OXFORD — Terence Davis scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds as the Ole Miss men’s basketball team closed with a 12-2 run in the final three minutes Tuesday night to defeat Tennessee 80-69.
Sebastian Saiz added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Ole Miss (11-7, 2-4 Southeastern Conference), while Breein Tyree and Justas Furmanavicius had 15. Ole Miss held Tennessee without a field goal in the final 4 minutes 13 seconds to set up the late surge.
“We really needed it. We were desperate for a win,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “Our roster is really limited by injuries, but we played with energy, and I’m pleased with how we closed this game.”
Ole Miss guard Rasheed Brooks collapsed from a seizure during a timeout with 17:21 remaining. School officials said he was listed as stable at the Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford.
“It’s my understanding he is stable, conscious, but he does not remember anything and he is still going through tests,” Kennedy said after the game. “It was a frightening moment for all of us, and our prayers are with him. I turned my back and felt him fall against me, but I thought it was cramps. We were emotionally devastated to see Rasheed suffering, and it was hard for our players to go back out there.”
Robert Hubbs III and Lamonte Turner with 15 points for Tennessee (9-9, 2-4). Jordan Bowden added 14 points as the Volunteers finished 25 of 71 (35 percent) from the field. They missed their last 10 shots from the field.
“When they punched back in the second half, we didn’t punch,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “They played harder. They played with passion. No ifs, ands or buts about it, this was a total Tennessee team loss.”
Ole Miss was 26 of 54 (48 percent) from the field, despite shooting 1 of 14 from 3-point range. The Rebels out rebounded the Volunteers 50-42.
Saiz leads the SEC with 12 double-doubles, ranking him sixth nationally. Saiz is one of only six players in school history with at least 1,000 points and 800 rebounds.
Tennessee, which has lost four of its last five games, led 52-39 lead with 15 minutes remaining. It forced 17 turnovers and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, but faded in the final 15 minutes.
“I never really felt like we were in control with 15 minutes left,” Barnes said. “But they took it to another level.”
The Rebels played without leading scorer Deandre Burnett, who is sidelined by an ankle injury. Ole Miss has three of the next four games at home, including a critical non-conference game against No. 6 Baylor.
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