The Tennessee Lady Vols win a close neck-and-neck battle today against the Missouri Tigers. Tennessee was favored to win this game by 8, but the tigers had other things on their minds. This game featured many lead changes, and some top-caliber shooting on both sides, to make this an action-packed thriller that came down to a game-winning shot.
𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 😳@LadyVol_Hoops gets one to fall at the buzzer to remain undefeated in league play!#SECWBB x #WeBackPat pic.twitter.com/0q3MxSJkF7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) January 22, 2023
The Lady Vols are now tied for first place in the SEC with an 8-0 conference record. As we dive deeper into this victory, there were two main takeaways that helped the Lady Vols secure the late-game victory.
They stayed out of foul trouble
One of the lingering problems for the Lady Vols has been getting into foul trouble both early and often. However, in this game, they were able to really hold their own defensively, and not get into foul trouble.
Tennessee only had 13 personal fouls, while the Missouri Tigers had 21. They won that battle, and it really helped them to win this game.
Rickea Jackson stepped up when she needed to
This was arguably Rickea Jackson’s best game of the season, and maybe even her career. This isn’t necessarily because of an insane stat line, even though it was remarkable, but it was more because of how much of a leader she was on the floor. She did not let her team stay down when the pressure was adding up, and on the biggest play of the night, with the whole arena knowing the ball was going to her, she hit the game-winning shot.
Jackson finished the night with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and of course… the game-winning shot.