Tennessee 68-56 Mississippi State (January 21, 2025) Game Summary

On By Littum

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — — Chaz Lanier scored 23 points to lead No. 6 in Tennessee for a 68-56 victory over No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday night.

The Volunteers (17-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) remained perfect in 11 games at home this season, returning from Saturday’s loss of 76-75 at in-state rival Vanderbilt, which was later fined $250,000 for allowing fans to storm the court. Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey each scored 10 points, and Felix Okpara had 12 rebounds and nine points.

The Bulldogs (15-4, 3-3) fell to 1/3 in their last four games, all against ranked teams. Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with 14 points, Riley Kugel had 12 and RJ Melendez added 10.

Lanier had 14 points at halftime as Tennessee led 34-16. Mississippi State shot 22.2% (6 of 27) in the first half.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: Kugel has been a key contributor off the bench during this tough stretch of games for the Bulldogs, including a 21-point performance in Saturday’s win over then-No. 21 Mississippi.

Tennessee: Four years ago, Zakai Zeigler was a recruiting afterthought. Now a senior, he has amassed more than 600 assists and 200 steals.

Key moment

Midway through the second half, Tennessee was struggling and only led by seven. With the shot clock winding down, Okpara threw up a desperation 3-pointer and was perfect. It was the big man’s first 3-point attempt of the season.

Key state

Mississippi State hit one of its first 13 shots as Tennessee jumped out to a 15-4 lead.

Next

Mississippi State hosts South Carolina on Saturday.

Tennessee visits top-ranked Auburn on Saturday.

——

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and