#1 Vols Cruise to 84-36 Win over Western Carolina

Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | December 17, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team recorded a dominant defensive performance in an 84-36 victory Tuesday night against Western Carolina at Food City Center.

Playing a home game as the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since Feb. 13, 2019, top-ranked Tennessee (11-0) led by 40-plus for the final 6:22 and got a game/team-high 19 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler finished an assist shy of a triple-double.

Western Carolina (3-7) scored the first six points en route to a 9-3 edge through three-and-a-half minutes, but the Volunteers quickly took a lead they never gave back. A 15-0 burst in just 3:44, featuring three straight 3-pointers in 57 seconds, put Tennessee ahead by nine, 18-9, with 12:42 on the first-half timer. The surge came during a stretch in which the home team did not allow a point for 4:23.

The Volunteers pushed their margin higher and higher as the half continued. They held the Catamounts without a point for the final 7:56 of the half, as they missed 14 straight field-goal attempts and committed five turnovers. Meanwhile, Tennessee logged a 16-0 run in 6:23, extending their lead to 38-15 with 1:23 to go in the frame, with the score holding steady entering the intermission.

After allowing their opponents a 3-of-6 start from the floor, the Volunteers held Western Carolina to 2-of-31 shooting the rest of the session, as the visitors went into the locker room with a 5-of-37 (13.5 percent) clip, including a 5-of-28 (17.9 percent) mark from deep, as it went 0-of-9 inside the arc.

The Volunteers scored the first three points after the break to make it a 19-0 run, plus forced misses on the Catamounts’ first two field-goal attempts to up the tally to 16 in a row. They snapped the skid with 17:40 remaining after 10:16 without a point.

Tennessee scored eight straight points in just 85 seconds to go ahead by 32, 49-17, with 15:52 to play. The lead never dipped below 30 in the final 15:57, reached 40 with 6:22 left and extended to 45 with 5:04 to play. It reached a game-best 48, 82-34, with 1:49 remaining after a 7-0 spurt in 1:27 and stayed at 48 at the final horn.

For the Volunteers, it marked their seventh-largest margin of victory of the last 50 seasons (1975-2025), including their third-largest in the last 15 seasons (2010-25). Their 36 points allowed tied their second-fewest over that same 50-year span, behind only the 35 conceded 20 days ago.

Lanier, who shot 3-of-7 from 3-point range, added four assists and four steals to his game-best point total. Both marks set or tied season highs and put him one shy of his career best.

Senior guard Jordan Gainey posted 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding a career-high-tying five steals and a co-career-best two blocks. Fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar notched a season-high 13 points on a 5-of-8 field-goal clip, while junior forward Felix Okpara had nine points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Jahami Mashack, who was plus-45 in his 30 minutes of action, posted a career-best five steals, giving Tennessee a trio of players with at least four for the first time since Nov. 27, 2007.

Zeigler turned in a dazzling all-around performance, logging 10 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and nine assists, the latter two marks both game bests. The Long Island, N.Y., native pulled down all 10 of his boards in the first half after previously eclipsing six in a full game just once, en route to his 10th-career double-double and second in the last three games.

Senior forward Bernard Pelote scored a team-high 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting for the Catamounts. No other player on the team eclipsed eight points in the setback.

Tennessee held Western Carolina to 21.9 percent (14-of-64) shooting, including a 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) ledger through 38-plus minutes. It marked the lowest field-goal percentage allowed by the Volunteers since Nov. 6, 2018, and the lowest total versus a Division I opponent in at least the last 20 seasons (2005-25).

The Catamounts tallied a 15.4 percent (6-of-39) ledger from long range and added just two points from the free-throw line, where they shot 50.0 percent (2-of-4).

The Volunteers, who committed only eight fouls, did not allow a single point off turnovers or on the fast break, amassing 32-0 and 22-0 margins, respectively. They also had a 44-14 margin in paint points and 37-14 tally off the bench, as their reserves outscored Western Carolina’s entire team.

