Lady Vols basketball blows out Wofford in Rickea Jackson's first game back from injury
Sara Puckett crashed in case she needed to rebound, but she knew Rickea Jackson's shot was going in.
Puckett motioned to count the bucket as it fell through the net, and yelled in celebration at Jackson's shot. It was a classic Jackson play, posting up for an and-one and making the finish look easy, but it was something Lady Vols basketball has missed for the last 40 days.
The senior star's return from a lower leg injury was a welcome sight for her team and fans, who roared when Jackson first subbed into the game with three minutes left in the first quarter.
Tennessee (6-5) got a much-need blowout win over Wofford (7-5) on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, beating the Terriers 85-63.
Jackson had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes in her first game since Nov. 9. She was one of four Lady Vols to score in double figures. Senior guard Jewel Spear led the Lady Vols with 18 points on 50% shooting, which is another game trending in the right direction for Spear.
Tennessee was without senior point guard Destinee Wells, who was wearing a brace. She is out with a lower right leg injury, per Tennessee athletics. Sophomore guard Avery Strickland remains out due to concussion protocols for the second time this season.
Lady Vols utilize full court press
Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said Monday she added in some new wrinkles with the extended break between games, and a full court press ended up being one of them.
The Lady Vols started using the full court press consistently in the second quarter and forced a backcourt violation the first time they fully got set. The pressure slowed down Wofford and was effective, and could be extremely valuable for Tennessee in SEC play.
UT has struggled defensively and given up 73.5 points per game, which ranks 300th in the country, according to Her Hoop Stats. A full court press could be an answer if Tennessee can run it consistently and successfully against conference opponents.
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Tennessee shoots season-high attempts from 3-point range
The Lady Vols took 34 shots from 3-point range Tuesday, which is a season-high. Their previous high was 29 attempts against Florida A&M in the season opener when they shot 27.6%.
Tennessee's percentage wasn't much better against Wofford. It shot 29.4% on 10 made 3-pointers, and has only shot higher than 30% from 3-point range in three games this season.
They certainly weren't all bad shots, but there were a handful of possessions where the Lady Vols took quick 3-pointers, and they weren't necessary. Tennessee has too much scoring power inside to settle for that many 3-pointers, especially as SEC approaches.
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.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols beat Wofford in Rickea Jackson's first game back from injury
