KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Earlier in the season, a big deficit might have spelled disaster for the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team. Now that the Volunteers have had a chance to absorb coach Cuonzo Martin’s unflappable attitude, it’s nothing more than a challenge to overcome.
Tennessee rallied from a 13-point deficit Wednesday night to beat the University of Mississippi 73-60 on to hang on to a share of fourth place in the Southeastern Conference with three games left in the regular season.
“I think we’re very poised,” Tennessee forward Jeronne Maymon said. “We try to be just like our coach out there on the floor. His demeanor never changes, whether we win or lose or whether we’re up or down. We just try to be like him.”
After a slow start by the Vols (15-13, 7-6 SEC), Maymon had little trouble channeling Martin, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
Tennessee started the second half down 31-30. Layups by Maymon and Trae Golden and a 3-pointer by Cameron Tatum early in the second half added up to a 7-0 run that gave Tennessee its ultimate lead.
Jordan McRae came off the bench to add 16 points, including a highlight-worthy dunk that gave Tennessee a 47-37 lead with 11 minutes, 20 seconds to play. Demarco Cox answered with a layup, but the Rebels (15-12, 5-8) wouldn’t get any closer.
“We just settled down and made plays,” Martin said. “It’s just one of those things we consistently work at and continue to get better at every day. I thought we did a good job in the second half of defending as a team with them passing, cutting and moving.”
Golden scored 11 points and Tatum and Dwight Miller both added 10 for the Volunteers, who committed 10 fouls and were 17-for-21 from the free-throw line in the second half. The Rebels were 7-for-12 from the line.
Ole Miss and Tennessee entered the game first and second, respectively, in rebounding in SEC play, but the Volunteers outrebounded the Rebels 40-28 and outscored them 36-28 in the paint.
“They just dominated us block to block,” Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy said. “They killed us on the glass, which has become a reoccurring theme. They finish everything at point-blank range. We didn’t play through contact as strong as we needed to. They outscore us by 11 points on the free throw line, and hence the difference in the game.”
Terrance Henry had 15 points to lead the Rebels, who have lost three in a row. Murphy Holloway scored 13 before fouling out with 3:28 to play, and Nick Williams added 11 points.
The Volunteers struggled early against a zone defense and hit just one of their first eight shots. The Rebels hit seven of their first eight in the stretch to grab a 15-2 lead with 13:51 before halftime before cooling off.
Tennessee started attacking the paint more and answered with a 19-2 run that gave it a 21-17 lead with 6:07 in the first half. Seven of those points came from Miller, who only recently found himself back in the Volunteers’ rotation with the indefinite suspension of Kenny Hall on Feb. 15.
Entering the game, Tennessee and Ole Miss were among six teams tied or separated by one game in the fourth through nine slots in the conference standings. The Volunteers moved into a tie with LSU for fourth, while the Rebels dropped to ninth.
With the elimination of divisions in the SEC this year, the top four teams at the end of the regular season will receive a first-round bye in the SEC tournament.
“I’m looking at us just trying to get a win at home,” Henry said. “We are just going to try and stop the bleeding.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
