PDF BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | JAMES ON SEC NETWORK | BARNES POSTGAME | FULKERSON POSTGAME
ATHENS, Ga. – Bolstered by a second-half run and some timely stops on the defensive end, No. 13 Tennessee grabbed a road win at Georgia Tuesday night, 75-68.
Josiah-Jordan James scored a career-high 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and had a season-high five assists.
Kennedy Chandler added 16 points and had four steals, while John Fulkerson scored 12 on 5-for-8 shooting. Santiago Vescovi was the fourth Vol in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
Aaron Cook led Georgia with 17 points.
Trailing 44-43 after a corner three from Kario Oquendo with just under 16 minutes to go, Tennessee rattled off an 11-0 run—consisting of three 3-pointers from James.
The Vols extended their lead to as many as 15 points at 64-49 with 9:45 remaining before Georgia climbed its way back into the game—stringing together an 11-0 run of its own to cut Tennessee’s lead to four points.
Tennessee went to Fulkerson on two straight possessions and got two mid-range jumpers—extending its lead back to eight points at 68-60 with 3:23 to go.
After the Bulldogs cut the deficit to four points, Tennessee regained control by forcing Georgia to miss five consecutive field-goal attempts.
In the final minute, James hit three free throws, while Vescovi hit two to close out the game.
The Vols and Bulldogs went into the halftime break tied at 35 after a back-and-forth opening half.
Georgia shot 52 percent from the field during the first half, while Tennessee shot 39 percent. Tennessee and Georgia each led by as many as six points during the period, both leads sparked by identical 8-0 runs.
James and Vescovi each had a team-high nine points in the first half, with James nearly reaching a double-double by pulling down seven first-half rebounds.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is back at Thompson-Boling Arena one final time this season for Senior Day against No. 14 Arkansas Saturday. Tipoff is set for noon ET on ESPN.
VOLS GRAB W IN STEGEMAN: Tuesday’s triumph in Athens marked Tennessee’s first win at Stegeman Coliseum since 2011—snapping a six-game losing streak at that venue.
-UT Athletics
