OXFORD, Miss. (Interstat) — The Mississippi women’s basketball team used a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from Tennessee for a 94-81 victory on Tuesday night at The Pavilion.

The Rebels, improving to 21-6, outscored the Lady Volunteers 31-20 in the pivotal third period to break open a game that was tied at halftime. Mississippi led 44-33 at intermission after Tennessee rallied from a first-quarter deficit.

The loss drops Tennessee to 16-8. The Lady Volunteers mounted a fourth-quarter charge, scoring 28 points, but could not overcome Mississippi’s lead.

An announced crowd of 3,335 watched the Southeastern Conference matchup. Mississippi’s next game is Thursday against LSU, while Tennessee hosts Texas A&M.