Jewel Spear is no stranger to strong performances against Ole Miss.
In last season’s game in Oxford, Spear scored 30 points, but the Lady Vols lost close. This year was a similar performance form Spear but a different result.
“The only thing on my mind was just knowing that last year, we lost that game,” Spear said. “So this is kind of just a payback game.”
Lady Vols basketball took care of business on its home floor, defeating Ole Miss, 80-71. Spear scored 28 points for No. 15 Tennessee (19-6, 6-6 SEC) in the win.
With Ole Miss (17-8, 8-5) also contending for a top-16 spot that would come with home games in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday’s game carried a lot of weight. Tennessee couldn’t afford a loss, and it didn’t suffer one.
“Just knowing that we need to win every game in front of us,” Spear said. “So I was just putting my focus toward that and then letting the game come toward me.”
Staying focused
Ole Miss plays a physical brand of basketball, and that carried forward to Sunday’s contest. It combined with the Lady Vols to commit 37 fouls and three intentional fouls, some of which caused lengthy reviews.
Spear was able to stay focused on the goal, helping Tennessee’s cause with a strong performance. When it came time to put the ball in the basket, she could do it.
“We knew it was going to be a physical game, and both teams are very gritty and very passionate and wanted to win this game, so that was that,” Spear said. “But just keeping everybody level-headed and doing whatever it takes to win this game.”
In the fourth quarter, players started jawing off against each other after a loose-ball foul. Spear kept her composure in the incident, trying to stop Zee Spearman from picking up a technical foul.
It didn’t work, but Spear still showed her poise in that situation. It contributes ot what makes her so hard to face on the floor.
“What I like about Jewel is she’s just a high-character person,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “Even in the scuffles and stuff, she was just completely under control the whole time, just mature.”
A strong defensive performance
Spear’s impact didn’t just come from scoring. It came on the defensive end as she was part of a unit that held Ole Miss to 36% shooting from the field.
That aspect of Spear’s game didn’t go unnoticed by Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell. Whether it was on offense, defense or in the middle of an altercation, the fifth-year senior kept her cool.
“I will always love and appreciate a player that can be level-headed and steady,” Caldwell said. “It helps calm everyone around them. When you’re a leader on the floor and you can just talk to people calmly no matter what, whether you’re up 10, down 10, that’s a breath of fresh air for a coach.”
Tennessee turned the ball over 20 times, but it only allowed four Ole Miss points off those turnovers. Part of that was due to Ole Miss going slow, but it was also a change Tennessee made after losing the transition battle to LSU.
Against the Tigers in Baton Rouge, the Lady Vols committed 19 turnovers, which led to 24 LSU points. In Sunday’s win, Tennessee reacted better to its mistakes, and Spear’s presence was part of why that happened.
“It’s something we talked about,” Caldwell said. “You can turn the ball over 200 times. Just don’t get scored on.”
