KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 5 Tennessee capped off its season-opening, three-game homestand with a hard-fought 66-53 win over Georgia Tech at Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday in front of a crowd of 16,219.
Grant Williams led the way for the Vols offensively, scoring 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The junior also grabbed eight rebounds.
Tennessee’s defense was stout the entire night, as Georgia Tech (1-1) finished just 28 percent from the field on 16-for-58 shooting. The Yellow Jackets were limited to 3-of-19 (16 percent) from beyond the 3-point line.
Tennessee (3-0) had three players score in double-digits on the night. In addition to Williams’ 22, Jordan Bone finished with 15 points, while Kyle Alexander posted 12 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Bowden finished with a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with five points.
Tennessee held the Yellow Jackets without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to begin the second half, allowing the first basket at the 12:12 mark. During that stretch, Georgia Tech was 0-for-11 from the field while the Vols built their lead to 12.
For the rest of the contest, Tennessee’s lead never slipped to fewer than seven points.
The Yellow Jackets struck first in the game with a layup on their opening possession, but Tennessee answered and would never trail again the rest of the game.
After converting on five consecutive shots, the Vols jumped out to a 27-15 advantage with 6:59 left until halftime. Williams paced all players in the half with 13 points.
The Big Orange defense started with a strong first-half once again, holding Georgia Tech to 29-percent shooting from the floor and 2-of-13 from three. UT entered halftime with a 33-25 lead.
VOLS VS. ACC: With the victory over Georgia Tech, Tennessee has now won four of its last five games against ACC teams. Tuesday’s win over Georgia Tech also marked the third straight season that the Vols have defeated the Yellow Jackets. The Big Orange are currently set to play two more ACC teams this season, facing Louisville in New York City on Nov. 21 and hosting Wake Forest on Dec. 22.
ON THE CUSP OF 1,000: Exiting Tuesday night, Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield are each within single digits of 1,000 career points. Williams is just a single point away, as entering the matchup with Georgia Tech he needed 23 to reach 1,000. Schofield needs only four points to reach 1,000.
UP NEXT: Tennessee heads to New York City for the NIT Season Tip-Off next week. The Vols open their stay in the Big Apple with a showdown against Louisville on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. ET. UT will play again on Nov. 23, facing either No. 1 Kansas or Marquette.
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