KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/10 Tennessee (6-0) begins a run of six home games out of seven contests in the month of December, welcoming Tennessee Tech (2-4) to Knoxville on Wednesday evening. The match-up will tip off at 6:32 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena.
After facing back-to-back American Athletic Conference foes in UCF and No. 23/22 South Florida, followed by Big 12 schools No. 12/21 Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma State, the Lady Vols launch into a two-game series of battles with tech universities. After playing host to Tennessee Tech, the Big Orange women will make their way up I-81 to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech in Cassell Coliseum on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (ACC Network).
Tennessee is 6-0 for the fifth time in the past 10 years and will try to make it 7-0 for just the ninth occasion in the past 20 years. Kellie Harper guided UT to a career-best 7-0 start in her first year leading the Lady Vols in 2019-20 and will try to match that Wednesday night.
Tennessee is coming off a 2-0 showing at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas over the weekend, taking care of Kansas on Friday, 68-58, and outshooting Oklahoma State on Saturday by a score of 80-55. The Lady Vols continue to persevere and display consistent improvement after losing starters Rae Burrell and Marta Suárez to injuries.
Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, enters on a four-game losing streak after opening the year with wins over Bethel and Chattanooga. The Golden Eagles have since dropped decisions to two more in-state foes, Vanderbilt and MTSU, before falling to No. 25 Florida Gulf Coast and New Mexico State at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. All six outcomes were by double digits.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
- Roger Hoover (play-by-play), VFL Steve Hamer (analyst) and Kasey Funderburg (reporter) will be on the call for the SECN+ live stream.
- All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
- The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone. Now calling the action for his 23rd season, Dearstone is joined by studio host Bobby Rader.
- SiriusXM Ch. SEC Radio (374) will pick up the call.
- A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
- For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates.
- Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
GAME PROMOTIONS
- Holiday Hoops – Get $5 tickets for all price zones (excluding courtside), available in advance or on game day, plus $1 tickets for kids 12 & under.
- For more information about promotions, parking and fan information, please visit the Fans tab on UTSports.com and go to the Fan Experience page.
NEXT UP: VA. TECH, THEN FIVE AT HOME
- Tennessee is in a stretch where it plays six games at home during the month of December.
- After traveling to Virginia Tech for a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday (ACC Network), the Lady Vols play host to Georgia State a week later on Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. (SECN+). That starts a run of five games in a row at home from Dec. 12 to Dec. 30.
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
- No. 11/10 Tennessee improved to 6-0 on the season, shooting 55 percent from the field to defeat Oklahoma State at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout on Saturday, 80-55.
- The Lady Vols, who opened with six straight wins for the second time in three seasons under Kellie Harper, were led by junior guard Jordan Horston, who narrowly missed a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Junior center Tamari Key turned in a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett and graduate forward Alexus Dye both tallied 11 points.
- Horston and Key were both named to the South Point Shootout All-Tournament Team, and Horston was selected for the Most Outstanding Player award.
- Taylen Collins and Lauren Fields were the high scorers for the Cowgirls (3-3) with 12 points each during a 30.9-percent shooting day for OSU.
NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST GAME
- EARLY LEAD IN THE BIG 12 AND AAC: Tennessee improved to 3-0 vs. Big 12 Conference schools, taking care of No. 12/21 Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma State in succession. Prior to that, the Lady Vols defeated American Athletic Conference schools UCF and No. 23/22 South Florida in back-to-back contests to go 2-0 vs. that league.
- DOUBLING UP: Tamari Key logged her third double-double of the season against the Cowgirls with 12 points and 11 rebounds to tie Jordan Horston for the team lead. A Lady Vol has logged a double-double in every game thus far this season.
- BALANCED ATTACK: Four Lady Vols turned in double-digit scoring (Horston, Key, Dye, Puckett), while 11 of 12 active players scored at least one point. After missing the opener due to injury, Horston has led Tennessee in scoring in all five contests after that.
- OUTSHOOTING THE COWGIRLS: Tennessee had its best shooting effort of the season by far. The Lady Vols hit 54.7 percent of their field goal attempts, soaring past their previous best of 42.6 vs. Southern Illinois in the opener. Their 69.2 effort at the free-throw line also was a season best.
- OWNING THE GLASS: Tennessee out-rebounded OSU, 52-26. The Lady Vols have won the rebounding battle against every opponent this season, averaging 39.2 rpg. while holding opposing teams to 27.8 rpg. on average. UT posted 50+ rebounds vs. all three Big 12 schools it faced, including 56 against Texas, 55 vs. Kansas and 51 vs. Oklahoma State.
TRACKING THE LADY VOLS
- After averaging 53.3 points per game in their first three contests, the Lady Vols have put up 74.0 ppg. over their past three match-ups, all against Big 12 schools.
- UT’s season-high 80 points vs. Oklahoma State came after UT had its best shooting efforts from the field (54.7) and free-throw line (69.2).
