KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jewel Spear equaled her season-high by scoring 28 points, leading the No. 15 Tennessee women’s basketball team to an 80-71 victory over Mississippi on Sunday.
Mississippi (17-8, 8-5 SEC) entered the contest positioned fifth in the Southeastern Conference and aimed for a potential top-four finish to secure a two-round bye in the upcoming SEC tournament. However, this setback has dropped them to sixth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Tennessee (19-6, 6-6) currently sits in eighth place, just a half-game behind Oklahoma.

Tennessee established their dominance early, wrapping up the first quarter with an impressive 11-2 scoring run that left them leading 17-7. By halftime, the Rebels had managed to narrow the gap to six points at 34-28. However, Tennessee surged again in the second half, with Samara Spencer extending the lead to 67-50 after a layup with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.

Ole Miss made a push as Starr Jacobs scored down low, followed by Sira Thienou’s tip-in off a miss by Jacobs, which brought the Rebels closer at 70-61 with four minutes left. KK Deans then hit a three-pointer from the corner with 40 seconds left, narrowing the score to 77-71. But freshman Kaniya Boyd of Tennessee responded quickly with a layup just six seconds later, and Ole Miss found themselves unable to score again in the closing moments.

For Tennessee, Spencer ended the game with 13 points, complemented by 10 rebounds and six assists. Zee Spearman contributed 14 points and eight rebounds from the bench, while Talaysia Cooper added 11 points along with six assists and six steals.

On the other side, Deans led Ole Miss with 22 points, hitting six of her twelve attempts from beyond the arc. Tameiya Sadler and Kennedy Todd-Williams chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Scott rounded out the performance with 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

Looking ahead, the Volunteers have four games left in their season, starting with an upcoming home matchup against No. 21 Alabama on Thursday. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will play three more games in the regular season, beginning with a home contest against Missouri this Sunday.