Missed opportunity at Ole Miss, 60-58

Saturday at Tad Smith Coliseum, the two struggling teams - each had won only once since Jan. 20 - struggled through 39 minutes of basketball, neither able to put the other away.

But somebody had to enjoy a reprieve from the steady run of hard knocks, brief though it may be.

It worked in Ole Miss' favor that the onus fell on Tennessee to execute a game-winning play.

True to form, the Vols' best-laid plans went awry. They ended up with Dane Bradshaw missing a 3-pointer with about 4 seconds to play and Ole Miss escaped with a 60-58 win.

After a seventh loss in eight games, the Vols are 11-14, 4-8 in the SEC. Those numbers would be considerably different if UT wasn't 2-6 in games decided by five or fewer points.

"It seems like the whole season has been like that,'' said UT senior Brandon Crump. "We're close but we can't knock it down the last five minutes of the game.''

The Rebels, who had lost seven of their previous eight games, improved to 13-13, 4-9 SEC.

"We've had some tough games but I've liked our team's character,'' said Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes.

"They showed that character today.''

Tennessee showed a lack of killer instinct.

The Vols led by 12 late in the first half and by 31-23 at the break, only to let the Rebels rally to take the lead with 15:57 to play.

"We were feeling pretty good,'' said UT's Chris Lofton, "but coach told us they would come after us hard the first four minutes of the second half and that's exactly what happened.''

Still, despite a season-high 22 turnovers overwhelming eight assists, the Vols had a shot.

Lofton's corner 3-pointer put UT up 58-57 with 1:01 to play, overturning a five-point Ole Miss lead.

At the other end, Tennessee played good defense deep into the possession, but Crump was called for pushing Ole Miss center Tommy Eddie with 32.7 seconds left.

Eddie, who finished with 21 points and scored 11 of the Rebels' final 15 points, made both foul shots.

Trailing 59-58, Tennessee designed its final play during a double time-out with 14.3 seconds left.

The plan was to get C.J. Watson driving toward the basket and either try to score or kick the ball to Lofton in the corner.

What happened, though, was a low-percentage scenario - Bradshaw shooting a 3-pointer.

Bradshaw was 1-of-10 from 3-point range entering the game, although he made his second trey in the first half.

UT coach Buzz Peterson said the play fell apart when Lofton left the corner and brought his defender toward the key, blocking Watson's path.

Watson handed off to Lofton, who then dribbled to his right but couldn't get an open look and passed to Bradshaw.

"I think Dane was more surprised than anything else,'' Peterson said.

Bradshaw's shot was long, Ole Miss rebounded and the Vols fouled Cavadas Nunnery with 1.1 seconds left. Nunnery made the first free throw, missed the second, but the horn sounded as Bradshaw collected the rebound.

Lofton topped UT with 17 points. He attempted a season-high 15 shots, virtually carrying the sluggish Vols on his back through portions of the second half.

Watson added 16 points. Crump, still feeling the effects of his sprained ankle, had eight points on 4-of-9 shooting in 28 minutes.

Andre Patterson added seven points and 12 rebounds.

The Vols' leading scorer, Scooter McFadgon at 14.1 points a game, stayed home to get treatment on his bruised knee. Peterson hopes McFadgon will be available for Wednesday's visit from South Carolina.

Eddie was the man for Ole Miss, going 8-of-13. Listed at 6-foot-7, 245, he used his strength to muscle UT defenders out of position in the low block.

"He was more aggressive than our big men,'' said Peterson.

It wouldn't have mattered if Tennessee has sustained its momentum after taking a 31-19 lead.

The Vols finished the first half with two turnovers and then opened the second half missing three virtually point-blank shots in the paint.

The grateful Rebels mounted a 15-2 run.

"We had so many easy scoring opportunities,'' said a frustrated Peterson.

But in the final seconds, as the Vols well know, there's no such thing as an easy scoring opportunity.

Notebook: Jerry West of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies watched the first half, then left. UT assistant coach Chris Ferguson was on the road recruiting. UT athletic director Mike Hamilton made a quick visit to the locker room after the game. Crump said he sprained his other ankle during a loose-ball scramble.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.