Tennessee delivered just what the doctor ordered to end their losing streak, dismantling the #11 Louisville Cardinals 83-62 inside the Food City Center. Ja’Kobi Gillespie led all scorers with 23 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds, going a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Nate Ament had 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Jaylen […]
Tennessee delivered just what the doctor ordered to end their losing streak, dismantling the #11 Louisville Cardinals 83-62 inside the Food City Center.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie led all scorers with 23 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds, going a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Nate Ament had 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Jaylen Carey had a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Tennessee came into the game on a three-game slide, with losses to Kansas, Syracuse, and Illinois, all away from home. The Kansas and Illinois losses were to ranked opponents, but the loss to the Cuse was an ugly one. Tennessee’s defense in their most recent loss failed them in the second half against Illinois, with the Illini scoring 43 in the second half to win going away.
That wasn’t a problem on Tuesday night against the Cards. Tennessee dominated the game physically, winning 50-50 balls and setting the tone on both ends of the floor throughout the contest. The Vols finished with a 35-30 edge on the glass, 19-8 edge in assists, and 5-1 advantage on blocks.
Tennessee jumped to a 17-9 lead, thanks to baskets in the paint by Carey and Bishop Boswell. The Vols held a comfortable margin for most of the first half, with their biggest lead stretching out to 10 points. The Cardinals kept it just inside single digits for most of the half and cut it to five when Ryan Conwell splashed home a three pointer. An Ethan Burg layup gave the Vols a 34-27 lead at the break.
Tennessee kept the second half margin around the same distance for the first five minutes of the second half, but the big shots from outside the arc finally put the dagger in the Cardinals at that point. Gillespie knocked down a long three to match the Vols’ biggest lead at 11 points, and thirty seconds later, Ament dropped another triple to give the Vols a 50-38 lead. On the Vols’ next trip down, Burg splashed home another triple and celebrated emphatically as the Cardinals called a timeout amid a raucous Tennessee crowd. That series pretty well squelched the Cardinals’ hopes for the evening. Tennessee eventually built up their biggest lead at 75-51 on a Felix Okpara midrange jumper with around four minutes left.
Up next for Tennessee is Gardner-Webb on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET at home.
Category: General Sports
