KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nate Ament scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half to lead No. 25 Tennessee to its fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night with an 84-66 win over Mississippi.
The Volunteers (16-6, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) led 67-51 with 6:15 left when Rebels guard AJ Storr had the ball stripped from him and was called for a foul. Ole Miss coach Chris Beard was incensed and got ejected after being called for two technicals.
Tennessee hit three free throws and then Ament converted a three-point play to put the game out of reach.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 20 points for Tennessee. J.P. Estrella had 12 and Bishop Boswell added 10.
Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6) lost its fourth straight. Storr and Patton Pinkins had 15 points apiece to lead the Rebels. Ilias Kamardine added 11 and Eduardo Klafke scored 10.
Tennessee returned to the AP Top 25 this week. After being ranked in 90 consecutive polls over five seasons, the Vols dropped out when they lost a 17-point lead and the game against Kentucky on Jan. 17.
Tennessee (33%) and Ole Miss (31%) both struggled from the field in the first half. Gillespie had 10 points at the break to key the Vols' 26-25 advantage. Pinkins had 11 for the Rebels.
When Tennessee’s Felix Okpara missed last week’s game against Auburn with a left calf injury, it ended his streak of 64 straight starts and 82 consecutive appearances dating to 2023. Without the 6-foot-11 Okpara, Tennessee still dominated the Tigers on the boards, 46-30. Okpara missed Tuesday's game, as did Vols reserve Amaree Abram (illness).
An ice storm Jan. 23 impacted Oxford enough that Mississippi's game against Vanderbilt was moved to Nashville. After Saturday’s game at Texas, Ole Miss will have played seven of its first 10 SEC games on the road.
Mississippi visits Texas on Saturday.
Tennessee plays at Kentucky on Saturday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
You’ve likely known your closest friends for years — but when was the last time you met some… Read moreMaking Friends in Your 60s and Beyond
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.