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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The first look at the 2022-23 Tennessee Lady Volunteers offered plenty of excitement, as the loaded roster of veteran returners mixed with a strong signing class looked sharp on both ends of the floor in UT’s 108-63 exhibition win against Carson-Newman at Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
Offensively, the No. 5/4 Lady Vols were firing on all cylinders. Four players finished with double-digit scoring. Tennessee scored at all three levels, winning the battle in the paint by outsourcing Carson-Newman 50-22 down low in addition to connecting on 12 3-pointers. Fourteen of the 15 Lady Vols who played scored in the contest with eight recording multiple buckets and with the bench accounting for 56 points.

Senior Jordan Horston posted a game-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 12 minutes of action. Coming off the bench, sophomore Sara Puckett had a strong outing with 15 points on 67-percent shooting (6-9) and three 3-pointers.
 
Senior Rickea Jackson showed off her scoring ability, as she notched 14 points, three assists and two steals in the win. Redshirt sophomore Marta Suárez made her return to the hardwood after missing all of last season and did not disappoint. She added 14 points of 5-of-7 shooting, including scoring eight straight for UT to end the first quarter. 
 
Tennessee dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Eagles 48-29. The Lady Vols grabbed 20 offensive rebounds which led to 23 second-chance points. UT assisted on 25 of its 41 baskets, with six different players finishing with three assists.
 
Defensively, the Big Orange forced 23 turnovers behind 10 steals and five blocks. The defense led to offense, as Tennessee scored 42 points off the turnovers. 
 
Other notable performances included senior Jasmine Powell and freshman Justine Pissott each scoring nine points in their Lady Vol debuts. Senior Tamari Key finished with eight points, three boards and two blocks. Graduate Jordan Walker grabbed six rebounds to go along with four points and three assists, while graduate Jasmine Franklin finished with a game-high 10 boards and scored four points.
 
The game opened as a back-and-forth affair, as the Lady Vols knocked down six of their first nine shots to pull ahead early, while Carson-Newman used a trio of threes to stay in striking distance. Horston and Suarez led the way in the opening frame, scoring eight points apiece to give Tennessee a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
After the Eagles scored the first basket of the second stanza to pull within one point, the Lady Vols used three 3-pointers to swing the momentum in their favor by the halfway point of the period. Pissott buried a pair of long balls in just three minutes of action to spark the offense. 
 
The Big Orange offense exploded midway through the second quarter, as Tennessee went on a 17-0 scoring run and ended the half on a 27-5 swing to give the Lady Vols a comfortable 59-33 lead going into halftime. UT scored 37 points in the points in the frame thanks to 68-percent shooting and going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Tennessee used a balanced scoring attack with Lady Vols recording multiple baskets in the half. 
 
Defensively, UT forced 13 turnovers behind seven steals and two blocks in the half. The Lady Vols finished the first 20 minutes with an impressive 27-0 advantage on points off turnovers.
 
Tennessee’s momentum continued into the second half, as the Big Orange shot 58 percent from the field while holding the Eagles to 37-percent shooting in the third quarter. Nine Lady Vols scored in the period to help push UT’s advantage to 86-48 entering the final frame. 
 
Cruising to the victory, the Lady Vols outscored Carson-Newman 22-15 in the fourth quarter. For the game, Tennessee shot 51 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. 
 
The Lady Vols begin their 2022-23 campaign next Tuesday, Nov. 8, with a big road matchup against No. 14 Ohio State. The contest begins at 8:30 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network and audio streamed on the Lady Vol Network.
 
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: After a Carson-Newman basket pulled the Eagles within four points at 32-28 with 6:04 left in the second quarter, the Lady Vol offense went to another level, using a 17-0 run to swing the momentum in its favor. Tennessee closed the half on a 27-5 run. During the final 5:53 in the half, the Big Orange shot 12-of-17 from the floor, including 9-of-11 to finish the frame. 

UT ALL-TIME IN EXHIBITIONS: UT is 51-4 all-time in preseason exhibition games, with the only losses coming to the Soviet National Team (1979), Athletes in Action (1992) and the USA National Team (1995, 2007). Tennessee is 11-0 in preseason exhibition games in the post-Pat Summitt era, defeating Carson-Newman eight times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) and both Georgia College (2021) and Coker (2012) on one occasion each. Kellie Harper is 3-0 at Rocky Top with wins in 2019, 2021 and 2022. No exhibition contest was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BALL SECURITY AND POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: Fifteen Lady Vols made an appearance in Sunday’s exhibition game, and combined for only 11 turnovers. Tennessee scored 42 points off turnovers, including 29 in the first half. During the 2021-22 regular season, the most points off turnovers tallied was 27 against ETSU (12/20/21). 

THREE-POINTERS APLENTY: The Lady Vols made 12-of-28 from behind the arc. Last season, Tennessee only notched double-digit three-pointers in one game, versus Kentucky (1/16/22), where they made 10-of-20.

-UT Athletics