KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – An electrifying, 29-point performance from junior guard Victor Bailey Jr. and three other double-figure outputs pushed the 19th-ranked Tennessee basketball team past South Carolina, 93-73, on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Bailey finished the night 9-of-16 from the field and 7-of-10 from 3-point range. His seven treys tied for the most by a Volunteer during the Rick Barnes era. Lamonte Turner (2016-20) also drained seven from long range against Presbyterian on Dec. 16, 2016.
Bailey also tallied a career-high-tying four assists with no turnovers, one block and a steal as the Vols improved to 15-5, 8-5 SEC.
South Carolina (5-10, 3-8 SEC) was led in scoring by AJ Lawson, who finished the night with 20 points.
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson was all over the stat sheet Wednesday, totaling a season-high 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Freshman Jaden Springer put together another consistent performance, scoring 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Springer also logged five assists and three rebounds.
Senior Yves Pons was the fourth Vol to score in double-figures, totaling 10 points, a game-high nine rebounds, a pair of steals and a block.
Coming off the bench for the first time in his career, sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists in 29 minutes of action.
The first half was defined by efficient shooting from both teams, as the combined field-goal percentage at the half was 49 percent (31-63). The teams also combined to shoot was 54 percent (13-24) from 3-point range over the first 20 minutes.
Despite the even shooting numbers, Tennessee used its ability to get to the line on a regular basis to take a 50-39 lead into the halftime break.
Out of the locker room, the Vols maintained their 11-point advantage for a majority of the opening 10 minutes of the second half while continuing to convert from the field at an efficient clip of 54 percent.
In the latter portions of the night, the Vols led by double digits and used a 12-0 run to extend their advantage to as many as 22 points.
Up Next: Tennessee returns to action for a Saturday afternoon home matchup with Kentucky. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
-UT Athletics
