Lady Vols fall to Mississippi State in SEC tournament quarterfinals

Tennessee's Evina Westbrook, center, bows her head on the bench during the last minutes of the Lady Vols' loss to Mississippi State in an SEC tournament quarterfinal Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Tennessee's Evina Westbrook, center, bows her head on the bench during the last minutes of the Lady Vols' loss to Mississippi State in an SEC tournament quarterfinal Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

By Associated Press March 9, 2019 2 min read

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Jazzmun Holmes and Anriel Howard wanted to make sure they were ready to lead the fifth-ranked Mississippi State women’s basketball team, no matter how early they had to wake up.

Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer gave players the option to sleep in or attend the 6:40 a.m. shootaround Friday. Holmes and Howard both got up to prepare – and that paid off in a big way for Mississippi State at the Southeastern Conference tournament with an 83-68 quarterfinal win over Tennessee.

Howard led on offense with 26 points while Holmes keyed the defense with five of the Bulldogs’ nine steals and added 16 points.

“My team goes as I go,” said Holmes, the senior point guard who finished a point shy of her season high.

So when Schaefer encouraged her to wake up late for the noon start, Holmes wouldn’t hear it.