Tennessee is back on the Food City Center hardwood Monday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Middle Tennessee State, live on SEC Network.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tuesday marked the 13th game in program history with Tennessee ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, as it improved to 11-2, including 10-1 in head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure.
• Tennessee last played a home game as the top-ranked team in the AP Poll on Feb. 13, 2019, when it beat South Carolina, 85-73, while its lone such prior game versus a non-conference team was on Jan. 26, 2019, an 83-66 victory over West Virginia.
• The Volunteers also upped their record to 25-4 all-time while ranked top-three in the AP Poll, including 21-2 under Barnes.
• Tennessee remained one of the only five undefeated teams in the country and the lone school unbeaten in both men’s and women’s basketball.
• Barnes increased his career win total to 817, eclipsing Rollie Massimino for sole possession of No. 12 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at Division I level).
• Barnes improved to 25-1 in his career versus the current SoCon membership, his most wins without multiple defeats against any league.
• Tennessee improved to 8-1 all-time against Western Carolina, its sixth-most wins against any school without multiple losses, with the eight triumphs by an average of 27.1 points per game, including all of them by at least 12, with six by 18-plus, four by 26-plus and three by 38-plus.
• The Volunteers moved to 11-0 to begin a season for the fourth time in program history, alongside 1999-2000 (11-0), 1922-23 (14-0) and 1915-16 (finished 12-0).
• Tennessee now has its ninth winning streak of at least 11 games program history, including its seventh in a single season and first since 2018-19 when it claimed a program-best 19 consecutive victories.
• The Volunteers now have 30 wins by at least 20 points over the last three seasons (2022-25), including 23 by 25-plus, 18 by 30-plus, 14 by 35-plus and six by 40-plus.
• Only six times in the last 50 seasons (1975-2025) has Tennessee won by greater than 48 points: 124-49 versus UNC Asheville (Nov. 17, 2009), 109-40 versus Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 20, 2007), 101-44 versus Division II Arkansas-Monticello (Nov. 14, 2007), 94-40 versus Alcorn State (Dec. 4, 2022) and 99-49 versus The Citadel (Dec. 17, 2003).
• Just twice prior in the last 50 seasons, including once within the last three weeks, has Tennessee allowed 36 or fewer points in a game, with both in the Barnes era: 35 against UT Martin (Nov. 27, 2024) and 36 against UNC Greensboro (Dec. 11, 2021).
• The last Tennessee opponent to shoot four or fewer free throws was Presbyterian, which went 1-of-3 at the line one Nov. 30, 2021, with that one of just three previous occurrences in the past 14 seasons (2011-25).
• Presbyterian was also the last Tennessee foe to make two or fewer free throws, with that one of only three prior occurrences in the last 14 seasons (2011-25).
• The only team to shoot a lower field-goal percentage against Tennessee in the last 20 seasons was Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II school, on Nov. 6, 2018, in a 14-of-67 (20.9 percent) showing.
• Tennessee’s 17 steals tied for their most over the last 15 seasons (2010-25), equaling the totals it posted on both Jan. 5, 2022, in an overtime affair against Ole Miss and on Nov. 7, 2022, versus Tennessee Tech.
• After facing an early six-point deficit, 9-3, Tennessee went on an extended 32-6 run to close the half, turning it into a 23-point lead through 20 minutes.
• Between a 1-of-22 close to the first half and a 0-of-2 start to the second half, Western Carolina posted an extended stretch during when it went 1-of-24 from the floor.
• In two of the last three games, Tennessee has shut out its opponent for at least the final 7:56 of the first half, as it allowed zero points to Miami over the last 7:57 of the opening session Dec. 10 in New York.
• Western Carolina’s scoreless drought of 10:20 marked the longest such mark by a Tennessee foe this season, eclipsing the 8:10 ledger by Miami.
• Tuesday marked the second time this season a Tennessee foe has shot under 15.0 percent in a half, as UT Martin posted a 14.8 percent (4-of-27) clip after the break Nov. 27.
• The same second-half outing by UT Martin was the last time the Volunteers gave up 15 or fewer points in a session, as they allowed exactly 15 in that frame, as well.
• Western Carolina’s 15 first-half points marked the first time Tennessee allowed fewer than 20 before the intermission since March 23, 2024, when it conceded 19 to Texas in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in Charlotte, N.C.
• The last time Tennessee had a trio of players with at least four steals was Nov. 27, 2007, when Chris Lofton (five), Tyler Smith (four) and Josh Tabb (four) achieved the feat against North Carolina A&T.
• Tennessee last had two players with five steals on Feb. 9, 2022, when Zeigler and Kennedy Chandler each hit that number, with that the lone other occurrence in the last 17 seasons (2008-25).
• Tuesday marked the fourth time in 11 outings this season the Volunteers have allowed just one opposing player to score nine-plus points, as they also did so against UT Martin (Josué Grullon) on Nov. 27, versus Virginia (Dai Dai Ames) on Nov. 21 in Nassau, Bahamas, and against Montana (Money Williams) on Nov. 13.
• The Volunteers have led for 385:16 of a possible 440 minutes thus far in 2024-25, while trailing for only 34:59.
• After not facing a deficit greater than three in any of its first nine outings, Tennessee has conceded at least the first six points of each of its past two games.
• Tennessee has held a lead of 18-plus points in 10 of its 11 contests this season, including by 26 in all but two, and still has not faced a deficit larger than eight.
• Ten of Tennessee’s 11 wins thus far are by 13-plus points, with seven by at least 22, four by at least 35 and two by 40-plus.
• The Volunteers have held a halftime advantage in all 11 of their outings this season, including a margin of nine-plus points nine times, double digits eight times, 12-plus six times, 14-plus five times and 23-plus thrice.
• Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer points in every first half this season, including 29 or fewer in seven and 22 or fewer in four.
• Zeigler is the 40th player in program history to record 10-plus double-doubles, with each of his first nine points/assists combinations.
• The only other time Zeigler has grabbed even seven-plus rebounds in a game was Feb. 24, 2024, when he pulled down nine versus Texas A&M.
• Zeigler became the third SEC player in the last 17 seasons (2008-25) to post 10-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and exactly nine assists, alongside Alabama’s Aaron Estrada (Dec. 30, 2023, versus Liberty in Birmingham, Ala.), Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV (March 20, 2015, against South Dakota State).
• Gainey owns three prior five-steal performances, all of which came during his two seasons at USC Upstate, with the most recent such outing Jan. 28, 2023, versus Radford.
• Gainey is the third Volunteer in nearly 14 years with at least 17 points, five steals and two blocks in a game, as Tobias Harris was the last to do so Dec. 23, 2010, versus Belmont.
• Lanier has 17-plus points in each of the last seven contests, posting a team-best total in six of them, and is averaging 21.9 points per game over that stretch.
• Lanier’s prior four-assist performance this season was Nov. 13 versus Montana, while his four-steal showing was Nov. 17 against Austin Peay.
• Mashack’s previous career-best steal total was four, registered on six occasions, including thrice this year and most recently in the team’s last outing, Dec. 14 at Illinois.
• The plus-45 mark for Mashack set a new season best for Tennessee, as the prior top tally was 43 by Zeigler in a Nov. 17 game against Austin Peay.
• Dubar’s five made field goals set a season high, as his prior top mark was three on Nov. 27 against UT Martin.
• Freshman guard Campbell Duncan scored his first collegiate points on a basket with 39.7 seconds remaining.