KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee women’s basketball team bounced out of a bumpy ride in a big way Thursday night, using a dominant third quarter to smother any hope Missouri had of becoming the latest opponent to deal the Lady Volunteers a defeat.
Jordan Horston tallied 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Alexus Dye scored all 11 of her points in the pivotal third at Thompson-Boling Arena as No. 13 Tennessee ended a two-game skid with a 76-62 win in Southeastern Conference play.
After a first quarter that ended tied at 17, the Lady Vols (20-4, 9-2) settled in and took a 32-27 advantage into halftime. Tennessee then outscored the Tigers 26-6 in the third quarter by shooting 9-for-16 from the field while holding Mizzou to 3-of-18 shooting and posting a 13-7 rebounding advantage.
Dye had seven of her points in a 15-0 run for the hosts as Missouri (17-8, 5-6) went scoreless for 6:49. Tennessee led 50-29 before Lauren Hansen ended the Tigers’ 0-for-11 stretch with a layup at the 2:32 mark.
Tess Darby scored 12 points, Rae Burrell 11 and Jordan Walker nine for the Lady Vols, who had lost three of their past four games, including a 19-point road loss to Connecticut in a matchup of nonconference rivals Sunday. Tamari Key had seven blocks against Missouri, giving her 88 for the season and 236 for her career – three from second place and 29 from a program record.
Hansen scored 22 points for the Tigers, while Aijha Blackwell had 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 18th double-double of the year.
Tennessee had a 46-31 rebounding advantage, using 18 offensive boards to score 13 second-chance points.
The Lady Vols, who reached 20 wins for the 44th time in the program’s 48 seasons, host Vanderbilt (12-13, 3-8) at noon Sunday.