Wayne Chism took a deep breath and announced to everyone gathered
around him during his post-game interview: "I'm tired.''
It was no surprise.
Chism played 41 minutes and scored 26 points, including six
consecutive free throws in overtime, to bail No. 9 Tennessee out
for a second time in three days as the Volunteers beat No. 21
Mississippi 71-69 on Saturday.
"I had to fight through it because I knew I was going to have
to play a lot of minutes because that was a tough team out there,''
Chism said.
Tennessee (14-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) had hit only 60
percent of its free throws before DeAundre Cranston's fifth foul
sent Chism to the line with 49 seconds left and the game tied at
65.
It was Chism's defensive efforts that helped the Vols
overcome a slow start in an 81-55 win over Auburn on Thursday. He
was perfect on all 10 of his free throw attempts against Ole Miss
and had his 14th career double-double grabbing 12 rebounds.
"Wayne Chism was the best player on the floor,'' Tennessee
coach Bruce Pearl said. "Anything we could do to try to get the
ball in his hands we tried to do.''
Chris Warren, who helped Mississippi (13-4, 1-2) control most
of regulation with his shooting, coughed up the ball twice in
overtime after Chism hit free throws - even though the Vols weren't
applying much pressure.
They weren't the only costly turnovers. The Rebels gave the
ball up 21 times in the game leading to 20 Tennessee points.
"We fed that by being inefficient,'' Ole Miss coach Andy
Kennedy said. "Not only do we turn it over, but we turn it over in
situations that led directly to points for them, and I thought that
was the turning point.''
Warren, who missed what would have been a game-winning
3-point shot just before time expired, led the Rebels with 19
points while Cranston grabbed 11 rebounds. Terrico White added 17
points.
Chism and the Vols have played a lot of minutes in their
four-game homestand. Only six scholarship players and three
walk-ons have been in the rotation since Pearl suspended four
players for their Jan. 1 arrest.
Pearl announced before the game that guards Melvin Goins and
Cameron Tatum will rejoin the practice Sunday. Pearl said he
decided to reinstate them after learning more details from the
legal investigation and Tennessee's student judicial affairs
process.
Pearl suspended the two along with forward Tyler Smith and
center Brian Williams after the four were arrested on misdemeanor
gun, drug and alcohol charges during a traffic stop in Knoxville.
Pearl said Williams will remain indefinitely suspended. Smith was
dismissed from the team Jan. 8.
The added depth should help. The Vols struggled against the
Rebels' half-court defense and failed to get the ball inside to
Chism. Their shooting didn't help as they made a measly 28.9
percent before halftime, but the Rebels weren't much better at 32.1
percent.
Every time Tennessee would cut Ole Miss' margin to one
possession, Warren and company would answer with a few big jump
shots to build their lead back up.
Tennessee's cause seemed lost when Warren hit a 3 that gave
the Rebels a 52-40 lead with 9:18 left. But Chism's consecutive
3-pointers followed by another from walk-on Josh Bone and gave
Tennessee a 55-54 lead with 5:23 left.
"(Chism's) perimeter game got a lot better, so it does make
him kind of hard to defend because you have to go out there while
he's open on the 3,'' Mississippi's Murphy Holloway said.
Mississippi is 0-3 against Top 25 teams this season with
losses to Villanova and West Virginia and have never beaten a Top
Ten team under Kennedy.
The Vols were wrapping up the homestand at a packed
Thompson-Boling Arena, where they have been dominant under Pearl.
Tennessee is 10-0 this season at home - including an upset of then
top-ranked Kansas a week ago - and has won 22 of its past 25
conference games here.
"We are tired,'' Pearl said. "We expended a great deal of
energy the last three games in seven days. This homestand is very,
very memorable. This homestand was about our program. I am proud.''
