Jordan Horston scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and No. 5 Tennessee overcame a sluggish first half to beat No. 13 Georgia 63-55 on Sunday and remain undefeated in Southeastern Conference games.
Tennessee (18-1, 7-0 SEC) trailed by nine points late in the first half before recovering for its ninth consecutive win. The Lady Vols have their best start since opening the 2007-08 season with a 22-1 record.
Rae Burrell had 13 points in her first start since missing most of the first half of the season after a knee injury in the opening game.
Jenna Staiti led Georgia (15-4, 4-3) with 16 points. Que Morrison had 14 points.
Morrison’s free throw for Georgia cut Tennessee’s lead to 57-55. The Lady Bulldogs were scoreless for the final 4:10 while missing their last 10 shots from the field.
Tennessee junior center Tamari Key had eight points after missing practice this week with an ankle injury. Key was limited by foul trouble.
Key left the Lady Vols’ 81-58 win over No. 19 Kentucky on Jan. 16 with a right ankle injury and had been listed as questionable.
Tennessee backup center Kenyen Green was escorted to the locker room following a hard fall late in the third quarter.
Credit: ArLuther Lee
Credit: ArLuther Lee
A basket by Morrison allowed Georgia to match its big lead of nine points at 32-23. Tennessee scored the final eight points of the first half, capped by a buzzer-beating drive by Horston, to cut the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to 32-31.
Tennessee continued its momentum, scoring six of the first eight points of the second half, including two baskets by Burrell. A three-point play by Horston gave the Lady Vols a 48-40 lead.
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee: The Lady Vols rank last in the SEC with a minus-2.61 turnover margin, and giveaways were a problem. Tennessee’s 21 turnovers, including 15 in the first half, led to 18 points for Georgia.
Georgia: The cold shooting to end the game left the Lady Bulldogs at 33% shooting from the field for the game. ... Freshman F Jillian Hollingshead missed her second consecutive game with an illness not related to COVID-19. Assistant coach Chelsea Newton missed the game with an illness.
NEXT UP
Tennessee: Visits Auburn on Thursday night.
Georgia: Visits Mississippi on Sunday.
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