No. 3 Stanford survives scare against No. 7 Tennessee

The No. 3 Stanford Cardinal managed to fend off a comeback by the No. 7 Tennessee Lady Volunteers behind Haley Jones’ 18 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal and held on to win 74-63 on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.

The defending national champion Cardinal used strong second and fourth quarters to fend off a feisty Lady Vols team that fought back from a 17-point deficit.

Poor shooting marked both teams, as Stanford shot 34.9 percent from the field and Tennessee shot 30.3 percent.

The game came down to free throw shooting, as the Cardinal shot 87.5 percent from the stripe and the Lady Vols shot 55.2 percent. Jones made all 12 free throws she attempted.

The Lady Vols see their perfect season come to an end as they fall to 9-1 overall, while the Cardinal move to 8-2 overall.

For the Cardinal, Hannah Jump had 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Lexie Hull added 11 points, six rebounds, three steals and one block, while Ashten Prechtel and Kiki Iriafen had 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

For the Lady Vols, Jordan Horston led the way with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. She was 7-of-12 from the free throw line. Alexus Dye added 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Sara Puckett had 10 points off the bench.

Stanford ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run and led 17-13. The Cardinal managed to really get going in the second quarter as they outscored the Tennessee 26-13, leading by as many as 20 points, dominating in the paint 20-8 and only allowing four offensive rebounds for the Lady Vols.

However, Tennessee wasn’t fazed by the large halftime deficit, as it began the third quarter by going on a 14-0 run to cut the lead down to four. It forced seven turnovers in seven minutes, scored 15 points off turnovers and forced Stanford into 0-of-10 shooting to begin the frame. The Lady Vols ended up winning the third 20-9.

Clinging to a 52-46 lead entering the fourth, Stanford managed to survive thanks to three-straight 3-pointers from Prechtel.

Foul trouble plagued both teams, as the Cardinal’s Cameron Brink fouled out with only eight minutes of playing time and the Lady Vols’ Tamari Key had four fouls.

Stanford will play the second game of its four-game road trip on Tuesday against the No. 1 team in the nation, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Tennessee will play its third game in a five-game homestand on Monday against the ETSU Buccaneers.