No. 18 Tennessee runs all over USC Upstate
No. 18 Tennessee 96, USC Upstate 52: Olivier Nkamhoua scored 21 points to lead No. 18 Tennessee to a 96-52 victory over South Carolina Upstate on Tuesday night.
The Volunteers (8-2) scored the first 13 points of the game and weren’t challenged the rest of the way.
Nkamhoua, a 6-foot-8 junior who also had eight rebounds, is working to establish himself as an inside threat within Tennessee’s deep lineup. And he rose to the occasion.
“That’s the most points (49) that our frontline scored all year,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Olivier was really good. In practice, we worked with him and what he needed to do and he did it. We need the frontline to give us the balance.
Kennedy Chandler had 15 points and 10 assists to help the Vols, while Fulkerson contributed 12 points. Tennessee shot 56% from the field and 44% from the 3-point line.
South Carolina Upstate (2-8) was led by Nick Alves with 15 points.
No. 2 Duke 103, South Carolina State 62: AJ Griffin scored 19 points as host Duke cruised past South Carolina State.
In 21 minutes of play off the bench, Griffin connected on 7 of 8 shots and tallied four rebounds and four assists. He was one of six Blue Devils to score in double digits. Trevor Keels had 14 points, Joey Baker scored 13 points, and Paolo Banchero had in 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Wendell Moore Jr. scored 11 points and Mark Williams had 10 points and three blocks for Duke (8-1), which returned to the court after a two-week break for exams.
Edward Oliver-Hampton had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals to lead the Bulldogs (3-8).
No. 19 LSU 89, Northwestern 49: Tari Eason led a balanced attack with 18 points and host LSU beat Northwestern State, improving to 10-0 for the first time in 22 years.
Eason scored all but five of his 18 points in the second half, when LSU already had a big lead. Three Tigers starters also scored in double figures. Xavier
Pinson had 15 points and four assists, Efton Reid had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Darius Days had 13 points.
Kendal Coleman led the Demons with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cedric Garrett added 15 points for Northwestern State (2-9), which hasn’t beaten a Division I team this season.
Northwestern State held a 6-4 lead three minutes into the game before LSU’s defense took control. Over the next ten minutes, the Demons scored just five points, and the Tigers built a 26-11 lead with 7:32 remaining in the first half.
Pinson scored 10 points during LSU’s 22-5 run. It didn’t get better from there for Northwestern State, which scored only four more points before halftime as LSU led 41-15 at the break.