No. 5 Tennessee beats Mississippi State 81-55
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Glory Johnson scored a career-high 22 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out seven assists as No. 5 Tennessee overcame first-half struggles to beat Mississippi State 81-55 on Thursday night.
The Lady Bulldogs have never beaten the Lady Volunteers (20-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) in 32 tries but held a 37-35 lead at halftime after shooting 46.9 percent from the field, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range. They entered the game averaging just 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc.
Meighan Simmons hit a 3 just 10 seconds after halftime for Tennessee, which pulled away after scoring 18 unanswered points to open the second half.
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Taber Spani scored 18 points, Simmons added 12 and Kamiko Williams 10. Shekinna Stricklen had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Diamber Johnson led the Lady Bulldogs (8-11, 0-7) with 19 points.