No. 15 Tennessee beats Mississippi 76-65 in SEC quarterfinals to set up rematch with Kentucky

No. 15 Tenn. beats Ole Miss 76-65 in SEC tourney

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Wayne Chism had 16 points and 15 rebounds and No. 15 Tennessee beat Mississippi 76-65 in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

J.P. Prince added 17 points for Tennessee (25-7), which is 7-0 this season when Chism gets a double-double. Cameron Tatum came off the bench to score 15, and Bobby Maze added 13.

The Vols’ win sets up a Saturday rematch with their most bitter rival, No. 2 Kentucky, which overcame an 11-point deficit to beat Alabama 73-67 earlier Friday.

With the teams tied at 44, Tennessee went on a 9-0 run punctuated by a jump shot by Tatum to take a 53-44 lead with 13:21 left.

Mississippi (21-10) answered with back-to-back 3s by Chris Warren from opposite sides of the baseline and a free throw by Trevor Gaskins — to trim the Vols’ lead to 2.

Tennessee used free throws and paint points to pull away as the Rebels went 5 minutes without hitting a field goal.

Warren led Mississippi with 16 points, Zach Graham added 15 and Terrico White had 13.

Coming off a four-game winning streak and a first-round tournament bye, Mississippi was playing to improve its credentials in hopes of earning an NCAA tournament bid. The Rebels had a quality win over Kansas State early in the season, but wanted another resume-boosting win.

The Vols, who have stayed in the Top 25 all season and logged wins over then-No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Kentucky, are playing to improve their seeding in the NCAA tournament.

Both teams looked the part of an NCAA contender early. Tennessee hit 7 of 15 3-point shots before halftime — the Vols only had five 2-point baskets — and Mississippi hit its first six 3s.

A 3-pointer by Graham gave the Rebels an 18-12 lead with 13:05 left in the first half.

Tatum, who hit all four of his shots from 3 in the first half, hit back-to-back 3s from opposite wings followed by a free throw to grab a 24-22 lead for the Vols with 9:29 before halftime.

The teams traded the lead twice more before an 8-0 run by Tennessee that ended with a fastbreak layup by Prince that gave Tennessee a 34-31 lead with 2:26 left in the first half. White hit a layup and tipped in a shot, and the Rebels entered halftime with a 35-34 lead.

Warren was hot from the perimeter, hitting 5 of 12 from behind the arc, but the point guard committed nine turnovers, and Tennessee scored 20 points off the Rebels’ mistakes.

It was the same story in the teams’ regular-season meeting on Jan. 16, which Tennessee won 71-69 in overtime.