KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 13 Tennessee used a strong third quarter to pull away in the second half in defeating Wichita State, 68-56, in Thompson-Boling Arena Monday night.

Wichita State (0-4) was outscored by 11 in the third quarter and that proved to be the difference. Tennessee (3-0) improved to 3-0 all-time vs. the Shockers, but all three were hard-fought, close battles.

Tennessee entered the game averaging 88.0 points per game and the Shockers held them to 68 on 40 percent shooting, including 2-of-12 from three-point range. The Shockers finished the game at 36 percent.

A big stat came at the free throw line where UT went 20-of-34 compared to just 5-of-6 for WSU.

Diamond Lockhart led Wichita State with a season-high 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting to go with six rebounds and three assists. Jeliah Preston and Angiee Tompkins added 12 points apiece, while Rangie Bessard pulled down 12 rebounds. She now has back-to-back games with double-figure rebounds.
 
Bessard was held to a season-low nine points. It marked the first time since Jan. 6, 2017 at Missouri State that she failed to reach double-digits.

Mercedes Russell led all players with 17 points to go with nine boards. Rennia Davis added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Anastasia Hayes added 12 points off the bench.

The Shockers held UT's leading scorer and rebounder, Jaime Nared, to only nine points on 3-of-16 shooting.

1st Quarter
Wichita State started the game by taking an 8-4 lead behind six straight points from Lockhart. All three of Lockhart's field goals came via a pull-up jumper near the free throw line. Meanwhile, Tennessee hit just two of its first nine shots from the field, including a scoreless drought of 2:36.

Lockhart would add another jumper and Preston would add five points off the bench to give the Shockers a 17-13 lead at the end of one quarter.

For the quarter, Wichita State shot 50 percent from the floor and held Tennessee to just 28 percent (5-of-18).

2nd Quarter
Bessard picked up her second foul just a little over a minute into the second to help Tennessee put together a 6-0 run to give the Lady Vols their first lead of the game, 19-17, with 7:11 remaining.

UT's run extended to 12-0 before a Preston triple from the right corner snapped the drought. Preston's three came with 3:11 to go until halftime and sparked a Shocker 11-0 run to put Wichita State back in front 28-25.

Tennessee scored the final four points to take a one point lead into the break, 29-28, but Wichita State outplayed the 13th-ranked team in the nation for most of the half.

Preston led Wichita State with nine first half points after Lockhart scored all eight of hers in the opening frame. As a team, the Shockers cooled off in the second to finish at 35 percent.

Mercedes Russell led Tennessee with 10 points.

3rd Quarter
Both teams came out battling, but struggled to get shots to fall. Tennessee missed 10 of its first 12 shots and Wichita missed 4-of-6. At the midway point of the quarter UT held a slim 36-33 lead.

Following a pair of UT free throws, Rennia Davis scored five straight for the Lady Vols to give UT its largest lead of the game, 43-33, forcing a WSU timeout with 2:28 left.

UT held the Shockers to just eight points in the quarter to take a 48-36 lead into the final 10 minutes. Both teams were shooting less than 40 percent from the field and were a combined 6-of-23 from beyond the arc.

4th Quarter
The two teams traded scores throughout the final period, playing to a 20-20 tie. Wichita State tried to get back into it by sending UT to the free throw line, but couldn't make enough shots on the other end to counter.

Up Next
Wichita State heads to the Land of Enchantment over Thanksgiving to participate in the UNM Thanksgiving Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., Nov. 24-26. The Shockers will face New Mexico, Illinois and UC Irvine over three days.