Lady Vols cruise to Sweet Sixteen with win over Toledo

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 24/RV Tennessee snapped Toledo’s 17-game winning streak to advance to its 36th all-time Sweet 16, defeating the Rockets at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday night in the NCAA Second Round, 94-47.

Five players were in double digits for No. 4 seed Tennessee (25-11, 13-3 SEC), with sophomores Sara Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead leading the scoring with 13 each. Seniors Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell each turned in 12, and classmate Jordan Horston posted 10. Graduate Jasmine Franklin added a game-high 10 rebounds.

Quinesha Lockett led 12th-seeded Toledo (29-5, 16-2 MAC) with 19 points, as the Big Orange kept everyone else at bay and earned back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the first time since 2015 and 2016 .

The Lady Vols went up 3-0 early before a jumper by Lockett got the Rockets on the board with two minutes to play. Toledo stayed within one through three on a fast break by Powell that put Tennessee up 8-4 at the 5:45 mark. The Rockets responded with a layup at the other end, but over the next four minutes the Big Orange rattled off eight unanswered points to lead 16-6. Jessica Cook hit a layup to end the skid for Toledo, but Puckett drained her first three of the game for a late quarter bucket to give the Lady Vols a 19-8 lead at the end of one.

Karoline Striplin opened the second quarter with a three, as Tennessee outscored the Rockets 10-3 to lead by 18 with 7:10 left in the half. Lockett responded with a jumper, but five quick points by Jackson and Horston had UT ahead by 21 minutes later. Four straight points from the free-throw line pulled the Rockets back within 17, but Powell sank another three to give the Big Orange a 20-point lead with 3:37 to go. A pair of threes by Puckett and another by Powell sparked a 14-3 run in the final minutes, giving Tennessee a 50-22 lead at halftime.

The Lady Vols extended their lead to 32 on back-to-back layups by Walker in the first minute of the third. Khera Goss scored the Rockets’ first points of the half with a layup, but Tennessee followed with a free throw by Horston and a trey by Walker to put Tennessee on top 58-24 at the 7:18 mark. A jumper by Sophia Wiard gave Toledo some momentum, setting up a 9-0 run that pulled the Rockets back 25 and a half minutes later. Tennessee closed the period outscoring the Rockets 14-7, punctuated by a driving layup by Powell at the buzzer, to take a 72-40 advantage into the final stanza.

Sammi Mikonowicz opened the fourth with a steal and score to move within 30, but Horston and Jackson scored back-to-back buckets to put UT back up by 34. A trey by Jansen with 6:11 had the Rockets at 31, but Tennessee strung together 17- 0 run to lead 94-46 by the 1:13 mark. The Rockets hit a free throw in the final minute, making the final score 94-47.

JORDY CACHES COACH: With three assists against Toledo, Jordan Horston moved her career total to 452, tying Kellie (Jolly) Harper for No. 7 all-time in program history.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: The Lady Vols held Toledo for only 47 points, which is the most UT has allowed in the NCAA contest since 2014 when they held Northwestern State for 46. Toledo came into the match with an average of 73.8 ppg. and has not scored less than 50 points since being held to 41 against Duke on November 20.

BOOK TITLE: After going without a 3-pointer since hitting one against Vanderbilt on February 12, Sara Puckett went perfect three of three from behind the arc against the Rockets. It marked the third time this season he had three or more. His 13 points were the most since he fired in 17 at Missouri on January 22.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Seattle, Washington, for their NCAA Seattle Regional 3 Semifinal matchup against top seed Virginia Tech (29-4) on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena. Game times and broadcast details will be announced later.