No. 10 Tennessee Lady Vols avoid upset in Blacksburg, beat Virginia Tech 64-58

Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Sara Puckett went on a 6-0 run in the fourth quarter to lead the Tennessee to a 64-58 win over Virginia Tech and its first 8-0 start since the 2018-19 season.

The No. 10 Lady Vols were nearly upset in Cassell Coliseum, with Aisha Sheppard scoring 30 points, hitting 7-of-17 from 3-point range.

The Hokies (7-2) won the battle at the 3-point line, but Tennessee dominated the paint. The Lady Vols outscored Virginia Tech 38-12 in points in the paint and out-rebounded the Hokies 45-29.

Tennessee broke Virginia Tech's 63-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at home. It was the Lady Vols' fourth game they have come back from a fourth-quarter deficit to win this season.

"We fell back on the confidence that we have in those situations," Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said. "I really do think that was important. There was no panic there, we were motivating on the sideline, the bench was loud.

"It was it was just a matter of digging in, and I thought we got a little frustrated in the third quarter. But we just never completely panicked."

BREAKOUT SEASON: Jordan Horston hasn't changed anything. Her confidence has always been there for Lady Vols.

LATEST WIN: Tess Darby, Alexus Dye help Tennessee Lady Vols roll past Tennessee Tech

Kitley's offensive production limited

Tamari Key had one foul that had her benched for two minutes, and that was the only time Elizabeth Kitley scored in the first two quarters.

In the battle of the 6-foot-6 centers, Key came out on top, with her fifth double-double of the season – she had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Key was able to hold Kitley to four points and nine rebounds. She was averaging 19.6 points per game.

"Anybody just watching that game that doesn't know anything about Virginia Tech has no idea how good (Key's) defense was," Harper said. "I mean, that is a 20-point player, she's got a future career and as a basketball player in the pros, and Tamari was excellent defensively."

Key's defense held Kitley to 8.3% shooting, well under her 58.3% average this season.

Even though Kitley was limited in her own scoring, she still aided the offense in setting screens to get shooters open.

Three-point battle

Virginia Tech has three players who average above 40% from 3-point range. It was going to be near impossible to eliminate that threat, so Tennessee tried to keep up, shooting 50% from behind the arc in the first two quarters.

Both Jordan Walker and Puckett were a combined 5-for-5 before halftime.

Walker led the Lady Vols with 17 points, a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. But Sheppard was unstoppable from behind the arc, often using Kitley to screen and get open.

DR. GREEN: With injury prolonged career, Lady Vols' Keyen Green now pursuing a PhD in her last season

Rae Burrell injury update

Rae Burrell, the Lady Vols' leading returning scorer, has yet to return after suffering an undisclosed knee injury in the season opener. Burrell was shooting around before the game, however, and drained four 3-pointers in a row.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women's athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee Lady Vols avoid upset in Blacksburg, beat Virginia Tech 64-58