KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee sophomore center Tamari Key has been selected as the SEC Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday. She shares the honor with senior guard Chelsea Dungee of Arkansas.
Key turned in only the fourth triple-double in the history of the UT program last week, as the Lady Vols went 2-0 and improved to 12-3 overall and held tight to third place in the SEC standings with a 6-1 mark in league play.
The Cary, N.C., native entered the week averaging 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest and elevated those numbers to 15.0 ppg., 7.5 rpg. and 6.0 bpg. in wins over Ole Miss and Florida and shot 68.4 percent from the field.
The bulk of Key’s work came vs. Florida, when she dropped a 23-point, 10-rebound and 10-block triple-double on the Gators, shooting 83.3 percent (10 of 12) from the floor. The sophomore tallied nine points, five boards and four swats in the fourth period alone as UT broke open a four-point game with a 21-11 final-period burst to win by 14, 79-65.
Key posted career bests in points, field goals and blocks vs. UF and a season high in rebounds. Her blocks total bested her previous career high of nine and was the second-most ever by a Lady Vol behind Kelley Cain’s 12 vs. LSU in 2010 and is tied for third in SEC women’s basketball history.
The triple-double was the first by a Lady Vol that involved blocks and the second by a sophomore, with Key tallying hers in the 15th game of her sophomore season while Shekinna Stricklen did so in game 14 of her sophomore campaign.
Key had fewer opportunities vs. Ole Miss, but she tallied seven points on 3-of-7 shooting and chipped in five rebounds and two blocked shots over 26 minutes in a 68-67 victory.
This week’s SEC honor by Key is the third recognition this season for the 18th-ranked Lady Vols. Previously, Rennia Davis was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 23, while Marta Suárez was chosen as SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 26.
-UT Athletics
