No. 22 Lady Vols open SEC schedule by beating Missouri 77-66

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rennia Davis had 19 points and 12 rebounds as No. 22 Tennessee defeated Missouri 77-66 on Thursday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Freshman Tamari Key scored a season-high 16 points and Jordan Horston added 13 as Tennessee (11-2) handed Missouri (3-11) its fifth consecutive loss. Tennessee’s Jazmine Massengill had seven points and a career-high 12 assists with only one turnover.

Amber Smith scored 22 points and Aijha Blackwell added 16 for Missouri.

The Lady Vols scored the last eight points of the second quarter to lead 32-28 at halftime, and opened the third quarter with a 14-4 spurt to extend the margin to 46-32.

Missouri got the deficit down to four points early in the fourth quarter before Tennessee put the game away.

Tennessee outrebounded Missouri 43-22 and outscored the Tigers 19-4 in second-chance points. The Lady Vols entered the day with a plus-16.3 rebound margin that led all Division I teams.

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