No. 7 Lady Vols get back on track against East Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sara Puckett came off the bench to score 19 points and Tamari Key added 16 to lead No. 7 Tennessee to a convincing 112-58 victory over East Tennessee on Monday night.

Keyen Green contributed 13 points, Kaiya Wynn had 12 and 10 rebounds, Alexus Dye had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Karoline Striplin scored 10 for the Lady Volunteers (10-1), who rebounded from Saturday’s loss to Stanford with the conquest.

Jakhyia Davis scored 17 points and Aaliyah had 12 for East Tennessee (1-11). Davis, at 6-foot-3, was the only Buccaneer taller than 6-foot. That allowed 6-6 Key to have several opportunities down low.

Tennessee had a pair of 15-0 runs — one late in the first quarter and into the second quarter, and the other to start the third quarter — that put the game well out of reach.

The Lady Vols struggled from the perimeter, hitting 6 of 20 (30%) from behind the arc.

BIG PICTURE

East Tennessee: Struggling with just one win in its first 12 games, East Tennessee, which started three freshmen, will try to take away some positives from its loss to Tennessee to build on as the start of its defense of its Southern Conference championship begins. The Buccaneers had just eight players available.

Tennessee: It was important for Tennessee to get a positive experience after the frustration that came with the loss to Stanford in its last game. The Lady Vols played just 10 minutes of quality basketball against the Cardinal. Associated Press poll voters must have appreciated the effort since Tennessee remained at No. 7 despite the setback.

UP NEXT

East Tennessee: After the date with Tennessee, the Buccaneers still have one more game before a Christmas break. They entertain St. Bonaventure Thursday.

Tennessee: Before the Lady Vols get started in Southeastern Conference competition at home against Alabama on Dec. 30, they entertain Chattanooga Monday, Dec. 27.