AUSTIN, Texas — Senior Meme Jackson logged a career-high 33 points to lift the No. 9/9 Lady Vols to an 88-82 victory over No. 12/12 Texas in the Frank Erwin Center on Sunday.
Sophomore Evina Westbrook posted 23 points for her third straight 20+ point performance. Cheridene Green was also in double figures for Tennessee (8-0), adding 10 points and six rebounds.
Texas (7-2) was led in scoring by Audrey Warren with 21 points. Danni Williams, Destiny Littleton and Sug Sutton were also in double digits for the Longhorns with 14, 13 and 11, respectively.
Texas led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, fueled by a 47.1 field goal percentage and 12 first-quarter points from Warren, but Jackson hit two foul shots at the end of the period to cut the deficit to nine at 23-14.
Jackson carried that momentum into the second quarter, converting an and-one on Tennessee’s first possession to cut Texas’ lead to six. The teams traded buckets until Tennessee mounted a 10-0 run to take the lead at 29-27 with 4:56 to play in the half. Jackson hit back-to-back treys to close out the quarter, giving Tennessee a 40-35 lead at the break. After allowing Texas to shoot eight of 17 from the floor in the first quarter, the Lady Vols held the Longhorns without a field goal for more than eight minutes in the second period.
The Longhorns came out firing in the second half with Williams connecting on a long-range three on their first possession. With just under five minutes to play in the quarter Texas tied it up at 52-all on a Sutton layup, but Tennessee answered with a 7-0 run to move ahead 59-52 at the 2:44 mark. The Lady Vols maintained a lead through the rest of the period, entering the final stanza up 62-57.
Texas pulled within two at 65-63 with 7:06 left in the game, but a three-point play by Westbrook and a quick trey from Mimi Collins extended the Lady Vols’ lead to 71-65 less than a minute later. The Longhorns rallied again, pulling within one with just over three minutes to play, but the Lady Vols hit nine free throws in the closing minutes to secure an 88-82 victory.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will return to Knoxville for final exams before hosting No. 11/11 Stanford on Dec. 18. The game will tip at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Turn ‘Em Over: With 17 turnovers forced against Texas, the Lady Vols have caused 17 or more turnovers in seven of eight games thus far this season. On the year, Tennessee is averaging 22.5 turnovers forced per game.
20+ Performances: With 23 points against Texas, Evina Westbrook posted her third 20+ performance in as many games. Meme Jackson also had a 20+ (33) game against the Longhorns, marking the second contest in a row with two Lady Vols over 20 points and UT’s sixth 20+ performance of the season.
Against Texas: In the 40th meeting between the two teams, the win moves Tennessee’s record to 25-15 all-time against Texas and 4-3 under Holly Warlick. UT has won the last two meetings.
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