No. 6 Tennessee moved back into the win column on Tuesday night with a strong top 15 win.
The Vols jumped out to a big lead over No. 14 Mississippi State and held the Bulldogs at arm’s length en route to the 68-56 win.
The big story of the night was the Vols’ defense. Tennessee was suffocating for the Mississippi State offense as the Bulldogs tallied just 16 points at halftime. While State found its groove with 15 points in the first five minutes of the second half to close the 18-point gap, Tennessee was able to weather the storm and keep the lead.
One way Tennessee was able to hold off the Bulldogs was because of Chaz Lanier’s shooting performance. Lanier went 5-of-12 from the three-point line with a game-high 23 points on the night. Tennessee’s Jordan Gainey and Jahmai Mashack both added 10 points of their own. Felix Okpara also put together a nice showing with 12 rebounds and nine points including his second career three-pointer.
After the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans both met with the media. Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier and Felix Okpara also spoke during postgame for a few minutes as well.
More from RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Coasts Past Mississippi State For Ranked Win
Check out all three postgame interviews below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Mississippi State HC Chris Jans
Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier and Felix Okpara
