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from Hoops Central
Lady Vols at Auburn
Women's BasketballJanuary 02, 2024
Tennessee (7-5) plays its first game during the 2024 portion of the schedule, as it dives into Southeastern Conference action on the road and faces Auburn (11-2) on Thursday night. The Lady Vols and Tigers will clash inside Neville Arena at 7:02 p.m. CT (8:02 p.m. ET), with SECN+ streaming the contest live. UT enters on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a resounding 90-55 victory over Liberty on Sunday in Lynchburg, Va. The Lady Vols improved to 3-1 on the season with
Rickea Jackson in the lineup, as the fifth-year forward saw action for the second straight game and picked up her first start since missing eight contests due to a lower right leg injury.
Auburn enters SEC play on an eight-game winning streak,
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COMMON THREADS
- Tennessee features two players from the state of Alabama, two coaches who spent their childhood there, and two more coaches who worked at Auburn.
- Sara Puckett is from Muscle Shoals, while Karoline Striplin is from Hartford.
- Striplin's parents were student-athletes at Auburn. Dad Jim Bob played football and mom Karie played softball.
- UT assistant Samantha Williams hails from Luverne, Ala., and later moved to Louisville, Ky., while Joy McCorvey is from Brewton, Ala., (T.R. Miller H.S grad.).
- UT head coach Kellie Harper was on Joe Ciampi's staff (admin. asst., then asst. coach) from 1999-2001, while Jon Harper graduated from Auburn and spent three years as a practice player, manager and intern for Ciampi from 1996-99.
- Samantha Williams played for the Tigers and Ciampi from 1992-96, connecting with Jon Harper during that time and facing off against UT as a senior in 1995-96 when Kellie was a freshman Lady Vol.
- Lady Vol strength and conditioning coach Bryan Tatum worked with Auburn football from 2014-21.
SEASON RESET
- The Lady Vols are on a season-best three-game winning streak and will try to extend it to four on Thursday night at Auburn.
- Tennessee is finally developing some momentum after dealing with some unfortunate injuries to multiple players during the non-conference portion of the schedule.
- Leading scorer and rebounder Rickea Jackson missed eight games with a lower right leg injury, including four vs. ranked teams, and the Big Orange went 4-4 in those contests.
- UT is 3-1 with Rickea Jackson in the lineup, including dominant 85-63 and 90-55 victories in her recent return to action vs. Wofford (reserve) and Liberty (starter), respectively, on Dec. 19 and Dec. 31.
- The only loss by the Big Orange with Jackson in the lineup came on Nov. 9 in Tallahassee, with No. 18/22 Florida State winning, 92-91, despite a 31-point, 17-rebound double-double from the All-America candidate.
- Power forward Jillian Hollingshead (concussion protocol/MTSU) and point guard Jasmine Powell (wrist/Troy) have missed one game each, guard/forward Avery Strickland (concussion protocol twice) has missed seven contests, and point guard Destinee Wells was lost for the season prior to the Wofford game after suffering a lower right leg injury.
- While technically not injured, 6-foot-6 redshirt center Tamari Key (All-SEC Second Team/Cheryl Miller Award finalist in 2021-22) is still shaking off the rust and ramping up her conditioning and explosiveness after being shut down most of last season due to blood clots found in her lungs.
- The Lady Vols have only two players (Sara Puckett and Jewel Spear) who have started every game together this season, so continuity has been a work in progress.
- During Jackson's absence, the Lady Vols dropped contests to No. 21/19 Indiana (71-57) in the Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off, to No. 18/14 Notre Dame (74-69) and No. 16/13 Ohio State (78-58) at home, and to respected mid-major foe Middle Tennessee (73-62) at a neutral site in Huntsville, Ala.
- UT did manage a 76-73 win over No. 22/20 Oklahoma at the Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off with Jackson sidelined for its best triumph of 2023-24.
RECAPPING THE LAST GAME
- The Lady Vols wrapped up their non-conference slate with a commanding win over Liberty on Sunday, rolling to a 90-55 victory in Liberty Arena.
- Fifth-year senior Rickea Jackson led UT (7-5) with 21 points and seven rebounds, while senior Tess Darby had a strong showing, turning in a career-best 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.
- Junior Kaiya Wynn tied her career high of 12 points and added a career-best seven assists with no turnovers, while junior Karoline Striplin was also in double figures with 10.
- Emma Hess was the top scorer for LU (5-10) with 12 points, and Asia Boone was close behind with 11.
