Knoxville, Tenn. - Sophomore Jordan Frericks finished with her fifth double-double and third 20-point effort of the season as she tallied 23 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to lift Mizzou over No. 8 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Opener on Friday (Jan. 2). The Tigers fall to 10-4 on the season with the 63-53 loss to the Lady Vols. Senior Morgan Eye finished the night with five three-pointers, adding 18 points to Mizzou's tally as well.
Tennessee may have gotten the first bucket of the game, but the Tigers came out ready to play. Mizzou used a 7-0 run to take an early 7-2 lead over the No. 8 Lady Vols. Mizzou held Tennessee to just one field goal for the first seven minutes of play. With just over 13 minutes on the clock, the Lady Vols tied it up at seven. A pair of foul shots gave UT the lead, but Frericks responded to keep the game tied up. The Tigers kept the Lady Vols close through the first half, with both teams trading the lead. It didn't last long though, as Mizzou pulled ahead and took a 25-21 lead into the locker room at the half.
Eye drained a three-point shot from thirty feet out, while sophomore Jordan Frericks finished the half with 14 points to help the Tigers stay on top. Mizzou was dominant in the paint, outscoring the Lady Vols from the inside, 12-4. Mizzou held Tennessee to just 23.5-percent shooting in the first half and just 18-percent from distance.
Both teams battled after the break, but the Tigers weren't able to keep the Lady Vols down. UT knocked down three straight three-pointers after the under-16 media timeout to pull ahead of the Tigers and take a 10-point lead. Despite keeping the Lady Vols close throughout the half, Mizzou couldn't pull ahead in the game.
Mizzou played tough defense, though, grabbing 25 defensive rebounds in the game and holding the Lady Vols to just 14 points in the paint. The Tigers held UT's Isabelle Harrison to just two points as she leads the Lady Vols averaging 12.6 points per game this season.
The Tigers open their SEC Slate at home on Sunday, hosting the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a 2 p.m. contest also set to air on SEC Network +. The game will mark another Family Funday featuring pre-game activities and a bounce house on the concourse. Kids 12 and under receive free admission to Sunday's game as well.
Keep checking into MUTigers.com for more information on Mizzou Women's Basketball. Follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouWBB), Facebook (@MizzouWBB).