KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Offensive struggles troubled Tennessee, as Wisconsin’s hot shooting led the Badgers to a 68-48 win Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Juniors John Fulkerson and Jalen Johnson led the Vols with nine points apiece. Johnson’s nine points set a career-high, while his six rebounds tied his career-best. Making his first start, freshman wing Davonte Gaines scored six points and grabbed four rebounds.
Wisconsin, fueled by a combined 38 points from D’Mitrik Trice (21) and Brevin Pritzl (17), made 11 3-pointers Saturday, including seven in the first half.
After taking a 14-point lead into halftime, Wisconsin (7-5) began the second half on a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 23. The Badgers held Tennessee (8-4) scoreless for the first 6:24 of the second period.
The Badgers led by as many as 28 points, while the Vols did not get closer than 17 for the remainder of the game.
Wisconsin took a 14-point halftime lead at 38-24, its largest lead of the game at that point. The Badgers got off to a hot start offensively, building a 15-4 lead after making six of their first eight field goals. After Wisconsin’s initial surge, Tennessee cut the lead to six points on two occasions but never drew any closer.
During the first half, Wisconsin made seven of 12 three-pointers. Pritzl led UW with 12 points, powered by three made threes.
Fulkerson had six first-half points, while Yves Pons and Jordan Bowden each had five in the opening frame for Tennessee.
YVES’ STREAK CONTINUES: Yves Pons has now blocked at least one shot in 12 consecutive games, marking the longest such streak by a Vol since Wayne Chism authored a 14-game streak in 2009-10.
SOLD OUT TBA: Saturday’s attendance was 21,678, marking the second sellout of the season at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Saturday’s crowd brought Tennessee’s average home attendance this season to 18,987, which ranks third in the nation.
UP NEXT: After a seven-day break between games, Tennessee begins SEC play against LSU next Saturday, Jan. 4 at noon ET inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
-UT Athletics