POSTGAME NOTES VS. LIBERTY
- CAREER DAY FOR TESS: Tess Darby fired in a career-high six three-pointers on nine attempts and finished with a career-best 18 points vs. Liberty. That tied the Liberty Arena record for treys with the Flames' Emily Lytle, who had that same amount vs. Stetson on Feb. 28, 2021.
- DARBY MOVES UP CAREER THREES LIST: With her six long balls vs. Liberty, Tess Darby moved into eighth on the Lady Vols' career three-pointer list with 148. She surpassed Taber Spani (143) and Shannon Bobbitt (147) on Sunday afternoon and stands 13 behind seventh-place Brittany Jackson (161, 2001-05).
- ANOTHER GAME WITH 10 THREE-POINTERS: For the second consecutive game and the third time this season, Tennessee hit 10 or more three-pointers, finishing with a season-best 12 vs. Liberty. The last time the Lady Vols fired in 10+ in back-to-back contests was at the start of the 2016-17 season, when they made 10 at JMU on Nov. 11 and knocked down 12 vs. Navy on Nov. 13.
- BIGGEST CROWD FOR LU WOMEN'S HOOPS: With a significant contingent of orange-clad fans helping the cause on Sunday, Liberty women's basketball was able to draw a record-setting crowd to Liberty Arena. A total of 2,105 were on hand to surpass the previous best of 1,631 for a contest vs. Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 24, 2022.
- SURPASSING 50 REBOUNDS ONCE AGAIN: For the second straight game and fourth time this season, the Lady Vols pulled down 50+ rebounds. Their 52 ranked as the third-most in a game in 2023-24. During the Harper era, UT has recorded 50 rebounds in a contest on 44 occasions in 139 total games.
- JACKSON MOVES PAST 600 REBOUNDS: With the first carom she grabbed early in the first quarter, Rickea Jackson reached 600 rebounds in her collegiate career. She quickly surpassed it with three more boards in the first frame and finished with seven to run her tally to 606 while also producing game-high points (21) and plus/minus (29) in 24 minutes played on the day.
- SHARING THE BALL: With 22 assists vs. Liberty and 23 the previous game vs. Wofford, the Lady Vols have dished 20+ dimes in back-to-back contests for the first time this season. Kaiya Wynn led the way off the bench with seven and no turnovers as well as tallying a career-high-tying 12 points.
LADY VOLS, HARPER IN SEC OPENERS
- Tennessee is 35-6 all-time in its first SEC game of a season, including 19-3 at home and 16-3 on the road after defeating Florida in Gainesville on Dec. 29, 2022, 77-67.
- The Lady Vols have won their past nine SEC openers, last losing to LSU, 80-77, on Jan. 2, 2014.
- Kellie Harper is 4-0 at UT in SEC openers, winning vs. Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama and Florida in her first four seasons.
- Through the 2022-23 road opener, the Lady Vols are 32-9 in their initial SEC away game of a season after defeating Florida on Dec. 29, 2022, 77-67, winning 13 of the past 14.
- Harper is 3-1 in UT's first SEC road game of the season, falling at Kentucky in 2020, defeating LSU in 2020-21, beating Arkansas in 2021-22 and handling Florida in 2022-23.
- Tennessee is 36-5 in its first SEC home game of a season through 2022-23, winning six of its last seven such contests.
- Kellie Harper is 4-0 in the first SEC home game of a campaign as Tennessee's head coach, defeating Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama and Alabama again in her first four seasons.
- Tennessee is 4-2 all-time in SEC openers vs. Auburn, including 2-1 on the road and 2-1 at home.
TENNESSEE IN SEC PLAY
- UT is 438-97 (.819) in SEC regular-season games through the 2022-23 campaign, winning league bests of 18 regular-season championships and 17 SEC tourney titles through the years.
- Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper is 43-18 in SEC games through the Kentucky regular season finale, including 13-3 (3rd place) in 2022-23. She is 5-4 all-time in SEC Tournament play.
- UT tied for third in 2019-20 and finished third outright in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, marking its best back-to-back-to-back-to-back outcomes in SEC play since taking second in 2011-12, first in 2012-13, second in 2013-14 and first in 2014-15.
- The Lady Vols were picked second in the 2022-23 SEC Preseason Media & Coaches Polls, marking their best positions since 2015-16 and 2016-17, respectively.
UT SHOOTING AND HITTING THREES IN BUNCHES
- Tennessee has attempted 306 three-pointers and hit 96 through 12 games. UT already has made more treys than it did in seven entire seasons.
