Tennessee forward Lew Evans (21) is defended by Mississippi forward Sebastian Saiz (11) during an NCAA college basketball game in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. (Bruce Newman/Oxford Eagle via AP)Failing to build on the momentum of Saturday’s win at Vanderbilt, Tennessee coughed up a 13-point second-half lead in an 80-69 SEC loss at Mississippi on Tuesday night.
The Rebels, who had lost four of five to open league play, led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Vols (9-9, 2-4) overcame a slow start to close the half on a 7-0 spurt and tie the game at 38 going into halftime.
Tennessee then opened the second half on a 14-1 run to take a 52-39 lead but was unable to maintain the intensity and mustered no response to a desperation run by Ole Miss.
The Rebels (11-7, 2-4) came to life with a 13-2 run and took the lead for good on a fastbreak layup by Terence Davis with 6:48 remaining. The Vols shot 3-of-21 from the field in the final 11-plus minutes and didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:13, while also missing 11 free throws.
Ole Miss shot 50 percent in the second half and benefited from a 42-24 advantage in free-throw attempts.