STARKVILLE, Miss. – Despite a season-high 16 points from freshman Uros Plavsic and a career-high 13 points from junior Jalen Johnson, Tennessee fell, 86-73, at Mississippi State Saturday in Starkville.
The Bulldogs were paced by Reggie Perry and D.J. Stewart Jr. who finished with 24 and 20 points respectively.
The Vols (12-9, 4-4 SEC) were led by career-best scoring outputs from Plavsic and Johnson, along with freshman Santiago Vescovi, who scored 16 of his own.
Tennessee senior Jordan Bowden scored all 12 of his points in the second half.
A balanced opening 12 minutes that saw five different Vols (and five different nationalities) pen their names on the score sheet, and a 12-4 run spanning a period of five minutes gave UT a 21-17 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
Mississippi State (14-7, 5-3 SEC) responded with six straight points before the Orange & White used a 13-5 run to close the half and head into the locker room with a 34-28 advantage.
Out of the break, the Bulldogs came out firing, taking a 45-40 lead less than six minutes into the half. Their charge was spearheaded by a 10-0 run over two minutes.
Over the next six minutes, MSU continued to control the game, stretching its lead to 63-52 with 7:50 remaining.
MSU stifled each of UT’s late comeback bids, increasing its lead to as many as 17 points to cement the final score and close the afternoon.
Le Streak Continues: Junior Yves Pons closed the contest with one block, marking the 21st consecutive game he’s notched at least one rejection.
Up Next: The Vols are back in action for their second consecutive road contest when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
-UT Athletics
