Key scores 23, No. 16 Lady Vols race past Mississippi State
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tamari Key tied her career high with 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked six shots to lead No. 16 Tennessee to an 86-64 win over Mississippi State on Thursday night.
Tess Darby added a career-high 17 points for the Lady Vols (22-6, 11-4 Southeastern Conference), who were up 30-27 at halftime before scoring 30 points in the third quarter. Alexus Dye scored 13 points, pushing her past 1,000 for her career at Troy and Tennessee.
Anatasia Hayes scored 18 points and Caterrion Thompson 16 for the Bulldogs (15-12, 6-9), who only used seven players in dropping their fourth straight.
Rae Burrell, who scored 11 points for the Lady Vols, opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer. After a Mississippi State basket, Darby had 3-pointers to start and end an 11-0 run. Following another Bulldogs score, Jordan Walker hit a 3-pointer, Key had two baskets and Darby hit a 3 to complete a 10-0 run for a 54-31 lead.
Tennessee was 5 of 6 from 3-point range and 12 of 17 overall in the third quarter. The Lady Vols finished 8 of 15 from distance, shooting 54% overall. They also had a 50-27 rebounding advantage and matched their season high with 27 assists on 35 baskets.
Key has 105 blocks this season, breaking a tie for second in a season with Candance Parker. She is eight blocks behind Kelley Cain's school record 113. Key is 12 blocks behind Parker's career record of 275.
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