By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The Ole Miss Rebels knocked off the No.10 Tennessee Volunteers 52-50 inside the Pavilion on Tuesday.
Ole Miss (9-8, 4-6 SEC) earned an 11-point, second-half deficit behind a strong zone defense.
“We played against such a tough and well-coached team,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said. “Down the stretch, we made some game-winning plays. It was just a whole group effort, and I’m just so happy to see this team taste that victory against a top-10 ranked team.”
Senior Devontae Shuler led the way in scoring for the Rebels with 15 points and seven rebounds. Romello White scored 14 points, while Luis Rodriguez and Jarkel Joiner each added seven points to the stats column.
“Devontae made some great finishes at the end,” Davis said. “Romello White was big.”
Late in the second half, the Ole Miss defense kept the Vols scoreless from the floor for 12 minutes. Tennessee turned the ball over 16 times, which Ole Miss transformed into 18 points. The Vols shot 36% from the floor.
Ole Miss was able to get the ball in the paint to score with White as they hit at 39.2% from the floor.
“I don’t think that we settled. We were determined to get the ball to Romello,” Davis said.
Tennessee was led in scoring by senior Yves Pons with 13 points while his teammate Keon Johnson added 11 points of his own.
Ole Miss returns to action on Saturday as they travel to Auburn to tangle with the Tigers. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