- The Lady Vols rank No. 31 nationally and No. 2 in the SEC for treys attempted per contest at 25.5.
- UT is 51st in the country and No. 3 in the SEC for threes made per game at 8.0 as of the Jan. 2 rankings.
- The Lady Vols have hit 10 or more three-pointers on four occasions already, marking the first time in program history that UT has knocked down 10 or more treys in a game at least four times during the opening 12 contests of a season.
- They already have the second-highest total of games with 10+ three-pointers made, tying with the 2011-12 and 2005-06 squads.
- The UT record of games with 10+ three-balls is five, set in 2010-11, 2007-08 and 2002-03.
- The Big Orange made a season-best 12 at Liberty on Dec. 31 and fired in 10 at Florida State on Nov. 9, vs. Troy on Nov. 19 and vs. Wofford on Dec. 19.
- Jewel Spear (24), Tess Darby (22) and Sara Puckett (13) and Karoline Striplin (13) have tallied the most long-range buckets so far in 2023-24, with Jasmine Powell (11) also in double figures.
SERIES NOTES
- The Lady Vols are 24-2 vs. the Tigers in games held in Knoxville, 15-6 in games played at Auburn and 9-4 at neutral sites.
- UT is 2-0 vs. AU in overtime games, winning extra-frame contests in Knoxville vs. the Tigers in 1996 and 2004.
- Kellie Harper is 4-3 all-time vs. Auburn, going 3-1 the past four seasons as UT's coach and winning in 2012 while at NC State. She was 0-2 vs. AU (with Nell Fortner at the helm) while leading Western Carolina.
- Tennessee and Auburn played for the 1989 NCAA Championship in Tacoma, Wash., with the Lady Vols prevailing, 76-60.
- Tennessee also beat the Tigers in regional finals in 1987 and 1991 en route to NCAA Final Fours they would end up winning.
- UT and AU four times played for SEC Tourney titles from 1985 to 1990, with the Lady Vols winning three of those (1985, 1988, 1989).
A LOOK AT THE TIGERS
- Auburn is led by Honesty Scott-Grayson, a graduate guard who averages 15.4 ppg. as the team's only player scoring in double figures.
- JaMya Mingo-Young (9.1), Taylen Collins (8.5) and Sydney Shaw (8.5) are right behind her in point production, with Collins pacing rebounding at 6.5 rpg.
- Shaw is the Tigers' leading three-point shooter, firing in 18 thus far on 52 attempts (34.6 pct.).
- Auburn averages 11.2 steals per contest and forces its opponents into 22.1 turnovers per outing.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
- Johnnie Harris is in her third year as head coach and sports a 37-35 record on The Plains.
- Prior to her arrival at Auburn, Harris spent 16 years combined at Arkansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, and she spent the 2020-21 season as the associate head coach at the University of Texas with Vic Schaefer after he made the move to Austin from MSU.
AUBURN'S MOST RECENT GAME
- JaMya Mingo-Young had her first Auburn double-double, McKenna Eddings led five Tigers in double figures, and the Tigers won their eighth in a row as they defeated North Alabama 79-58 Sunday afternoon at Neville Arena.
- A slow start gave way to a big second half for the Tigers' offense, as a three-point halftime lead swelled to 20 late in the third quarter as Auburn (11-2) closed out an unbeaten December.
- Eddings tossed in 14, while Mingo-Young posted 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kaitlyn Duhon, Sydney Shaw and Honesty Scott-Grayson added 11 each.
LAST UT-AU CONTEST
- UT earned an 83-76 Senior Day win over Auburn on Feb. 19, 2023, in Knoxville last time UT and AU met.
- The win was UT's 20th of the season, marking the program's 46th 20-win campaign. Head coach Kellie Harper carded her 10th 20-win campaign, including three in four seasons on Rocky Top with the 2020-21 total of victories limited by canceled contests due to COVID-19.
- Tennessee (20-9, 12-2 SEC) was led by Rickea Jackson, who poured in 27 points, hitting an impressive 12 of 15 shots from the floor. Jordan Horston added 19 points and Tess Darby knocked down a season-best five three-pointers to tie her career high of 17 points.
- Honesty Scott-Grayson was the leading scorer for the Tigers (14-12, 4-10 SEC) with 23 points on the day. Aicha Coulibaly turned in 15 points, and Sania Wells and Romi Levy each finished with 10.