- Tennessee’s 40 points in the second half vs. Kansas and 44 points in the first half against Oklahoma State were its top two offensive efforts of the season. Its third-best effort of 36 came with reserves playing most of the second half vs. OSU.
- After tallying only 53 points total in the first four games, UT’s reserves have produced a sum of 51 over the past two contests.
- The Big Orange women averaged only 3.7 ppg. on fast breaks in the first three games, as opposed to generating 10.0 ppg. over the past three.
- The Big Orange women are 11-4 in games decided by five points or fewer.
- Tamari Key is No. 4 in the NCAA in both blocked shots (24) and blocked shots per game (4.0)
- Key’s team is No. 14 in blocked shots per game (6.3) and No. 19 in total blocks (38).
- Tennessee is No. 4 in the NCAA in rebounds per game (48.33), No. 4 in defensive rebounds per game (32.7) and No. 8 in rebound margin (14.2).
- The Lady Vols are No. 8 in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (30.7).
- Following a 17-point effort vs. Kansas, Jordan Horston has scored in double figures in nine of her last 10 games, including four of the last five contests in 2020-21 and all five in 2021-22.
- Horston has three double-doubles in five outings in 2021-22, ranking third among SEC players.
- Alexus Dye leads the SEC among active players with 33 career double-doubles, including one this year.
- UT is averaging 33.0 points in the paint per game, compared to 20.7 for opponents.
- The Lady Vols rank No. 5 in home attendance average at 7,143 after welcoming the nation’s number two crowd this season with 9,460 on hand for the Texas game.
UT-TENNESSEE TECH SERIES HISTORY
- Tennessee leads the all-time series over the Golden Eagles, 16-12, but the two schools haven’t played since 1991.
- The last time the schools faced one another in women’s hoops, the No. 3/3 Big Orange women rolled to a 94-67 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Lady Vols bring a 13-game series winning streak into Wednesday night’s contest.
- UT is 8-3 in games played vs. TTU in Knoxville, 4-6 in Cookeville and 4-3 at neutral sites.
- Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper grew up in Sparta, Tennessee, as young Kellie Jolly before becoming a Lady Vol point guard for Pat Summitt and going on to marry Jon Harper. Sparta is roughly 20 miles south of the Tennessee Tech campus in Cookeville.
- Harper’s father, Kenneth Jolly, mother Peggy (Simpson) Jolly and brother Brent Jolly all played basketball at Tennessee Tech.
- Peggy (Simpson) Jolly and Pat (Head) Summitt played against one another on the hardwood when they represented their teams at Tennessee Tech and UT Martin, respectively.
- Kellie (Jolly) Harper and her other brother, Ross, battled each other as head coaches earlier this season when Tennessee hosted Georgia College in an exhibition game.
- Harper (1995-99) and Tennessee Tech head coach Kim Rosamond (1994-98) were competitors against one another as college players, as well, when they played at UT and Ole Miss, respectively.
- Their paths also crossed on the court with UT assistant Samantha Williams, who played at Auburn from 1992-96.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- The Golden Eagles welcome back all five starters and 12 total letterwinners from last season. That unit turned in a 15-10 overall record and 12-8 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play to finish fith.
- Tennessee Tech reached the OVC Tournament semifinals two of the last three seasons.
- TTU, which was picked second in the OVC in the 2021-22 preseason poll, features a veteran quintet of four graduates and a junior in its starting lineup.
- The Golden Eagles earned an unprecedented four selections on the preseason All-OVC squad, as the quartet of Kesha Brady, Jordan Brock, Mackenzie Coleman and Anna Jones were all named.
- Brock, Brady and Coleman became the 31st, 32nd and 33rd 1,000-point scorers in program history, while Brock also took the program record in 3-pointers made with 267 in her career.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
- Kim Rosamond is in her sixth season at Tennessee Tech and has compiled a 73-80 record during her time in Cookeville.
- With 73 wins to her credit over a short span, Rosamond stands as the third-winningest coach in the Tech program’s rich history.
- Prior to becoming the head coach at TTU, Rosamond spent time as an assistant at Vanderbilt, MTSU and Ole Miss.
- Rosamond is a 1998 graduate of Ole Miss and was a four-year letterwinner in women’s hoops there.
THE LAST TIME TTU PLAYED
- The Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team made a valiant comeback on Saturday against New Mexico State, but the Aggies’ 20-point lead in the third quarter was too much to overcome, as the Golden Eagles closed out the San Juan Shootout with a 66-54 loss.
- The Golden Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by Mackenzie Coleman and Anna Jones each with 13 points, while Jada Guinn had 12 points. Jones had seven of her points at the free-throw line, as she went 7-for-12 after drawing 10 fouls in the contest.
- Tech spent a lot of time at the charity stripe, as the Golden Eagles drew 24 fouls and went 18-for-30 at the line. In addition to Jones’ seven points, Guinn was 6-for-8 on free throws.
- Guinn and Coleman each had a team-best seven rebounds, while Coleman and Jones led Tech in assists as well.
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