Sara Puckett had three steals off the bench. Brooklynn Miles and Jordan Walker each had two. The team forced 18 turnovers with 12 steals and those 10 blocks. You can’t say enough about their aggression, and even Burrell and Keyen Green each had a steal.

3. Turnovers were a problem again.

Although they forced 18 turnovers, UT had 21 turnovers. That combined with them only going 2-of-7 from the three-point line is usually a bad combination when your playing a team as good as Georgia, but it shows how elite Harper’s team is in other areas. Still, they can’t keep playing while making these types of mistakes.

Funny enough, Horston wasn’t the problem here, as in her epic game, she also had four assists and two turnovers. However, Walker had five, Dye and Puckett had four and Burrell had three. The Tennessee Lady Vols won’t keep getting away with this, so it’s something they have to address.