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.
And then a big play by Rickea Jackson with 5:40 on the clock got things moving in Tennessee's direction again. Jackson made her lone steal of the game, drew a foul on the fast break and hit both free throws, the first two points of a 16-4 run that settled it.
"I knew this wasn't going to be an easy game," Harper said during the news conference. "It was going to be a battle, and we were going to have to work. It was good. ... We did a lot of good things that I'm proud of."
Angel Baker had 14 points and Marquesha Davis 11 with 10 rebounds for Ole Miss.
Jackson, with 16 points, was the only Tennessee scorer besides Horston in double figures, but Jillian Hollingshead added nine points in 23 bench minutes and Jasmine Franklin had eight in 13. Hollingshead, Horston and Jackson had five rebounds apiece to help the Lady Vols finish with a 42-40 edge on the glass, with Jordan Walker grabbing eight for the team high in that category.
Walker also had a game-high four steals and added four assists.
"Jordan Walker was awesome," Harper said. "I need to say that. I don't know if anybody was going to ask me, but I need to say that. She set the tone, and she was fantastic."
Tennessee returns to competition at 7 p.m. Eastern on Monday at Mississippi State (15-7, 4-5).
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com.