KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Led by a double-double performances from Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden, No. 17 Tennessee claimed to a 58-46 victory over Chattanooga Monday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.
With the win over the Mocs (3-3), the Vols (5-0) extended its nation-leading home winning streak to 30 games, which is three more wins than the next closest team in the country.
The double-double was the first for Turner in his collegiate career. He finished the night with a game-high 12 assists to go along with game-high 17 points. It is the first double-double for any Tennessee player this season, accomplishing the feat at the 17:13 mark of the second half.
Less than 10 minutes later, Bowden recorded his first collegiate double-double with his 10th rebound at the 8:07 mark in the second half. He finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
It is the second time in the Rick Barnes‘ era than two players recorded a double-double in the same game.
For the second consecutive game, Josiah-Jordan James pulled down double-digit rebounds. He claimed 11 rebounds including a game-high four on the offensive glass.
Despite the career performances from the Vols backcourt trio, Chattanooga kept the game within three buckets until midway through the second half.
Tennessee held the Mocs without a point for a stretch of 4:28 to extend its lead to 16 points with 5:33 remaining in the game. It was the largest advantage of the game. From then on UT led by double digits.
With the Vols holding a narrow 8-6 advantage at the 13:53 mark of the first half, they clamped down defensively. Over the next 5:28 of the game, the Mocs were held scoreless as it helped Tennessee build its lead up to 10 points.
Bowden helped pace Tennessee, scoring the team’s first five points of the game. He was 5-of-8 from the field including a pair of blocks and assists.
His backcourt mate, Turner, dished out eight assists in the first half to go along with six points. It was the second time this season Turner had eight or more assists in a half. He also had eight assists in the second half of the Murray State game en route to a career-high 14 assists.
A whopping 91.67 percent of the Vols field goals came via an assist in the first half (11 of 12 field goals).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE VISION: A game after crossing the 1000-point barrier together, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden both notched their first career double-double in the win over Chattanooga.
Turner’s 17-point and 12-assist performance marks the 24th time in program history a player has had double-figures in points and assists.
All 12 of Bowden’s rebounds came on the defensive glass.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE: With the victory, Tennessee extended its home winning streak to 30 games, the longest streak currently in Division I. It marks the third time in program history the Vols have had a winning streak of 30-plus games.
The 37-game win streak (2006-09) and a 33-game win streak (1966-68) stand as the only longer winning streaks in program history.
WINNING WAYS: Head Coach Rick Barnes is now just five wins away from becoming the 22nd coach in NCAA history to reach 700 wins in his career.
Under Coach Barnes five years on Rocky Top, the Vols now hold a 53-14 record as a ranked team.
MOVING ON UP: Turner’s 12 assists brings his career total to 315, tying Brandon Wharton (1995-99) for the 14th most assists in program history. The most recent Vol to crack the top 15 was Jordan Bone. Bone finished with 405 total assists.
Turner’s 9.2 assist per game average this season has him on track to pass Bone and to land in the top five in Tennessee history.
UP NEXT: Tennessee travels to Niceville, Florida, for the Emerald Coast Classic. The Vols are set to face Florida State in the opening game on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network.
BOX SCORE | PHOTOS | QUOTES | FULKERSON POSTGAME INTERVIEW
-UT Athletics
