Tennessee Volunteers Secure Victory Over Ole Miss
In a commanding performance on Tuesday night, the 25th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers secured their fourth consecutive win, overpowering Ole Miss with an 84-66 final score. The standout player for Tennessee was Nate Ament, who displayed an impressive scoring ability by netting 26 of his total 28 points during the second half of the contest.
Game Highlights
Tennessee (16-6, 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference) established a significant lead of 67-51 with just over six minutes remaining in the game. The turning point came when AJ Storr from Ole Miss lost control of the ball and was penalized for a foul, leading to his coach Chris Beard’s ejection after receiving two technical fouls for his outraged response. This incident effectively sealed the Rebels’ fate, with Tennessee capitalizing on the situation by making three free throws, followed by a three-point play from Ament.
Supporting Ament’s performance, Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 20 points for the Volunteers, while J.P. Estrella contributed 12 points and Bishop Boswell chipped in with 10. The defeat marked the fourth consecutive loss for Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6 SEC), with Storr and Patton Pinkins managing to score 15 points each for their team, while Ilias Kamardine and Eduardo Klafke scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Challenges and Future Matches
Tennessee’s return to the AP Top 25 was notable this week, following a significant drop from the rankings after an earlier loss to Kentucky after leading by 17 points. The Volunteers had been consistently ranked for five seasons prior to that slip. In this game, both teams faced challenges in their shooting accuracy, as Tennessee and Ole Miss struggled with field goal percentages of 33% and 31%, respectively, in the first half. At halftime, the Volunteers held a narrow lead of 26-25, with Gillespie scoring 10 points and Pinkins contributing 11 for Ole Miss.
The Volunteers were without key player Felix Okpara, who missed his second straight game due to a left calf injury, ending his impressive streak of 64 consecutive starts and 82 appearances overall dating back to 2023. Despite his absence, Tennessee dominated the rebounding battle against Ole Miss, securing a 46-30 advantage on the boards. Reserve player Amaree Abram was also sidelined due to illness.
Looking forward, Ole Miss is set to take on Texas on Saturday, while Tennessee will face their rivals Kentucky on the same day, adding further stakes to the ongoing SEC competitions.
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