KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee jumped out to an early lead and never trailed, as the Volunteers posted a 70-58 win over Kansas State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 14,398 fans at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Wildcats (15-6, 4-4 Big 12) were hampered by a poor first half for the second straight game, scoring a season-low 22 points on 36.4 percent shooting (8-of-22), including missing all 6 of their 3-point field goals. In contrast, the Volunteers (12-9, 4-4 SEC) used a 22-12 rebounding edge to connect on 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the field.
K-State closed the gap to 57-48 on a jumper by sophomore Barry Brown with 9:06 remaining, but Tennessee responded by scoring 7 of the next 9 points to push back in front 64-50 with 5:05 to play and were never threatened the rest of the way. The Volunteers dominated on the glass, holding a 43-29 rebounding advantage and scoring an opponent-high 23 second-chance points off of 16 offensive rebounds.
The 58 points were a season-low for the Wildcats, as they converted on just 39.6 percent (19-of-48) of its field goals, including 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point range. The Vols scored nearly half of their 70 points in the paint (34) to go with their 23 second-chance points, while connecting on 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field, including 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from long range.
Brown was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures, as he tallied 15 of his game-tying 17 points in the second half, to go with a team-best 4 assists and 2 steals. He has now scored in double figures in a team-high 17 games. Senior Wesley Iwundu scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while sophomore Kamau Stokes added 11 points and 3 assists. Stokes rattled off double-digit scoring for the 11th consecutive games.
Freshman Grant Williams led the way for Tennessee with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while freshman Jordan Bowden and senior Robert Hubbs III chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Basics
- Final Score: Tennessee 70, Kansas State 58
- Records: Kansas State 15-6, 4-4 Big 12 // Tennessee 12-9, 4-4 SEC
- Attendance: 14,398
- Next Game: Wednesday, February 1 // vs. TCU // 6:30 p.m. CT // ESPNews
The Short Story
- Tennessee used a strong first-half performance to lead the way from start to finish in a 70-58 victory over K-State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday before 14,398 fans at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Volunteers, which defeated the Wildcats for the second time in Challenge history, dominated the glass, 43-29, and used 16 offensive rebounds to score 23 second-chance points.
- Tennessee scored 39 of its 70 points in the first half on 53.6 percent (15-of-28) shooting, totaling 13 second-chance points off 9 offensive rebounds and 13 points off 7 K-State turnovers.
- Trailing by 19 less than two minutes into the second half, the Wildcats were able to close to within 57-48 on a layup by sophomore Barry Brown with 9:06 remaining. However, the Vols scored 9 of the next 11 points to push the game out of reach at 66-50 with 4:07 to play.
- K-State scored a season-low 58 points on 39.6 percent shooting (19-of-48), including just 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point range. Forwards D.J. Johnson (4) and Dean Wade (3) combined for just 7 points.
- Brown led three Wildcats in double figures by scoring 15 of his game-tying 17 points in the second half, while senior Wesley Iwundu (14) and sophomore Kamau Stokes (11) also had double digits.
- Freshman Grant Williams led three Vols in double figures with a game-tying 17 points
- TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics