The Tennessee Volunteers worked very hard to return to the national rankings.
They might as well try to stay there.
Freshman forward Nate Ament scored 28 points and senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 20 Tuesday night inside the Food City Center as the No. 25 Vols broke free in the second half to rout Ole Miss 84-66. Gillespie’s deep 3-pointer with 10:21 remaining put the Vols up by double digits for the first time at 51-40, and Ament’s driving layup and free throw with 7:32 to play gave Tennessee its biggest lead to that point at 63-48 and was a key moment in his 26-point second half.
“I thought we stayed with it, and I think our guys are learning,” Tennessee 11th-year coach Rick Barnes said afterward on the Vol Network. “I think this game played a lot closer than the score, but we found a way. Nate really went through that stretch there where he was just terrific.”
Ament was 9-of-15 from the floor, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line and also tallied six rebounds and four assists.
“He is an all-conference player in our league, and I am not talking about the all-freshman team,” said Ole Miss coach Chris Beard, who was ejected from the game late in the second half, in a news conference. “He is one of the best players in our league.”
READ MORE: Ament’s increasing comfort level on display more and more for Vols
The Vols improved to 16-6 overall and to 6-3 in Southeastern Conference action with their fourth straight victory, and they continued their stellar rebounding ways, racking up a 40-23 advantage against the Rebels. Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella had 12 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee, while sophomore guard Bishop Boswell collected 10 points and eight boards.
Patton Pinkins and AJ Storr scored 15 points apiece Ole Miss, which dropped to 11-11 overall and to 3-6 within the league.
Tennessee used two close-range baskets by Estrella for an early 9-0 surge that turned a 5-3 deficit into a 12-5 lead. Consecutive 3-pointers by Gillespie and Troy Henderson enabled the Vols to extend their advantage to 18-9 at the 12:18 mark of the first half, but they went cold from the floor, and the Rebels capitalized with an 11-3 run, pulling within 21-20 on a Pinkins 3-pointer with 6:04 before the break.
The Vols took a 26-25 lead into halftime despite shooting 33.3% from the floor (9-of-27), but Ole Miss was slightly worse with its 31.0% clip (9-of-29).
“We did a good job guarding them,” Boswell said on the Vol Network. “They only had 25 points in the first half. It was just us missing some of those bunnies and missing some free throws. I think we guarded them all night, and we just put together a much better second half.”
Tennessee continued to maintain its slight edge early in the second half, with a Boswell 3-pointer three minutes in making it 39-33. A layup by DeWayne Brown II with 11:52 left gave the Vols even more of a cushion at 48-40.
The Vols, who played a second straight game without senior forward Felix Okpara (calf) and were also without reserve senior guard Amaree Abram (flu-like symptoms), next play Saturday night at Kentucky. The Wildcats beat the Vols 80-78 in Knoxville on Jan. 17, rallying from a 17-point hole late in the first half.
“We have to go up there and handle business,” Boswell said. “This one is done, and we’re ready for Kentucky.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.