Lady Vols handle Mississippi State on We Back Pat night

Kim Cadwell’s system continues to work in the SEC.

The Lady Vols have now pulled out back-to-back wins with the most recent coming over Mississippi State at home, 86-73.

The game marked ‘We Back Pat’ night in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Pat Summitt Foundation.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

No. 15 Tennessee (15-2, 3-2 SEC) has now snapped a two-game home losing streak after dropping consecutive one-possession games against top 10 opponents Oklahoma and LSU.

The Lady Vols responded with a road win over Arkansas before returning to Knoxville to down the Bulldogs (15-4, 2-3).

Tennessee was in control for the majority of the game. The Lady Vols only trailed for 5 minutes and 26 seconds while holding the lead for over 30 minutes. While Mississippi State was consistently in striking distance for a good portion of the game, it was never able to make a serious push as time wound down.

Instead, Tennessee added to its lead in the fourth quarter to win comfortably.

Leading the way for the Lady Vols in the game were once again a trio of players. This time, it was Ruby Whitehorn, Samara Spencer and Talaysia Cooper.

Whitehorn posted a game-high 20 points. Spencer got up to 18 points with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Cooper managed 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Neither team could hit a shot early. The Lady Vols managed a 4-0 lead to start but it took over two minutes before either squad got on the board.

Then, it was a 9-0 run for Mississippi State to surge into the lead. With the Bulldogs leading by as much as five, the teams traded blows as the first quarter lulled on.

By the end of the frame, a late Spencer 3-pointer with under a minute to play gifted Tennessee the lead back. The Lady Vols took a two-point edge into the short break.

The second quarter saw both offenses hitting their stride. Tennessee used it to its advantage, though, extending its lead to nine by the half. The final blows were back-to-back Spencer 3-pointers again.

The final one was a deep three moments before the halftime clock expired to head to the locker room at full speed.

The Lady Vols led 43-34 at the break. While it was Spencer who hit the timely shots, Whitehorn led the scoring. She reached 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from range.

The third quarter was narrowly won by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs outscored Tennessee 22-21 in the period to stay in striking distance with 10 minutes to play.

The Lady Vols were able to keep Mississippi State an arm’s reach away for the fourth quarter. Tennessee never let the Bulldogs closer than seven points from the lead and coasted to a 13-point win.

Next up for the Lady Vols is a trip to Nashville. Tennessee will meet Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium at 3 p.m. ET on SECN+ on Sunday.

Then, the Lady Vols hit the road to travel to Texas. The No. 7 Longhorns will host Tennessee on Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air on SEC Network.