No. 5/4 Tennessee (0-1) will try to even its season record as it makes its home debut on Thursday at 6:32 p.m. ET vs. UMass (1-0) at Thompson-Boling Arena.
This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Lady Volunteers and Minutewomen. UT has, however, played 24 games vs. schools currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference and has eluded defeat.
Tennessee is in the midst of a six-game campaign-opening gauntlet over a two-week period, featuring three contests in the initial seven days of the schedule. The Big Orange began that spree with an 87-75 loss at No. 14/15 Ohio State on Tuesday night and will welcome A-10 favorite UMass Thursday and then No. 11/11 Indiana at 6 p.m. ET on Monday to complete the first trio of match-ups.
UMass, meanwhile, opened its 2022-23 campaign with a 72-57 victory over Central Connecticut State in Amherst, Mass. on Monday evening. After facing the Lady Vols, UM will head home to take on Maine at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.
Salute To Service/Weekday Family 4 Pack
•The UT-UMass clash will be women’s basketball’s UT Athletics “Salute To Service” game.
•Current military members and veterans who present their Military ID or DD 214 at the gates upon entry receive complimentary admission for themselves & immediate family members.
•A “Weekday Family 4 Pack” ticket package also is available on Thursday night, featuring four tickets and four $10 concessions vouchers starting at $48 (plus tax/fees).
Broadcast Information
•Michael Wottreng (play-by-play) and LVFL Kamera Harris (analyst) will be on the broadcast for SECN+.
•All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
•The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Voice of the Lady Vols Brian Rice in his first season behind the mic. He will be joined by studio host Andy Brock.
•A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
•For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
•Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
Home Sweet Home
•This is the 36th season that the Tennessee women’s and men’s basketball teams have called Thompson-Boling Arena their home, and the Lady Vols own a remarkable 492-52 record (.904) in the mammoth venue.
•The Lady Vols have built a combined 645-76 (.895) home mark in contests played at Thompson-Boling Arena, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym.
•Kellie Harper is 40-7 overall, 21-3 vs. non-conference foes and 19-4 in SEC play in games played on The Summitt through the 2022 NCAA match-up with Belmont.
•Tennessee ranked No. 8 nationally in average home attendance through 18 contests a year ago at 7,477.
Lady Vols In Openers
•Tennessee enters the UMass game carrying a 45-3 all-time record in its first home contest of the year.
•The Lady Vols have won 22-straight times in their first appearance at Thompson-Boling Arena and in 39 of their past 40 campaigns.
•After falling at No. 14/15 Ohio State on Nov. 8, the Lady Vols are now 44-5 in season openers over the past 49 years, including 28-3 at home, 8-2 on the road and 8-0 at neutral sites.
•UT had won its last nine season openers and 21 of its last 22 until the setback at Ohio State.
•With that outcome in Columbus, the Big Orange women now are 40-9 in their first road game of the season.
•The match-up vs. the No. 14/15 Buckeyes was Tennessee’s first-ever in a true road game season-opener against a ranked foe.
Last Year’s Home Opener
• In a defensive battle, No. 15/12 Tennessee took down Southern Illinois, 59-49, in last year’s season opener on Nov. 21, 2021, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Vols rode a late run to victory, outscoring the Salukis 17-2 in the last five minutes of play.
•Tennessee overcame the absence of its top three returners, as Jordan Horston did not play due to injury. Rae Burrell went down with an injury in the second quarter and was unable to return. Tamari Key accumulated fouls early and was held out of significant action until the fourth quarter.
•Alexus Dye made her presence felt in her first game as a Lady Volunteer. The graduate transfer tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds for her 33rd career double-double. Graduate Jordan Walker led UT in scoring with 14 points, while Burrell tossed in 12 on 6-of-9 shooting before departing.
Looking Back At The OSU Game
•No. 5/4 Tennessee dropped its season opener against No. 14/15 Ohio State, 87-75, on the road in Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday night.
•The Lady Vols (0-1) struggled with the pressure from the Buckeye defense, turning the ball over 29 times which led to 37 points for Ohio State (1-0). Offensively, Tennessee shot 47 percent from the field and scored 44 points in the paint. UT held the advantage on the boards, out-rebounding OSU 40-30.
•A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jordan Horston logged her 14th career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four assists and a steal. This also marked the 10th time in her career in which she eclipsed the 20-point margin.
