After a dominating first half by the Lady Vols, an early attempt at a second half comeback by Vanderbilt was not enough, as Tennessee beat Vanderbilt, 91-63, on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Four Lady Vols (12-7, 3-3 SEC) had double-digit scoring outings with Diamond DeShields leading the way with 23 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Alexa Middleton posted 19 points and seven assists, while Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell had 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Erin Whalen and Marqu'es Webb led the Commodores with 13 points each on the night, but Vanderbilt (10-10, 0-7 SEC) struggled to find its rhythm, shooting 40-percent from the field.
The Lady Vols started the game with a quick 7-0 run, sparked by a DeShields jumper in the opening seconds.
Tennessee shot 65 percent from the field in the first quarter. In the waning seconds of the opening quarter, Middleton put back a layup that gave the Lady Vols a 30-12 lead.
The Commodores attempted to chip away at the deficit in the second quarter, but fouls kept them from gaining any momentum, as VU committed 10 fouls in the second quarter. The Lady Vols went into the half with a 56-29 lead after a 12-0 scoring run to close out the half.
Tennessee had two players in double-digit territory by intermission, as DeShields and Middleton notched 13 points each. UT's 56 points were the most in the first half of a game since last season's opener against Central Arkansas, when it scored 63 on Nov. 15.
The Commodores turned things around in the third quarter, outscoring Tennessee 22-10 and shooting 58.8 percent from the field, while Tennessee was only able to make four of its 14 shots.
Tennessee stepped up its defense in the fourth period, only allowing Vanderbilt to make five of its 14 field goal attempts.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will face Florida on Jan. 26. The Lady Vols and the Gators will play at 7 p.m. ET with an online broadcast on SECN+. UT's next contest at Thompson-Boling Arena is Feb. 2 against LSU in the Live Pink, Bleed Orange game.
SHINING BRIGHT: Diamond DeShields had her fifth game of the year with over 20 points, and crossed the threshold for the 29th time in her career. Today's game was her fourth outing in the last seven with 20 points or more.
STARTING FAST: The Lady Vols' 30-point first quarter marked the third of the season and the fifth time in team history. The first-half performance marked the first time this season that they had over 40 points in an opening half in SEC play.