Vols Win SEC Opener Over Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) – Kevin Punter scored 15 points, Josh Richardson added 11 and Tennessee beat Mississippi State 61-47 on Wednesday night.

First-year Volunteers coach Donnie Tyndall earned a win in his Southeastern Conference debut. Tennessee (9-4, 1-0 SEC) won using a suffocating defense, forcing Mississippi State (7-7, 0-1) into just 30.6 percent shooting (11 of 36) from the field.

Tennessee wasn’t great on offense either – going more than 12 minutes at one point during the first half without a field goal – but used a 22-5 run early in the second half to put the game away. The Volunteers never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 18.

Mississippi State has lost seven of nine games dating back to Nov. 29. The Bulldogs shot just 24 of 44 (54.5 percent) on free throws.

Gavin Ware led Mississippi State with 12 points.

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