The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s Midseason Team on Tuesday, and Lady Vols Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston are among the 30 players recognized.
Jackson, Horston and teammate Tamari Key were on the 50-player preseason list released in November. Key was diagnosed with a season-ending medical condition in December and is no longer in consideration.
A 6-foot-2 senior forward, Jackson leads Tennessee is scoring at 18.1 points per contest, a number that balloons to 20.7 in 11 conference games only. She ranks No. 3 among league players in those categories. She matched her season high with 28 points at Mississippi State on Monday night, tallying her ninth 20-point scoring effort of the campaign. Six of those games have come vs. SEC opponents.
Jackson also leads the Big Orange in field goal percentage (54.0), is second in rebounds per game (6.0) and free throw percentage (78.4), and ranks third in steals (20) and fourth in assists (32). With her 28-point, 11-board effort at MSU, she now has two double-doubles to her credit in 2022-23.
Horston, meanwhile, is UT’s second-leading scorer at 15.4 per contest and leading rebounder at 6.5 per game. She paces the Lady Vols with five double-doubles on the year, has registered six 20-point scoring performances and has been her team’s assist leader on 13 occasions. She has carded five or more dimes on seven occasions to also head that category for Tennessee.
The 6-foot-2 senior guard is shooting 43.5 from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line. She leads UT in steals (37) and blocks (22) and is second with 78 assists for a 3.3 average. Against top-25 competition, Horston has averaged an impressive 20.6 ppg., 8.8 rpg. and 2.2 apg. this season.
Jackson and Horston have helped propel Tennessee to a 17-9 overall record and 9-2 mark in SEC play, currently positioning the Lady Vols in third place in the conference with a No. 20 NET ranking. The NET is the NCAA’s index to determine qualification for its postseason tournament.
-UT Athletics
