Win some, lose some has applied to both the record and the roster early this basketball season for the University of Tennessee women's team.
With overmatched Wright State in the house Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, the Lady Volunteers got victories in both regards — and began adapting to a game plan that won't include 6-foot-6 Tamari Key's inside presence.
Tennessee, ranked fifth in the preseason, got above .500 for the first time with a 96-57 win against the Raiders at Thompson-Boling Arena, and Rickea Jackson returned from sitting out two games to lead the Lady Vols (6-5) with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
Jackson had not played since a 105-71 win against Eastern Kentucky two weeks earlier. She missed a 59-56 loss to Virginia Tech on Dec. 4 — after that game, Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said it was a coach's decision that would be indefinite — and Tuesday's 69-39 win against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
"I think, for me, we just had to make that she was where we wanted her to be in practices and the locker room," Harper said in her postgame news conference Sunday. "I think she showed that she's committed, and she is going to continue to do that. I loved her demeanor tonight. I thought she was where she needed to be. I thought she was a great teammate, and I thought she was aggressive.
"So she did some really good things, and I'm proud of that. I thought the way we worked her in was a positive thing. She's unbelievably talented. She's fun to watch."
Jackson came off the bench to play 15 minutes, making all five of her free throws, grabbing four rebounds and assisting on a basket.
Sara Puckett added 16 points, Jordan Horston had 14 with five rebounds, five assists and a block, and Jasmine Franklin also scored 14. Tess Darby, Karoline Striplin and Jordan Walker joined Horston and Puckett in the starting lineup, with Darby and Striplin each scoring six points and Striplin adding five rebounds to help Tennessee finish with a 45-15 advantage on the glass.
Emily Chapman's 18 points topped the list for Wright State (1-8), which trailed 20-17 after the first quarter and 44-33 at halftime before getting outscored 27-9 in the third as the Lady Vols shot 11-for-13 in that quarter.
Tennessee was playing three days after the program announced Key would miss the rest of the season because of blood clots in her lungs, with Harper saying in a release then that the senior and preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection is expected to make a full recovery.
Key had missed Tuesday's win against UTC, the first time she had been sidelined after playing in her first 99 games at Tennessee. On Sunday, the team wore shirts honoring Key, who was with the team on the bench.
"We're all going to be there for her, we're all going to support her and love her," Horston said in the postgame news conference. "And just having her on the bench is calming, because that's my best friend and she helps me through everything. So just seeing her and feeling her presence is all I need."
The Lady Vols will complete a six-game homestand when they take on the University of Central Florida (6-2) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday before traveling to face No. 2 Stanford (10-1) next Sunday.
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com.