Jasmine Powell's 13 fourth-quarter points propel Lady Vols basketball to bounce-back win over Oklahoma
Cora HallFORT MYERS, Fla. – Jasmine Powell was all alone at the arc after Jillian Hollingshead somehow saved the ball from going out of bounds.
With seconds left on the shot clock, Powell stepped into a wide-open 3-pointer and drained it. It was the senior point guard's second straight 3-pointer to give Lady Vols basketball a seven-point lead over Oklahoma with two minutes left. It was the Lady Vols' largest lead since early in the game, and the crowd at Suncoast Credit Union Arena felt like a home crowd as it exploded in cheers.
Powell went 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter and finished the game when she drained a wide-open 3-pointer on Tennessee's last possession to give the No. 21 Lady Vols (4-2) the 76-73 victory over No. 20 Oklahoma (5-2) on Saturday. It was a much-needed bounce-back win for Tennessee after a 71-57 loss to No. 19 Indiana on Thursday.
Tennessee star forward Rickea Jackson is still sidelined with a lower leg injury and has missed four games in the past two weeks. Jackson wore a boot on her right foot all weekend, and coach Kellie Harper declined to put a timeline on the injury.
Oklahoma squashes Tennessee's hot start
Tennessee opened the game on an 8-0 run and looked much more confident against the Sooners. The Lady Vols didn't let Oklahoma rush them, and played at their own pace. But toward the end of the first quarter, Tennessee started playing into Oklahoma's quick pace and started rushing offensive possessions.
The Lady Vols' lead disappeared as turnovers piled up and the Sooners ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run to lead 20-18 going into the second. UT had 12 turnovers by halftime and had given up 13 points in transition.
Oklahoma continued to thrive in transition in the third quarter to build a lead as large as 10 points halfway through the quarter. The Sooners ended with 31 points in transition.
Tennessee's shot selection questionable against smaller team
Tennessee's shot selection was not good enough against a team it had a size advantage on in the post. The Lady Vols made some early 3-pointers, but once they stopped falling they still kept shooting them.
UT went 4-for-15 from the arc in the first half and got Hollingshead only two shot attempts. Junior forward Karoline Striplin was the most efficient player in the first half, going 4-for-6, but Tennessee didn't look for enough post touches. The shot selection improved in the second half, and so did Tennessee's effort and urgency.
Tennessee finds strong lineup to get back in game
Harper found Tennessee's best lineup in the third quarter and they got UT back in the game ahead of the fourth quarter.
Powell, Jewel Spear, Kaiya Wynn, Sara Puckett and Hollingshead gave Tennessee the best minutes of the game on both ends of the court. The Lady Vols finally got the Sooners out of rhythm and cut the lead to three going into the fourth quarter.
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They ended the third quarter on a 13-6 run and tied the score early in the fourth to give Tennessee a chance to take over.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.