Tennessee 58, Vanderbilt 57: Jarnell Stokes racked up 19 points and 11 rebounds and Skylar McBee added 10 points off the bench as the host Volunteers held off a late charge from the Commodores.
Kedren Johnson scored 14 points and Josh Henderson added 13 off the bench for Vanderbilt (8-11, 2-5 SEC), which had a chance to win in the final seconds. Johnson's driving layup didn't go and Kevin Bright's put-back attempt bounced off the front of the rim, as the Commodores lost their second straight game.
Tennessee (11-8, 3-4) has won seven of the past eight meetings between the rivals in Knoxville. The Volunteers have won three of four after a season-worst four-game losing streak.
The Volunteers scored the first 12 points but had the margin trimmed to 27-23 going into halftime. The Commodores held their only lead of the game when Kyle Fuller's three-point play put them ahead 23-22 with 2:37 left in the half, but it lasted only 36 seconds. Tennessee closed the half with a 5-0 burst and didn't trail again.
Tennessee led 52-41 after Armani Moore's layup with 8:30 left, but Fuller and Sheldon Jeter hit 3-pointers and Johnson scored five points during an 11-0 run that tied it. Stokes converted a three-point play to put the Volunteers back in front, and they were lucky to stay there despite missing three straight free throws down the stretch.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Tennessee PG Trae Golden left in the first half with a right hamstring injury. He returned to the bench with his leg wrapped in ice but did not return to the game. … Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 851 consecutive games — each of its games since the inception of the 3-point line for the 1986-87 season. … The Volunteers have held 10 of 19 opponents to less than 60 points and are 8-2 in those games.
Vanderbilt | Tennessee | |
Kedren Johnson 14 | Scoring | Jarnell Stokes 19 |
Kyle Fuller 2 | Assists | Brandon Lopez 3 |
Sheldon Jeter 7 | Rebounds | Jarnell Stokes 11 |
Kedren Johnson 6 | Free Throws Made | Trae Golden 3 |
Kevin Bright 2 | Steals | Armani Moore 1 |
Kevin Bright 1 | Blocks | Jarnell Stokes 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Vanderbilt | 57 | 42.9 | 4-11 | 11-14 | 8 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
Tennessee | 58 | 42.0 | 3-10 | 13-19 | 10 | 31 | 7 | 3 | 10 |