KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Honesty Scott-Grayson led four Tigers in double-figures, but a game of runs went Tennessee's way as the Lady Vols held on for an 83-76 win Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Neither team ever led by double digits, and the lead changed hands six times, but a game of runs saw the Lady Vols answer every Auburn scoring spurt with one of their own. And a hot-shooting second half for Tennessee was too much for Auburn to overcome.
"I thought our kids came out and battled," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "They fought. We got into some early foul trouble, we had some freshmen on the floor, and we had some unforced turnovers. Just some bad turnovers that cost us in the second quarter."
Scott-Grayson had her best outing in SEC play this year, scoring 23 points and sharing the team lead with five rebounds. Aicha Coulibaly added 15 points, and Romi Levy and Sania Wells scored 10 apiece. Wells recorded a season-high six assists as she got the start at point guard.
Auburn led 24-20 after one quarter, shooting 64 percent in the opening period. But the Tigers, dealing with foul trouble to several starters, were held scoreless for the first four minutes of the second, and they had just four points with three minutes to play. That allowed the Lady Vols to move ahead by as many as nine. Auburn was able to take advantage of late opportunities at the free-throw line to cut the lead to 34-29 at the half.
An 11-2 run midway through the third, punctuated by a Kaitlyn Duhon layup, gave the Tigers a 51-50 lead with 4:09 to play in the third. Following a Tennessee timeout, UT senior Rickea Jackson took matters into her own hands, scoring six straight points to push UT back in front. A seven-point Lady Vol lead was cut to two by a layup and 3-pointer from Coulibaly, and it was 60-56 Tennessee after three.
The teams traded blows throughout the fourth, but Tennessee was able to get stops when needed, and the Tigers were unable to catch up.
Tennessee shot 56 percent for the game and 67 percent for the second half. The Lady Vols also took advantage of a significant free-throw edge, hitting 22-of-32 while Auburn made 14-of-19. The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field and knocked down six 3-pointers, their best output in SEC play.
UT's Rickea Jackson led all scorers with 27 points, scoring 21 in the second half. Jordan Horston added 19, and Tess Darby scored 17, hitting all five of Tennessee's 3-pointers.
The Tigers play their final road game of the 2022-23 regular season Thursday night when they travel to Athens, Ga., to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Stegeman Coliseum.
