Michael Allen 
Nate Ament (10) hold his follow through as his step back three point jumper falls midway through the 2nd half of Tennessee's 84-66 victory over Ole Miss Tuesday night
SEO Meta Description: Freshman Nate Ament scores 28 points as Tennessee beats Ole Miss 84–66 for its fourth straight win, setting up a rivalry showdown with Kentucky.
Tennessee picked up its fourth straight victory Tuesday night, rolling past Ole Miss 84–66 behind a huge performance from freshman Nate Ament. While the Vols still have areas to clean up offensively, they appear to be finding their rhythm at the right time of the season.
The first half looked like vintage Tennessee basketball under Rick Barnes: tough, physical defense paired with long scoring droughts. JaKobe Gillespie (10 points) and JP Estrella (7 points) provided most of the early offense, but consistent scoring was hard to come by.
Tennessee jumped out to an 18–9 lead by the under-12 media timeout, fueled by two three-pointers from Gillespie and another from Troy Henderson. Ole Miss responded with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to 21–20 by the under-4 break. Both teams went cold down the stretch, and the Vols carried a slim 26–25 lead into halftime. Over the final 12 minutes of the first half, Tennessee managed just eight points and two made field goals—a familiar issue that has plagued the Vols in recent seasons. Fortunately for Tennessee, Ole Miss struggled to score as well.
The second half flipped the script almost immediately. Points came in bunches, and by the under-16 media timeout, the Vols held a 39–35 advantage after both teams combined for 23 total points in just over four minutes.
That’s when Ament took over.
After scoring only two points in the first half, the freshman erupted in the final 20 minutes. It started with a tip-in before the under-16 break, followed by a late-clock bucket off a Jaylen Carey assist. Free throws pushed him into double figures, and then Ament buried a three to extend Tennessee’s lead to 55–42. From there, it was a clinic: a give-and-go with Bishop Boswell for an and-one, more free throws, another and-one finish, and a step-back three. By the time the dust settled, Ament had poured in 26 of his 28 points in the second half on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting, including 8-of-10 at the free-throw line.
The game also featured a dramatic moment when Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard was ejected midway through the second half. Beard stormed onto the court after a no-call on JaKobe Gillespie during a steal attempt on Augusto Cassia, earning a technical foul. He was then hit with a second technical for arguing with officials, resulting in an immediate ejection. Postgame, Beard cited frustration with the perceived foul discrepancy, saying, “At some point you’ve got to fight for your players.”
Tennessee capitalized on the moment, stretching the lead and pulling away comfortably. In addition to Ament’s 28 points, Gillespie added 20 points while hitting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Estrella chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds, and Boswell posted 10 points and eight boards. The Vols dominated the glass, out-rebounding Ole Miss 40–23 overall and 17–7 on the offensive boards.
With momentum building, Tennessee now turns its attention to a rivalry showdown. The Vols travel up I-75 to face Kentucky on Saturday in a game that carries extra juice after Tennessee’s disappointing loss against the Wildcats in Knoxville earlier this season. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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