Tennessee Athletics
Nashville, TN – A career night by Grant Williams lifted the 24th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to a 92-84 victory over in-state rival Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Williams finished with a career-high 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists. Admiral Schofield posted his second straight 20-point performance, tying his career-high with 22 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds.
UT’s 92 points in Memorial Gym was the most ever scored by a Tennessee squad, assisted by 40 points in the paint to match Vanderbilt’s hot shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite a 10-point deficit at the half, the Volunteers (11-4, 2-2 SEC) opened the second half by hitting 8-of-10 shots from the field and using a 10-0 run to give UT a 57-56 lead with 12:39 remaining.
After that, it was all Tennessee, as the Vols outscored the Commodores 57-39 in the second half to earn the road win. UT shot 57 percent (30-of-53) from the field to fuel its second double-digit comeback win away from home this season (other vs. Purdue).
The Dores were paced by freshman guard Saben Lee, who posted 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 32 minutes of action.
Vanderbilt (6-10, 1-3 SEC) had the hot hand early on, converting on seven consecutive field goals after starting 1-for-6 from the floor. However, the Vols’ aggressive play getting to the basket evened things out to make it 18-18 at 11:19 in the first half.
Williams dominated the paint during the first period, dropping 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with three rebounds and a block. Schofield chipped in nine points and five boards of his own to help UT shoot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the floor.
Despite a strong start by Tennessee, Vanderbilt struggled to miss throughout the entire frame, connecting on 59 percent (17-of-29) of its shots from the field. The Commodores knocked down eight threes, including one at the buzzer to make it a 45-35 game at intermission.
Have a Night, Mr. Williams
Grant Williams put on a show at Memorial Gym, posting a career-high 37 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. It was his third career 30-point performance as a Vol.
Next Up for Tennessee Men’s Basketball
The Vols return home for an important matchup against Texas A&M at 5:00pm CT on Saturday. UT then heads to Missouri for a 8:00pm CT tip against the Tigers and former Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin.
