Michael Allen 
SEO Meta Description: Tennessee survives Mississippi State 73–64 behind Nate Ament’s late surge, staying in the hunt for a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee did just enough Wednesday night, surviving Mississippi State Bulldogs 73–64 in Starkville to keep pace in the SEC standings. The win pushed the Vols to 7–4 in conference play and kept them firmly in the hunt for a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament—even if the performance once again tested the patience of Tennessee Volunteers fans.
Tennessee came out playing above the rim, opening the game with four straight dunks from JP Estrella and Felix Okpara. The Vols and Bulldogs traded punches over the first eight minutes as Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard caught fire, scoring 14 of State’s first 16 points to keep the visitors close.
When Hubbard briefly went to the bench before the under-12 media timeout, Tennessee pounced with a 7–0 burst to take a 23–16 lead. Hubbard returned and immediately steadied the Bulldogs, helping tie the game at 25. From there, Tennessee’s defense locked in. The Vols closed the half on a 14–3 run to take a 39–28 advantage into the locker room. Eight different Tennessee players scored in the opening 20 minutes, while Hubbard had 20 of Mississippi State’s 28 first-half points.
The Vols looked ready to put the game away early in the second half, ripping off an 11–2 run to stretch the margin to 20 within four minutes. After a brief Mississippi State push, Tennessee extended the lead to a game-high 23 points at 63–40 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Then came the familiar lull. Tennessee’s offense went ice cold, and the Bulldogs seized the moment with an 18–0 run over the next five minutes, suddenly cutting the deficit to five and turning a blowout into a nervy finish.
Freshman Nate Ament delivered the response Tennessee desperately needed. Ament scored eight of the Vols’ final 11 points, including a thunderous alley-oop slam off a perfectly timed feed from Bishop Boswell that punctuated the win and finally put Mississippi State away.
JaKobe Gillespie led Tennessee with 18 points, while Ament added 16 and Estrella chipped in 12. Boswell filled the stat sheet with four points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, and authored the play of the night—chasing a rebound out to mid court , flicking a behind-the-back pass to Ament, then receiving it right back before lobbing the alley-oop for the emphatic finish.
Statistically, Tennessee controlled the game in most areas. The Vols won the rebounding battle 45–31, including a 13–7 edge on the offensive glass, and dominated the paint with a 42–24 scoring advantage inside. For Mississippi State, Hubbard was the lone bright spot, pouring in 31 points as the Bulldogs’ only player in double figures.
With seven regular-season games left before March, Tennessee still has plenty to clean up—most notably the extended scoring droughts that continue to invite unnecessary drama. The Vols will look to build momentum Saturday when they host LSU Tigers in their annual Dark Mode game at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
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