Jonas Aidoo scores 24 to lead No. 5 Tennessee over No. 22 Mississippi 90 64

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee, led by Jonas Aidoo's impressive performance of 24 points and 10 rebounds, vanquished No. 22 Mississippi with a 90-64 win on Saturday night. The match marked the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Aidoo was ably supported by the contributions of Zakai Zeigler, with 17 points and 10 assists. Additional scoring support came from Santiago Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack, contributing 11 and 10 points respectively as the Volunteers (11-3, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) enjoyed their seventh consecutive victory.

Previously, Aidoo's impact was minimized during the game against Norfolk State due to a calf injury, restricting him to 11 minutes of gameplay; however, this did not hinder his performance against Mississippi.

For Mississippi (13-1, 0-1), Jaemyn Brakefield clinched 22 points while their season-long winning streak was broken. Jaylen Murray scored an additional 11 points for the Rebels. Aidoo's first-half performance of 12 points helped the Vols secure a 40-31 halftime lead.

Mississippi needs to bounce back after this defeat, which broke their 13-game winning streak. Their average of over 77 points per game is the best they've accomplished in the past seven years. However, they found Tennessee’s stringent defense tough to crack.

Consistency has been coach Rick Barnes's primary focus for Tennessee this season. Given the team's experienced core, they may find maintaining a stable performance throughout the season easier than in previous years.

The upcoming schedule includes Mississippi hosting Florida in their SEC home opener on Wednesday, while Tennessee squares off against Mississippi State the same day.