University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
16-10, 8-7
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Mississippi State
18-8, 8-7
Tennessee Knocks Off No. 21 Mississippi State, 59-49
March 05, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2003
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By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
AP Sports Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Although Ron Slay's final home game wasn't flashy, it was a win.
Slay scored 17 points and Brandon Crump added 16 as Tennessee beat No. 23 Mississippi State 59-49 Wednesday night to end its four-game losing streak.
"We needed a big win, and senior night altogether was a great experience. A win just topped it off," Slay said.
The Volunteers (16-10, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) led the entire game, but the Bulldogs (18-8, 8-7) cut the lead to two with 6:12 left.
Tennessee's Elgrace Wilborn stole the ball from Mario Austin and Crump converted a three-point play at the other end.
Derrick Zimmerman's two free throws and Michal Ignerski's 3-pointer, which trimmed the lead to 53-49 with 1:40 to go, were Mississippi State's final points of the game.
Down by four, the Bulldogs got another chance when Timmy Bowers stole the ball from Slay, but Tennessee's C.J. Watson took back the ball from Bowers.
The Vols, who had won six straight before their losing streak, finished the game by going 8-of-8 from the free throw line after going 12-for-21 before then.
Austin had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who needed a win to clinch at least a share of the SEC Western Division title.
Tennessee had already secured a No. 4 seed in the East for the upcoming SEC tournament, but the West seeding remains undetermined.
Watson, who made four free throws over the final 1:26, finished with 10 points for the Vols, who having been trying to increase their chances for an at-large NCAA bid.
Tennessee's five seniors were honored before the game.
"First thing I want to say is how proud I am of these seniors for the great efforts they've given during the two years I have coached here," coach Buzz Peterson said. "I'm happy to see them go out with a victory. I always try to come up with some motivational words as we come out of the locker room, but this time I just wrote on the board the word 'Seniors."'
The Bulldogs tried to spoil the special night by cutting a 13-point deficit to four in the final minutes of the first half.
They had a 7-0 run to cut it to six before the teams traded free throws. Timmy Bowers took advantage of Tennessee's zone defense and hit a 3 with 40 seconds left to make it 25-21, but Jon Higgins made a runner in the lane to put the Vols back ahead by six at halftime.
"I have no answer for the slow start," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. "Tennessee had a lot of emotion, and got it going tonight. We missed some shots. They made some shots, and we dug a hole for ourselves. Having to fight from behind on the road is tough."
Mississippi State cut the lead to three twice early in the second half, the last on Marcus Campbell's basket with 9:20 to go that capped a 7-0 run.
Stanley Asumnu scored and Slay made two free throws to put Tennessee ahead 44-37 a minute later.
Reserve forward Zach Turner and walk-on guard Drew Clemmons earned a starting spot for the first time in their Tennessee careers on senior night. They played until the 17:22 mark.
