Rickea Jackson, Lady Vols basketball seniors get picture-perfect final home game
With 29 seconds left in the game, Rickea Jackson subbed out for the last time at Food City Center.
She waved to the crowd that was on its feet cheering for the Lady Vols star, then walked over to coach Kellie Harper for a hug. Jackson gave the fans at Thompson-Boling Arena a performance to remember her by, scoring 27 points on 64.3% shooting to lead Tennessee to a 75-66 win over Texas A&M on Thursday.
"I'm so happy for her. I'm so proud of her," Harper said. "To see her finish it out, really in classic Rickea style, it made me feel good . . . That's who she is."
It was a picture-perfect senior night for the Lady Vols, with Jackson passing legend Tamika Catchings in career scoring, Tamari Key surpassing 1,000 career points and Jewel Spear scoring 16 points on 60% shooting.
Jackson wasn't going to take all of the credit for overtaking Catchings — who was in the building calling the game for SEC Network — because she's playing in her fifth season. But with the pandemic-shortened season, not finishing her junior season at Mississippi State and missing eight games this season, she actually passed Catchings in fewer games.
Jackson reached 2,121 career points Thursday in 121 games, passing Catchings' 2,113 career points in 127 games. She is only 16 points behind Candace Parker, who reached 2,137 points in 110 games.
"Just to be in that conversation, I'm just pretty blessed to be (among) the names of the greats," Jackson said. "Those are people who I look up to, whose games I would watch highlights on. So it just means a lot to even be in that conversation."
It wasn't just Jackson's performance — it was the way she did it. She played freely, and she flipped a switch to take over the game with 13 points in the third quarter.
It was her last time playing on this court with this team. She wanted to have fun with it.
"I just wanted to go out with a bang, and (my teammates) make it fun for me as well," she said. "So it was just pretty cool to have a night like this. Basketball doesn't always have to be serious, so I feel like we implemented the fun tonight."
Everyone watching Jackson had just as much fun as she did, seeing the incredible finishes she pulled off, including doing a 360 off of one foot before hitting a short jumper. She was on a mission and refusing to let the Lady Vols walk out without a win in her final time playing on The Summitt.
When Texas A&M made it a four-point game, Jackson scored nine points in a two-minute span to give the Lady Vols an 11-point lead, which they kept going into the fourth quarter.
"She's a dog," Key said of Jackson's third quarter. "We know that when she gets the ball, she's going to get her bucket. We can count on her to get a bucket."
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One of the reasons Jackson got to her spots and got in a rhythm was because other players hit their shots, which opened up the floor. The Lady Vols went 7-for-15 from 3-point range, and Spear scored 10 of her 16 points inside the arc. She was aggressive off the dribble and drew attention from the Aggies' defense.
Key's presence inside was also important, and Tennessee was intentional about getting her post touches. She ended with nine points, seven rebounds, one assists and one steal. The Lady Vols ended with 17 assists, led by six from Jasmine Powell, while Jackson and Spear each had three.
"Our ball movement and execution was really good, and I thought (Jackson) benefited from that," Harper said. "I thought we got her the ball in the open court. I was really proud of her competitiveness and her fight today. She looked really good."
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: Rickea Jackson ensured perfect senior night for Lady Vols basketball