•Making her Tennessee debut, senior guard Jasmine Powell finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four assists. Also playing in her first career game with the Lady Vols, Rickea Jackson scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. Tess Darby also added nine points behind three 3-pointers.
Powell’s Debut Turns Heads
•Jasmine Powell’s 19-point debut vs. Ohio State was the highest first-game point total by a Lady Vol since Te’a Cooper had 22 vs. Central Ark. on 11/15/15.
•That effort also was the third-best recorded by a transfer in her first game as a Lady Vol, ranking behind Trish Roberts’ 51 vs. Kentucky in 1976 and Cindy Brogdon’s 20 vs. Miami (Ohio) in 1977.
•Powell’s effort was her second-best scoring effort vs. Ohio State in six career games, having played five of them while at Minnesota the past three seasons.
•She had entered the game averaging 11.8 vs. the Buckeyes and had posted 17 in her previous contest on Jan. 15, 2022. Her high of 21 vs. OSU came on Feb. 13, 2020.
Horston A Hit In Homecoming
•Jordan Horston put on for her hometown of Columbus when the Lady Vols faced Ohio State on Nov. 8, leading Tennessee with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
•It marked the 14th career double-double for the senior.
•Her effort on a big stage vs. the No. 14/15 Buckeyes came after she averaged 20.7 ppg., 10.7 rpg. and 4.0 apg. a year ago in games vs. ranked opponents.
Darby Picks Up Where She Left Off
•Tess Darby picked up where she left off last season, firing in a trio of three-pointers in five attempts vs. Ohio State on Tuesday night.
•The junior led Tennessee with 49 treys a year ago, the most since Meme Jackson hit 54 in 2018-19.
•Darby shot an astounding 48.1 percent on threes (26-54) in 15 SEC contests in 2021-22.
•The Greenfield, Tenn., native entered the 2022-23 season ranked No. 9 on UT’s career three-point field goal percentage list at .376.
A Look At UMass
•The 2021-22 season shattered glass ceilings, as UMass garnered its first Atlantic 10 Championship to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.
•With all five starters and nine total letterwinners returning, the Minutewomen are the A-10 preseason favorites.
•Graduate Sam Breen and senior Sydney Taylor are on the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while graduate Destiney Philoxy landed on the A-10 Second Team and the All-Defensive Team.
•Breen received A-10 Player of the Year honors last year and collected the A-10 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as well as A-10 First Team and All-Academic Team accolades.
•Taylor and Philoxy both garnered All A-10 Second Team, while Breen and Taylor were placed on the conference’s all-tourney team last season.
•Center Piath Gabriel is a transfer from UConn, while Breen made her way to UMass after spending the 2017-18 season at Penn State.
About The Head Coach
•Tory Verdi is in his seventh season leading the program at UMass, possessing a 102-79 résumé.
•Verdi is 177-47 overall in his 12th year as a head coach, with that mark including four years as the leader at Eastern Michigan and service during the 2004-05 campaign as interim head coach at Columbia.
•He guided UMass to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and the WNIT in 2021.
UT/UMass Notes
•This marks the first meeting between these schools in women’s basketball.
•Tennessee is 24-0 all-time vs. schools currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
•The Lady Vols’ last contest vs. a school from the A-10 came on March 18, 2017, in Louisville, Ky., as Tennessee held off Dayton, 66-57, in the NCAA First Round at the KFC Yum! Center.
•UMass junior forward Piath Gabriel actually played against Tennessee last season when the Lady Vols played UConn in Hartford.
•Gabriel saw 1:17 of duty in that game on Feb. 3, 2022, and registered a foul and a turnover.
•The 6-foot-5 native of Manchester, N.H., was a freshman on the Huskies’ roster in 2020-21, but she did not see action when UConn visited Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 21, 2021.
Last Game Recap For The Minutewomen
•Graduate student Sam Breen matched her career high of 31 points to propel the University of Massachusetts women’s basketball team to a 72-57 victory over Central Connecticut State on Monday evening at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
•The teams were tied at 19 after one and at 28 at the half before UMass outscored CCSU 23-13 in the third quarter and 21-16 over the final frame.
•Destiney Philoxy also reached double figures with 15 points, while Sydney Taylor notched nine.
•Breen and Makennah White led the Minutewomen in rebounds with eight apiece, followed by Taylor and Ber’Nyah Mayo with five each. Taylor registered a team-high seven assists, tying her career best.
•UMass shot 47.6 percent from the field but only 12.5 percent (2-16) from the three-point arc.
