Vols get record win over Bulldogs
Tennessee’s 24th consecutive win inside Thompson-Boling Arena was an absolute breeze.
The No. 8 Volunteers scored the first 16 points Tuesday night against Mississippi State and routed the Bulldogs 87-53. Santiago Vescovi’s 14 points led five Tennessee players in double figures, and the Vols shot 36-of-52 from the floor (69.2%) and 12-of-21 from 3-point range (57.1%) in notching their most lopsided triumph in a series dating back to 1924.
Julian Phillips and Zakai Zeigler scored 11 points apiece for the Vols, who improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play, while Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic each added 10. Nkamhoua and Plavsic were both 5-for-5 from the floor, while Zeigler added 10 assists.
“We played as well as I think we’ve played over the last couple of years,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes told the Vol Network. “We shot the ball well, and we all know when you’re making shots it makes everything else go a little smoother. Defensively, we were locked in. We obviously played extremely well.”
Tyler Stevenson’s 15 points led Mississippi State, which dropped to 11-3 overall and 0-2 within the league.
Tyreke Key connected on the first 3-pointer to give the Vols a 5-0 lead a minute into the game, and Vescovi quickly erupted to make his first three attempts from long range. The third of those 3-pointers made it 16-0 at the 15:33 mark of the first half.
A Phillips 3-pointer gave Tennessee its first 20-point advantage at 30-10 with 6:50 before halftime, and Zeigler provided the Vols their biggest first-half lead at 46-17 with 1:26 left.
“We beat a really good team tonight,” Barnes said. “They’ve been in the top 25.”
Vols senior forward Josiah-Jordan James played for the first time since Dec. 7, amassing eight points and four rebounds in seven minutes.