Destinee Wells’ eyes were on the clock as she dribbled, waiting to get the last shot of the first half.
With eight seconds left, the Lady Vols basketball senior point guard drove to the baseline. Then Wells threw the ball across the court to Jewel Spear in the corner. Spear pulled up without hesitation and drained the 3-pointer as the clock expired.
It was her fifth made 3-pointer of the game in the Wake Forest transfer’s official debut in orange and white – and it was only halftime.
Spear’s 20-point performance led No. 12 Tennessee to a 93-64 win over Florida A&M (0-1) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center to open the season Tuesday. Sophomore forward Karoline Striplin poured in 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds and senior forward Rickea Jackson added 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tennessee (1-0) had 21 assists on 32 made field goals, led by Wells’ six.
Spear, Jackson, Jasmine Powell, Sara Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead started for the Lady Vols.
FAMU keeps the game close in first half
FAMU played with high energy and jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The Rattlers played with physicality in the paint and made tough shots to keep the lead until Spear started draining 3-pointers.
Spear gave Tennessee the lead back with three minutes left in the first after she hit her third three of the game. It took Spear a few shots to settle in, but once she did, the senior guard was hot from behind the arc.
Tennessee led 26-19 after the first and opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run. FAMU stuck around until halftime, but the Lady Vols were in control.
Lady Vols defense steps up after first quarter
Tennessee gave up 19 points in the first quarter, but then only allowed 11 points in the second.
The Lady Vols settled in and started getting deflections and steals and forced seven turnovers in the second quarter. They forced 18 turnovers total – while only committing 12 of their own – and scored 13 points off them.
Tennessee dominated the boards, outrebounding FAMU 47-25. UT grabbed 20 off the offensive glass, leading to 21 second-chance points. Hollingshead led the team with 12 rebounds.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.