The University of Tennessee women’s basketball team returned to the win column in wire-to-wire fashion Thursday night in Knoxville, with the Lady Volunteers putting back-to-back losses behind them in a 65-51 Southeastern Conference victory over Ole Miss.
Tennessee senior Jordan Horston had another strong all-around performance with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks, and the combination of strong defense and a fourth-quarter offensive surge allowed the Lady Vols (17-8, 9-1) to steer clear of what would have been the program’s first three-game skid since dropping six in a row three years ago in Kellie Harper’s first season as coach.
The Lady Vols lost 84-76 to No. 5 Connecticut on Jan. 26, then lost 76-68 at No. 3 LSU on Monday, so they were obviously glad to be back on the other end of the scoreboard.
“You never take any wins for granted, because they’re hard to get,” Horston said in Thursday’s postgame news conference. “I’m glad we’re back on the winning side. We’ve still got a lot to work on, but I’m happy with how we played.”
Tennessee had seven-point leads after each of the first two quarters against Ole Miss, 15-8 and 28-21, and was up 43-34 entering the fourth at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Vols’ advantage grew to 13 points on Horston’s jumper at the 8:58 mark, but a seven-point swing in favor of the Rebels (18-5, 7-3) made it 47-41 with 7:01 left.