by By Wes Johnson
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Troy erased a 23-point deficit in the second quarter and went into the locker room at halftime trailing by just five, but ultimately fell to Tennessee, 110-84, on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Down 41-17 with 6:29 left in the half, the Trojans (6-4) began chipping away before going on a 21-4 run over the last 4:43 to pull the game to within five points, 47-42. The Lady Vols scored just 12 points in the second quarter after putting up 35 in the first.
Tennessee (7-4) relied heavily on the deep shot from guard Alexa Middleton, who scored a career-high 27 points on the back of 7-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Jamie Nared scored 21 points before fouling out. Mercedes Russell and Meme Jackson added 18 points each. The Lady Vols scored 63 of its 110 points in the second half and shot at a 51 percent clip for the game.
Jayla Chills turned in a solid performance for the Trojans with 17 points and 10 rebounds, her first career double-double. The senior was 8-for-26 from the field while missing all eight 3-point attempts. Claresa Banks led Troy scorers with 19 points – one shy of tying her career high – on 7-for-18 shooting; she was also 5-11 from the 3-point line. Caitlyn Ramirez (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma) scored 14 Points.
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Troy will take an eight-day break before hosting Armstrong State on Dec. 29. It will be the final non-conference tune-up before opening Sun Belt Conference play on Dec. 31 at South Alabama.
