KNOXVILLE — The shots did not fall for the Tennessee women’s basketball team Thursday night.
Instead, for the first time in a while, the Lady Volunteers did.
Mississippi State’s Kharyssa Richardson was 9-for-11 from the field as she scored a game-high 21 points, including 16 in the second half, and the Bulldogs took down 15th-ranked Tennessee 77-62 on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, handing the Lady Vols their first loss in seven Southeastern Conference games this season and ending their seven-game winning streak overall.
Mississippi State (16-6, 3-5 SEC) got a double-double from Madison Francis, who blocked a pair of shots in addition to finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trayanna Crisp added 15 points, five rebounds and three steals for this visitors, while Favour Nwaedozi had 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.
It’s the second win of the season for the Bulldogs against a ranked opponent, who avenged a 90-80 home loss to the Lady Vols from Jan. 8 in Starkville. Mississippi State also won in SEC play two games ago when it defeated Kentucky, which was ranked No. 7 at the time, 71-59 on Jan. 18 in Lexington.