Lady Vols win as Nared hits 1,000
PUERTO AVENTURAS, Mexico — Mercedes Russell scored 25 points, while Jaime Nared registered a double-double and surpassed 1,000 points for her collegiate career as the No. 12-ranked University of Tennessee women’s basketball program defeated Oklahoma
State 79-69
Friday in a battle of unbeaten teams at the Cancun Challenge.
Nared, who scored the last 10 points as the Lady Volunteers opened up a 24-10 lead, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the 45th player in program history to reach 1,000. The senior now has 1,005.
Rennia Davis added 12 points and 10 rebounds to give the Lady Vols a second double-double.
Tennessee (5-0) led by double figures in every quarter but couldn’t shake the Cowgirls (5-1), who got 29 points from graduate transfer Loryn Goodwin and 11 points and 11 rebounds from Kaylee Jensen.
Oklahoma State got within four late in the second quarter but trailed 41-31 at halftime. A Goodwin layup made it a twopoint game late in the third quarter, but Russell had consecutive threepoint plays to close the quarter and give Tennessee a 57-49 lead.
The closest score in the fourth quarter was 70-64 with 4:36 to play, but Russell scored the next four points, and then the Lady Vols closed it out at the foul line as Oklahoma State missed seven straight shots before a late layup.
Tennessee shot 30-of57 (52.6 percent) for the game. Oklahoma State shot 38 percent, but the Cowgirls scored 21 points off 19 Lady Vols turnovers.