KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Four scorers in double digits helped No. 24 Tennessee to an 81-71 win over Lipscomb on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Grants Williams led the way for UT, dropping 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with eight boards and three blocks in 27 minutes of action. Admiral Schofield pitched in an additional 13 points and six rebounds. James Daniel III and Chris Darrington were the other Vols to score in double figures, tallying 12 and 11, respectively.
Darrington enjoyed his most productive game at Tennessee, as 11 points, five assists and three rebounds were all season-highs for the junior guard.
Garrison Mathews led the way for the Bisons, totaling a game-high 22 points and six rebounds.
Lipscomb never stopped fighting despite a double-digit deficit at intermission, pulling within three of UT in the second period, but Tennessee’s 20-of-24 performance from the charity stripe in the half kept the Vols in the lead.
Williams scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to fuel UT’s offense, which shot 42 percent (25-59) from the field in the contest.
The Vols jumped out to a 17-7 lead early in the first half behind a pair of treys from Schofield, but a 12-5 run by the Bisons made it a 22-19 game with 6:24 left in the half.
Tennessee would pull away in the final minutes of the frame, using an 18-8 run and knocking down its last six shots to go into halftime up, 40-27. Schofield and Daniel paced the Vols with nine points each in the half.
TEAM EFFORT: The Vols have scored 20 or more bench points in each of their games this season, and scored 30 in the win against Lipscomb today.
HOT FIRST HALF: Tennessee has scored 30 or more points in the first half of all games this season and scored 40 in the first half today.
DARRINGTON GETTING IT DONE: Junior guard Chris Darrington recorded a season-high with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win on Saturday.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will stay home to welcome No. 10/11 North Carolina to Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN). The game is a sellout, and fans planning to attend are encouraged to visit CheckerTBA.com to see what color shirt their section is designated to wear.
-UT Athletics
