Jasmine Powell carries Lady Vols over finish line against Vanderbilt without Rickea Jackson in fourth

The Lady Vols have spent almost half their season without star forward Rickea Jackson, so they were prepared to finish off in-state rival Vanderbilt without her Sunday.

Jackson fueled Tennessee for three quarters before leaving the game after the third quarter for unknown reasons. But the Lady Vols weren't going to lose for the second time ever at home to the Commodores in their "We Back Pat" game. Senior point guard Jasmine Powell carried the Lady Vols over the finish line for coach Kellie Harper's 100th win at her alma mater.

Powell's nine fourth-quarter points boosted Tennessee (12-6, 5-1 SEC) to a 73-64 win over Vanderbilt (17-3, 4-2) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Powell finished with 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Jackson didn't return in the fourth quarter for Tennessee. She was not on the bench at times, and appeared to be bent over in discomfort when she was. Jackson still managed to log a double-double in three quarters. She had 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in 28 minutes.

The Lady Vols won the battle on the boards 35-25 and held Vanderbilt to a three-minute scoring drought to close out the game.

Justine Pissott, Vanderbilt light it up from deep

When Justine Pissott was announced in Vanderbilt's starting lineup, a chorus of boo's echoed in the crowd. Pissott – who transferred from Tennessee to Vanderbilt in the offseason after one year – responded by hitting a corner 3-pointer for the first points of the game, enjoying it as she ran back down the court.

Pissott drained two more 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Commodores right in the game. She wasn't the only one to shoot well from behind the arc. Vanderbilt shot 37.5% from deep and made nine 3-pointers. The production kept Vanderbilt in the game, because it only scored 26 points in the paint.

Lady Vols break double-digit deficit streak

Tennessee has fallen behind double digits in the first half in every single SEC game until Sunday. The Lady Vols took the lead early and never surrendered it before halftime.

Vanderbilt was able to tie the game 33-33 going into halftime, but the most it led by was three points to start the game. Tennessee outscored the Commodores 20-17 in the first quarter, but then got outscored 16-13 in the second.

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The officiating was not kind to Tamari Key, who was whistled for two fouls that sent the center to the bench for the last three minutes of the second. Vanderbilt closed the lead after Key went to the bench – she had four points on 2-for-2 shooting and four rebounds in her 10 first-half minutes.

Key didn't see as much action in the second half, only playing four minutes in the third quarter when Tennessee struggled to build a lead. Key returned for the final eight minutes and ended with 10 points, four rebounds and a steal in 20 minutes.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.