National Basketball Association
Tennessee 60, Connecticut 57
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 21, 2012
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials:
# Karl Hess, # Jamie Luckie, # Michael Stephens
Attendance:
21114
By SportsDirect Inc.
Freshman Jarnell Stokes recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds in his first-career start and host Tennessee ended a three-game losing streak with a 60-57 upset of No. 11 Connecticut on Saturday.
Cameron Tatum added 15 points for Tennessee (9-10), whose bench outscored the shorthanded Huskies’ subs 15-0. The Volunteers picked up their first win since beating then-No. 13 Florida at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 12.
Jeremy Lamb scored 23 points and Shabazz Napier added 18 for UConn (14-5). The Huskies have lost two straight and four of six. They sorely miss freshman point guard Ryan Boatright, who sat out a third straight game while the NCAA investigates his eligibility for a second time.
While the Huskies struggled without Boatright, Tennessee got a huge lift from its star freshman. Stokes, who enrolled this month after graduating from high school early, scored six points on an 11-4 run that gave the Volunteers an eight-point lead with just under seven minutes left.
The lead grew to 10 points with under three minutes to play, but the Volunteers were forced to fight off a furious rally. Napier’s 3-pointer with seven seconds left cut the lead to 59-57. Tatum then split a pair of free throws, and Tennessee hung on when Napier’s half-court heave at the buzzer hit off the backboard.
UConn took a slim 27-25 lead into halftime, but Tennessee opened the second half on a 9-0 and led the rest of the way.
Top Game Performances
Connecticut |
|
Tennessee |
Jeremy Lamb 23 |
Scoring |
Jarnell Stokes 16 |
Shabazz Napier 4 |
Assists |
Trae Golden 6 |
Andre Drummond 9 |
Rebounds |
Jarnell Stokes 12 |
Jeremy Lamb 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Jarnell Stokes 4 |
Shabazz Napier 2 |
Steals |
Trae Golden 3 |
Andre Drummond 1 |
Blocks |
Jarnell Stokes 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Connecticut
|
57 |
36.4 |
6-18 |
11-17 |
8 |
36 |
3 |
5 |
10 |
Tennessee
|
60 |
42.3 |
6-18 |
10-21 |
11 |
33 |
2 |
6 |
10 |