NEW YORK — A 24-13 run during the final nine minutes of play Wednesday lifted No. 5 Tennessee to a hard-fought 92-81 victory over Louisville in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center.
The Volunteers (4-0) now face second-ranked and unbeaten Kansas in the championship game Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Grant Williams finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. It marked the first time in the junior’s career that he’s scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games.
Five Vols reached double-digit scoring in the game. Admiral Schofield recorded 20 points and six rebounds, including 11 points in the second half to fuel the Vols’ offense. Lamonte Turner made his season debut and chipped in 13 points.
Williams and Schofield both reached a significant milestone in the first half, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for their collegiate careers. They became the 49th and 50th players, respectively, to achieve the feat at Tennessee.
Jordan Bone and John Fulkerson both added 11 points each. Bone tallied six assists, a block and a steal in the outing, while Fulkerson was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field off the bench for UT.
After a 3-pointer by Louisville (3-1) tied the game at 68-68 at the 9:30 mark, the Vols rattled off a 17-2 run to take a commanding 85-70 lead with 5:12 left in the game. The 15-point lead was Tennessee’s largest in the game and proved to be insurmountable.
UT shot 54 percent (34-of-63) from the floor during the game and dropped 44 points in paint compared to 28 by Louisville. The Big Orange stepped up on defense during crunch time and was able to convert 14 turnovers into 23 points. The Vols also recorded eight blocks and five steals.
Tennessee had the hot hand to start the game, going 9-of-10 from the field over the first eight minutes. Louisville stayed in the game, though, knocking down four 3-pointers to keep it a 20-16 UT lead at the 12-minute mark.
Both teams sustained their strong shooting the entire first half. The Vols shot an impressive 56 percent (18-of-32) from the field, while the Cardinals knocked down 45 percent (14-of-31) of their attempts. Seven 3-pointers fueled UL’s offense, but Williams dropped 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to give Tennessee a 45-40 lead at the intermission.
WILLIAMS, SCHOFIELD ECLIPSE 1,000-POINT MARK: Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield both reached a major milestone in the first half of Wednesday’s game, scoring the 1,000th point for their careers. Williams took a pass in the paint and made a layup at achieve the feat, while Schofield knocked down a pair of threes to surpass the mark. Williams was the 49th Tennessee player to reach the milestone, and Schofield became the 50th.
VOLS VS. ACC: With the victory over Louisville, Tennessee has now won five of its last six games against ACC teams. The Big Orange already had one victory against the conference this season, defeating Georgia Tech at home, 66-53, on Nov. 13. UT hosts Wake Forest on Dec. 22 as its third and final game against an ACC opponent during the regular season.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is off for Thanksgiving before returning to the Barclays Center to face second-ranked and unbeaten Kansas in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game Friday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
-UT Athletics
