Tennessee 87, Virginia 52: Josh Richardson scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half and the host Volunteers used hot shooting in the opening minutes to beat the Cavaliers.

Tennessee (8-4) hit 57.7 percent of its shots from the field in the opening half, including 8-of-11 beyond the arc, in building a 48-26 halftime advantage. Jordan McRae led the Volunteers with 21 points, Jarnell Stokes added 20 points and Antonio Barton scored 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half.

Justin Anderson scored 11 points for Virginia (9-4), which came in second in the nation in scoring defense at 54.2 points. The Cavaliers finished 2-for-12 from beyond the arc and shot 32.7 percent overall.

Tennessee broke open the game early, riding a 21-6 run to a 27-10 lead midway through the opening period. The Volunteers hit five 3-pointers in a four-minute span during the spurt, including three from Richardson, to build the 17-point advantage.

Virginia converted only one field goal over nearly seven minutes as the Volunteers poured it on, extending the lead to 39-15 on Barton’s second 3-pointer with 4:36 left in the half. Barton closed the half with another 3-pointer, and Tennessee led by as many as 37 points in the second half while finishing 11-for-18 from 3-point range.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Volunteers were held to 38 points in last year’s eight-point loss to the Cavaliers, but surpassed that mark on Barton’s second 3-pointer. … Virginia is winless in Knoxville in three tries. … Richardson, who cracked double figures in scoring in three of Tennessee’s first 10 games, has 39 points in his past two outings.