OXFORD, Miss. — In a match between two teams fighting for a top-four spot in the SEC Tournament, Tennessee couldn't get it done on the road.
Instead, Ole Miss held on late to win 80-75 and handed the Lady Vols their second loss of conference play.
Both offenses had a solid afternoon shooting 48.4% and 48.6% from the field, respectively.
Tennessee (12-7, 5-2 SEC) was led by Jewel Spear who scored a season-high 30 points in the game. The Rebels (15-5, 5-2) had Marquesha Davis go off for 25.
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Rickea Jackson got out to a solid start with 13 first half points but finished the night with just 15. She shot 1-for-7 from the field in the second half.
The Lady Vols also connected on eight 3-pointers in the match while Ole Miss made only two.
Tennessee now forfeits its sole spot in second place in the SEC. It is tied with the Rebels and LSU at 5-2 behind undefeated South Carolina.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee fired out to one of its best offensive starts this season in Oxford. The Lady Vols finished the first quarter 11-for-16 from the field for a total of 27 points.
While the Rebels also found some offensive success, it wasn't enough to keep up with Tennessee. By the end of the first frame, the Lady Vols led 27-21 behind eight points from Spear.
In the second half, Tennessee let Ole Miss back into the game. The Lady Vols shot just 31.3% from the field with the Rebels making 50% of shots.
The score would be knotted up at 39 heading into the break with Tennessee shooting 50% and Ole Miss shooting 45.9%.
Leading the way was Jackson who earned 13 points and four rebounds in the half but did turn it over three times.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Bracketology update: Vols hold spot, Lady Vols sneak into field
The Rebels came out of the break hot. They used a 7-0 run to jump out to a six-point lead early in the frame. Ole Miss' defensive pressure caused issues for the Lady Vols, as well. Staying a step behind resulted in a six-point deficit heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, Tennessee trailed by as much as seven but made the change to a small lineup without a center. With this group on the floor, the Lady Vols outscored the Rebels 13-9 before subbing Tamari Key briefly back into the game.
Tennessee was able to get within one with the small lineup and a minute and a half on the clock, but the Lady Vols weren't able to tie the game or retake the lead at any point down the stretch.
STAT OF THE GAME
One of the differences in the game was points off turnovers. The Lady Vols forked it up 15 times compared to Ole Miss' 11 but the Rebels took advantage of theirs.
Tennessee surrendered 15 points off turnovers while it earned just seven. A big reason for this was the type of turnovers. Ole Miss got nine of its turnovers on steals while the Lady Vols only earned two.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY
UP NEXT
Next, Tennessee will stay on the road with a trip to Athens to face Georgia. The Bulldogs sit at 10-9 (1-5) SEC and will face Auburn on the road on Monday.
Tip-off is set for Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. ET airing on the SEC Network.
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