A 17-2 run to end the first half kickstarted a blowout as No. 13 Tennessee defeated Presbyterian 86-44 on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
Four Tennessee players finished in double figures on offense as Kennedy Chandler and Justin Powell led all scorers with 15 points each.
Chandler led the Volunteers (5-1) with seven assists in the blowout victory, which Tennessee dominated from the 3-point arc.
Tennessee shot 54.9 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from beyond the arc (14 of 27). Powell shot 5 of 5 from long distance while teammate Victor Bailey Jr. was 4 of 8 from 3-point range to account for most of his 14 points. Santiago Vescovi added 13 points.
Winston Hill and Kobe Stewart each had nine points for Presbyterian (5-3), and Hill grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Stewart was 3 of 4 on 3-point attempts.
Brandon Younger also had eight points for the Blue Hose, making both of his long-range shots.
Presbyterian came out of the gates fast, taking a 10-8 lead at the 14:22 mark of the first half. From that point, it was all Tennessee, which went on two runs of 15-0 or more in the half en route to a 45-21 lead heading into the break.
The key for the Volunteers was turnovers; they scored 20 points off 12 Blue Hose giveaways in the half.
Tennessee’s home-court domination continued in the second half as the Vols outscored Presbyterian 41-23 and held the Blue Hose to 39.1 percent shooting.
Presbyterian made just two of its last 10 field-goal attempts in the game in its worst loss of the season.
The Volunteers, despite being outrebounded 30-28, won thanks to interior scoring, playing up-tempo and taking care of the basketball.
Tennessee scored 33 points off 25 Blue Hose turnovers while turning the ball over just eight times. The Volunteers outscored Presbyterian 38-14 in the paint and 18-4 on fast-break points.
–Field Level Media
