OXFORD, Miss. – Tennessee landed the first punch, but Ole Miss punched right back and sent Lady Vols basketball home with its second SEC loss of the season.
Ole Miss went up by at least six points six different times after the teams went into halftime tied up, and the Lady Vols cut the lead each time. They even cut the lead to one point with a minute and a half left in the game, but they didn’t have enough to finish the job.
They gave up too many offensive rebounds, too many easy layups in transition, and they couldn’t stop Marquesha Davis in the second half. It resulted in their second loss on the road in conference play.
Tennessee lost 80-75 to Ole Miss (15-5, 5-2) at the Pavilion on Sunday. Both of the Lady Vols’ (12-7, 5-2 SEC) losses in conference play have been on the road. Davis scored 15 of her 25 points after halftime.
Senior guard Jewel Spear led the way for the Lady Vols, pouring in a game-high 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Senior forward Rickea Jackson added 15 points, six rebounds and an assist. Ole Miss limited Jackson to just two points in the second half.
Lady Vols start off hot from deep
Tennessee got off to another good start in SEC play, flipping the script from its string off slow starts in conference play.
That was mostly due to a strong start offensively. The Lady Vols shot 68.8% from the field in the first quarter to take a 27-21 lead after the first quarter. They went 4-for-6 from 3-point range and Jackson scored nine early points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting.
Spear was key in jumpstarting the offense with eight early points and two early 3-pointers.
Ole Miss defensive pressure gives Tennessee problems
The Rebels ramped up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, and they disrupted Tennessee’s defense that started the game on fire.
The Lady Vols scored only 12 points in the second quarter on 31.3% shooting. And they weren’t playing through Jackson, who only took three shots in the second. Tennessee also went cold from 3-point range, missing all four attempts.
Tennessee wasn’t matching Ole Miss’ defensive pressure. The Rebels scored too easily at times, especially Kharyssa Richardson, who led them with 13 points in the first half – she averaged just 6.1 points going into the game. Richardson ended with 21 points.
Jewel Spear keeps Tennessee in the game
Spear has been one of the Lady Vols’ most consistent performers in conference play, and she showed up once again Sunday.
When Ole Miss took control of the game in the third quarter, Spear continued to make plays to help Tennessee chip away at the lead. She scored 12 points in the third quarter on 5-for-6 shooting.
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When Tennessee cut the lead to two points, it was because Spear got the ball to Jackson in the post for a finish and then got a steal and score that resulted in an and-one right after. Spear added four assists, three rebounds and a steal to her scoring.
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.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols drop second loss in SEC play on the road to Ole Miss
