Jordan Horston acted quickly after her first shot attempt bounced off the rim.

The Tennessee senior guard leaped up and grabbed the ball with two hands and put it back, this time laying it in for the score that upped the Lady Vols' lead to double digit with just over seven minutes left against Mississippi State.

That sequence was repeated by Horston throughout the final quarter of Tennessee's 80-69 win at Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday, which gave the Lady Vols their fourth straight win.

Like all of Tennessee's three SEC wins, it didn't come easy. The Lady Vols had numerous double digit leads in the second half that the Bulldogs made a run at to get within striking distance, but they had no answer for Horston — who scored 13 of her 27 points in the final 10 minutes. She also nabbed 14 rebounds for the double-double.

"When I started crashing the boards, everything just started opening up for me," Horston said. "But like, the whole game, my teammates instilled confidence in me. They just told me to keep playing."

Mississippi State opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and quickly trimmed its nine-point halftime deficit down to 44-40 and outscored Tennessee 22-20 in the period, leaving the Lady Vols clinging to a 61-54 lead heading into the final quarter.

Then Horston took over.

“I felt like we were never rattled when (Mississippi State) went on that run," Horston said. "We know every good team makes runs and we had to, you know, cut them really short, stay together, continue to execute. I feel like we locked in better towards the end and got stops."

There were times watching Horston make plays from the sideline where Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper was in awe of what she was seeing.

"I'll tell you, in the fourth quarter, I was a big cheerleader," Harper said. "I was cheering loud for her. She got me pretty excited and fired up when she got in there and got some of those boards and put-backs. She's a special player, there's no doubt about it. You know, she's fun to watch and in that moment, you just enjoy getting to see good basketball."

In many ways, Horston's fourth quarter showing was a microcosm of the Lady Vols over the last month of the season.

The team's grittiness and aggressiveness have been key components during their win streak, allowing them to overcome stretches of taking the best shot from the opposing team — especially in rebounding.

As a team, Tennessee hauled in 50 rebounds versus Mississippi State, including 25 on offense, which helped the Lady Vols score an impressive 23 second-chance points. Along with Horston, forward Rickea Jackson have been the biggest reasons for that success.

"We've been working hard on our offensive rebounding production," Harper said. "Obviously, we have a lot of players that can impact the game there, but Rickea and Jordan and their athletic ability, their quickness to the ball, their quickness off the ground and their size gives them a great advantage in that area.

“Also, I think they're pretty active offensively and I think that makes them a little bit harder for defenses to box out."

Jackson and Horston are clicking at the right time, too.

Coming off it’s first Sweet 16 appearance in six years, Tennessee entered the season with a plethora of expectations after signing a number of transfers, including Jackson from Mississippi State, but the Lady Vols struggled out of the gate — dropping five of their first nine games while also dealing with injuries.

But after a daunting non-conference schedule that featured Ohio State, UCLA, Gonzaga, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford, Tennessee has entered league play with confidence because that balance of returning experience and new additions are seemingly gelling together.

It has shown on the court.

"I don't think we've lost poise in any of our SEC games," Harper said. "Even when our opponents are making runs, I think we have stayed pretty even. When we weren't playing well, I think we bounced back pretty quickly. I do think that is a little bit of a product of what we have seen in the past. I think our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and they believe they can overcome mistakes."

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