PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Rickea Jackson scored 26 points while Jordan Horston added 12 in her return from injury as No. 11 Tennessee beat Rutgers 94-54 on Saturday in the opening game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Lady Vols (2-2) were off to their first 1-2 start since the 1981-82 season. But they made 13 of their first 21 shots to have the Scarlet Knights (3-2) doubled up at 38-19 midway through the second quarter.
By that point, Jackson had made her first seven shots and had 17 points. The Mississippi State transfer, who led the Southeastern Conference in scoring last year (20.3), went on to finish 11 for 12 from the field to crack the 20-point mark for the second time in three games.
Horston had suffered a left lower-extremity injury against Massachusetts and missed Monday's loss to No. 12 Indiana.
Tennessee outscored Rutgers 30-4 in the third quarter to push the margin to 50 points. The Lady Vols shot 53% for the game and made 12 of 25 3-pointers.
Kaylene Smikle scored 16 points to lead Rutgers, which shot just 33.9% and 2 for 10 from behind the arc with its eight-player roster.
The Lady Vols advanced to Sunday's semifinals, while the Scarlet Knights will play in the consolation rounds.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
