University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
18-6, 5-5
Ole Miss
19-4, 7-3
Ole Miss Defeats Tennessee 87-71
February 10, 2001 | Men's Basketball
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| Tennessee guard Terrence Woods tries to steal the ball from Mississippi guard Jason Flanigan. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis) |
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - The road didn't get any smoother for No. 10 Tennessee when it visited Mississippi.
Aaron Harper scored 23 points as No. 25 Mississippi handed the Volunteers their fifth straight road loss, 87-71 on Feb. 10.
The Rebels (19-4, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) continue to be the SEC's biggest surprise. Ole Miss, after winning just six conference games last season, has won four straight and is in first place in the Western Division.
Playing without starting point guard Tony Harris, who sprained an ankle in the Vols' Wednesday loss to Arkansas, didn't help as Tennessee committed 20 turnovers.
Vincent Yarbrough led the Volunteers with 16 points and Isiah Victor had 15 points. Ron Slay had 15 points and keyed a second-half rally that saw the Vols cut an 18-point deficit to eight with about 13 minutes left.
Rahim Lockhart scored 14 points for Mississippi, including a short hook and follow dunk that gave the Rebels a 69-56 lead with 7:32 left. Mississippi scored the game's first basket and led the rest of the way.
Ole Miss, which scored 50 points in beating LSU on Wednesday, led 46-28 at the half, hitting over 55 percent of its shots. The Rebels turned 10 Vols turnovers into 16 points.
Harper scored 16 in the first half, including four 3-pointers.
The Vols upped the tempo and defensive intensity in the second half, but Ole Miss kept Tennessee at bay by hitting just enough shots and continuing to cause turnovers.
Ole Miss snapped a three-game losing streak to the Volunteers.
