KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After playing Tennessee to a standstill in the first half, Vanderbilt couldn’t sustain the momentum as the Lady Vols used a dominating third quarter to pull away for an 86-59 victory on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee outscored Vanderbilt 48-21 in the second half to sweep the season series for the third straight year.
Marnelle Garraud led Vanderbilt (11-15, 2-10 SEC) with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Ciaja Harbison finished with 11 points and five assists, and Sacha Washington scored 12.
Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston fueled Tennessee (18-9, 10-2 SEC). Jackson finished with a game-high 21 points and added five rebounds. Horston had 18 points, a game-high nine rebounds and four assists.
The first half couldn’t have been much tighter. The teams were locked in a 21-21 tie after the first quarter and knotted 38-38 at halftime.
Both teams came out firing with high offensive efficiency at the start. Freshman Ryanne Allen drilled back-to-back 3-pointers following turnovers forced by Vanderbilt to give the Commodores a 10-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Vandy ended the quarter on a 9-3 run to even the score at 21.
Capitalizing on more Tennessee turnovers, Demi Washington and Garraud knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to start the second quarter and give Vandy a 27-21 lead. But the Lady Vols answered with a 12-2 run to move in front. A jumper by Harbison with under a minute remaining in the half sent the teams into the break at 38-38.
But Tennessee took control in the third quarter. The Lady Vols scored the first nine points of the second half to launch a 24-4 run. Tennessee outscored Vandy 28-8 in the third quarter while shooting 73.3 percent and limiting the Dores to 3 of 15 from the field.
After Garraud hit two straight 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Vols sprinted away again.
Tennessee outrebounded Vanderbilt 51-25 and outscored the Dores 48-14 in the paint. The Lady Vols had 19 second-chance points to zero for Vandy. The Dores scored 21 points off 13 Tennessee turnovers and had six steals.
Player Notes
• Garraud has scored in double figures 20 times this season; she has now hit multiple 3-pointers in six straight games, including three or more in the last four contests.
• It was the 19th time in 2022-23 that Harbison has scored in double figures.
• Sacha Washington has posted double-figure scoring total on 15 occasios this season.
• Ryanne Allen made multiple 3-pointers for the fourth time in the last five games.
• Demi Washington finished with two 3-pointers to double her season total. She entered the game 2 of 9 from deep.
Series History
The Lady Vols lead the all-time series 77-10, including 36-1 at home. Tennessee has won five straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings. Vandy’s last win over the Lady Vols came in Knoxville during the 2018-19 season.
Up Next: Vanderbilt travels to play Alabama on Thursday at 6 p.m. (SEC Network+) in Tuscaloosa.
Tickets: Students will continue to receive free admission to all home basketball games. In addition, single-game sales, mini-plans and group ticket options are available. To view the promotional schedule, click here.