An excellent second half on the offensive end, where the Lady Vols scored 56 points, helped the No. 16/14-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols defeat Mississippi State, 86-64, Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. The win was the Big Orange's ninth in a row at home.
It was as if the home team could not miss in the second half, as Tennessee (22-6, 11-4 SEC) connected on 24 of 36 (.667) from the field and seven of 10 from beyond the arc. The Big Orange got a career-high 17 points from Tess Darby, who was 5-of-6 from deep and 6-of-7 overall.
Tamari Key also had a big night with 23 points, matching a career best.
Key was a force in all aspects of the game as she tallied her 10th double-double of the season, adding 15 boards to her point total. She also blocked six Bulldog shots, passing the century mark for swats this season as she entered the day with 99 and finished with 105.
For the game, the Lady Vols fired in 35 of 65 (.538) from the floor and were eight of 15 (.533) on 3-pointers. The Big Orange shot over 50 percent on 3-pointers for the first time this year.
Graduate student Alexus Dye notched her 1,000th career point in the game, draining a fast-break layup with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter. The veteran forward tallied 13 total points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Jordan Walker also put together a strong game, tying her season-high with eight rebounds and scoring nine points.
Rae Burrell was the fourth Lady Vol to finish in double figures with 11. It was her 11th game this season and 54th of her career notching double-digit points.
Mississippi State (15-12, 6-9 SEC) was led by Anastasia Hayes who scored 18. It also marked interim head coach Doug Novak's return to Rocky Top. The VFL was a part of Tennessee's 1990 men's tennis SEC Championship team that won both the regular season title and tournament crown. That 1990 squad advanced to the program's first NCAA National Championship match before falling to Stanford, 5-2.
Tennessee came out staunch on defense to open the game, only allowing three Mississippi State baskets (3-of-16) in the first period. Tennessee got an early 3-pointer from Tess Darby less than a minute into the contest and used its size advantage to dominate the paint. The Lady Vols held a 15-7 advantage after one quarter of action.
The Bulldogs' shooting would not stay quiet, as they fired in four of 10 from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Tennessee kept pace with multiple contributors on offense, but only one player, Tamari Key, sank multiple field goals. The Lady Vols dominated on the glass, out-rebounding State, 15-6, and it came from both the front and backcourt as Jordan Walker led the team in rebounds in the quarter with four. State was able to cut into the Big Orange lead a bit late, as Tennessee went into the halftime break leading 30-27.
It was an offensive explosion for the Lady Vols in the third, and it kicked off early as Burrell propelled the Big Orange by spotting up on a fast break 38 seconds into the period. Darby doubled down on the momentum, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers for a 14-2 Lady Vol run in the first four and a half minutes of the third. That wasn't all, as Tennessee took another run, 10-0 this time, courtesy of 3-pointers from Walker and Darby. Combining the two, Tennessee put together a 24-4 advantage lasting the first seven and a half minutes of the period. All told, UT shot 12 of 17 (.706) in the third period and was an incredible five of six (.833) from beyond the arc, winning the quarter 30-16. Darby was perfect on all three of her attempts from downtown, as the Lady Vols led 60-43 going to the final period of play.
Tennessee didn't let up in the fourth, making 12 of 19 field goals (.632), as Key logged 10 points in the period and accounted for five of the first six UT buckets. Freshman Sara Puckett tallied three assists in the quarter, which alone tied for her second-highest assist total this season. Ten different Tennessee players checked into the game and seven scored as the Big Orange outscored the Bulldogs, 26-21, and closed out the victory.
UP NEXT: Tennessee closes out its regular season on Rocky Top Sunday, welcoming No. 8 LSU on Senior Day in a 2 p.m. contest at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. ET, with ESPN2 televising.
KEY MOVES INTO SEC TOP 10 FOR BLOCKS: With her six blocked shots vs. MSU, Tamari Key pushed her season total to 105, leaving her eight shy of the school record of 113 set by Kelley Cain in 2009-10 and moving her into a tie for ninth place on the SEC's all-time single season blocks list. Key joins A'ja Wilson of South Carolina (2017-18), Heidi Gillingham of Vanderbilt (1992-93) and Heidi Olsen of LSU (1982-83).
FIRST QUARTER LOCKDOWN: Tennessee limited MSU to seven first-quarter points, the fewest UT has surrendered to an SEC opponent in an opening frame this season and second-fewest the Lady Vols allowed to any team during the 2021-22 campaign. It ties for the fewest first-quarter points scored by Mississippi State all season, having also been limited to seven first-quarter points against #13 Georgia.
GROWING THE 1K CLUB: Alexus Dye scored her 1,000th career point against Mississippi State to become the third Lady Vol this season to pass the 1K mark. Jordan Walker was first to join the 1,000-point club, doing so against Texas A&M on Jan. 6, and Rae Burrell followed against Alabama on Jan. 17.
HAVE A DAY, TESS: Tess Darby shot a scorching 85.7 percent on the night, knocking down five treys in six attempts en route to a career-high 17 points.
BALANCED ATTACK: Four Lady Vols were in double figures on the night with Tamari Key (23), Tess Darby (17), Alexus Dye (13) and Rae Burrell (11) all managing 10 or more points. It is the fourth time Tennessee has had four or more players score 10+ points in SEC play this season. Additionally, nine of 10 active UT players contributed at least two points to the win over MSU.
DISHING THEM OUT: Tennessee hit 35 field goals vs. the Bulldogs, with 27 of them coming via assists. That total of 27 dimes was the second-best of the season behind the 30 they dished vs. Chattanooga. Jordan Walker led the Lady Vols with an SEC-high seven.