The Ole Miss Women’s Basketball team traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., and fell short against the Tennessee Volunteers in Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, losing 80-71.
First half
Ole Miss struggled early and finished the first quarter trailing 17-7. The Rebels suffered offensive rebounds and faced difficulty when shooting, as they were below 30% at halftime.
Senior guards KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams stayed consistent for Ole Miss in their shooting. Deans notched seven and Todd-Williams scored 11 to combine for 18 points entering the half.
Still trailing, Ole Miss cut the lead in half and outscored the Lady Vols 21-17 in the second quarter to catch up 34-28.
Second half
Ole Miss entered the second half with hopes to improve shooting and take the lead. Despite the Lady Vols making only 35% of their field goals, they outscored Ole Miss 25-20 in the third quarter and held on 59-48 heading into the final quarter of play.
The Lady Vols found a fourth quarter rhythm and outscored Ole Miss 8-2, leading the way 67-52. Ole Miss failed to find their footing and could not find a lead against their opponent.
While Ole Miss forced a small comeback, they still dropped the game 80-71 — marking their fifth conference and eighth overall loss of the season.
Despite the loss, the Lady Rebels totaled 40 rebounds, while the Lady Vols had 33. Ole Miss capitalized on defensive rebounds with 23, and nine of those came from senior forward Madison Scott.
What’s next?
In the Lady Rebels’ second-to-last home game, Ole Miss will host Missouri on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN.
