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Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | November 17, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team recorded a 103-68 victory over Austin Peay behind a scintillating offensive performance Sunday afternoon at Food City Center.

No. 11/9 Tennessee (4-0) shot a remarkable 63.8 percent, tied for its fifth-best mark of the last 20 seasons (2005-25) in the decisive victory and got a game-high 23 points from senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., who paced the team in scoring for the second straight outing.

The Governors hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession, but the Volunteers countered with nine straight points in 1:54, grabbing early control that it would never relinquish. Following another basket by Austin Peay (3-1), Tennessee went on a 12-0 run in 2:57 to go ahead by 16 points, 21-5, after just 6:34 of action. At that point, the home team was 8-of-9 from the floor, with seven makes in a row.

Tennessee soon had a stretch of nine straight made field goals that upped its ledger to 18-of-21—along with a 10-of-11 free-throw clip—through 17 minutes of play, at which point it led by 22, 48-26. Although the Volunteers then missed their next four shots from the floor, they still posted a mark above 70 percent (19-of-27) in a frame for the first time in over 22 months.

Behind its torrid shooting, Tennessee took a 23-point led, 52-29, into the break. Miličić totaled 17 first-half points on an 8-of-10 field-goal clip, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 on a perfect 4-of-4 mark. At the other end, the Volunteers limited Austin Peay to 9-of-30 (30.0 percent) field-goal shooting.

Tennessee scored the first six points on the second session to go up by a then-game-high 29, 58-29, with 18:21 to play. The home team extended its margin up to 30 points on multiple occasions, despite Austin Peay making five 3-pointers in a six-minute stretch midway through the second half.

The Volunteers used an 11-0 surge in 2:57, capped by a 3-pointer from senior guard Jordan Gainey, to go ahead by 34 points, 98-64, with 2:04 left. Tenth-year head coach Rick Barnes‘ team stretched the margin as high as 37 before claiming a second consecutive triumph by exactly 35.

Miličić amassed his game- and season-best point total on an 11-of-14 field-goal ledger to tie his career high in makes, led all players with nine rebounds and dished out four assists, one shy of his career best, plus blocked two shots. He finished plus-42 during his 30 minutes of action, while Zeigler was plus-43 in his 31 minutes. The Long Island, N.Y., native totaled 19 points, a game-best eight assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal, becoming the first Volunteer with that line in over 13 years. Zeigler, who shot 7-of-8 overall with a 3-of-4 clip from deep, also became the fifth player in program history to reach 500 career assists.

Gainey contributed 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half, while finishing 4-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line. Sophomore forward Cade Phillips scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, setting a career high in each category. Junior forward Felix Okpara posted 12 points on a 6-of-10 ledger, seven rebounds and a game-high three blocks, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack scored 10 points, aided by an 8-of-10 free-throw mark that gave him career bests in both areas.

For Tennessee, it marked the first time in nearly two years that six players scored in double figures, dating to Dec. 4, 2022, as well as the first time since Feb. 1, 2022, it had five players with at least a dozen points.

Senior guard Isaac Haney paced the Governors with 22 points, finishing 5-of-11 from 3-point range, while junior guard L.J. Thomas registered 20 points. The rest of the team scored a combined 26 points in the defeat.

Tennessee, which eclipsed 60 percent shooting for the second straight outing, posted a blistering 32-of-44 (72.7 percent) tally inside the arc. It notched the same percentage at the line, where it shot 24-of-33. The Volunteers had a dominant 64-22 margin in paint points, a 34-13 ledger in bench scoring and a 27-6 cushion in fast-break points.

Barnes’ team posted 10 blocks, the first time it has reached double figures since the 2021 SEC Tournament. Meanwhile, the 103 points tied for the second-most during his illustrious 10-year tenure in Knoxville.

Tennessee now heads to Nassau, Bahamas, where it begins Baha Mar Championship play Thursday at 9:30 p.m. against Virginia, live on CBS Sports Network.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee improved to 10-1 all-time versus Austin Peay, including 4-1 this century with the four victories by an average of 34.8 points per game.
• The Volunteers are now 21-1 all-time versus current Atlantic Sun members, despite only playing four of its schools.
• Barnes, meanwhile, upped his mark to 12-0 against the Atlantic Sun membership, including 7-0 with the Volunteers.
• Barnes is now 32-6 (.842) against in-state competition as the head coach of the Volunteers, including 15-1 (.938) over the last 16 such outings.
• Coaching in his 600th home game, Barnes improved to 501-99 (.835) in such contests across his 38-year career, including 125-24 (.839) in 10 years atr Tennessee.
• Sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, as announced before tip-off, did not play due to a left foot injury, while fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar (personal matter) missed his fourth consecutive contest to begin the season.
• Freshman guards Campbell Duncan and Gavin Paull both made their collegiate debuts, checking in for the final 2:01 of the contest.
• Tennessee upped its non-conference home winning streak to 31 straight games, a span that dates to the 2020-21 season opener versus Colorado on Dec. 8, 2020.
• Sunday marked the 68th time in program history the Volunteers have scored 100-plus points, including the first since Feb. 3, 2024, when they had 103 in a victory at Kentucky.
• The Volunteers have now reached triple digits seven times during Barnes’ tenure, including five times at home, with 103 matching their second-highest total during his 10 seasons.
• This is the sixth time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) the Volunteers have shot over 61.0 percent from the floor, including the fourth under Barnes.
• Of the nine times Tennessee has shot greater than 60.0 percent in the last 20 seasons (2005-25), two have come in the last two games, as the Volunteers posted a 60.8 percent (31-of-51) mark Nov. 13 against Montana.
• The Volunteers now have 16 wins by 30-plus points over the last three seasons (2022-25), including 12 by at least 35.
• The last time Tennessee won back-to-back games by 35-plus points was Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, 2022, when it defeated Alcorn State by 54, 94-40, and Eastern Kentucky by 35, 84-49, respectively.
• Tennessee last had six double-digit scorers on Dec. 4, 2022, against Alcorn State, a group that also included Mashack (13) and Zeigler (10)
• The Volunteers last had five players score 12-plus points on Feb. 1, 2022, versus Texas A&M a quintet that also included Zeigler (14).
• The last time Tennessee had double-digit blocks in a game was March 12, 2021, when it logged 11 against Florida in the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.
• The Volunteers have now scored 50-plus points in a half 45 times in Barnes’ tenure, including in each of the last three frames, dating to the second session Nov. 13 against Montana.
• Through four contests this season, Tennessee has trailed for a total of just 94 seconds and led for a total of 155:32.
• The last time Tennessee shot 70-plus percent in a half was Jan. 3, 2023, against Mississippi State, when it went 19-of-25 (76.0 percent) after the break.
• On his fifth assist of the day, with 7:16 left in the first half, Zeigler became the fifth player in Tennessee history to record 500 assists, joining Johnny Darden (715 from 1975-79), C.J. Watson (577 from 2002-06), Rodney Woods (525 from 1972-75) and Tony Harris (509 from 1997-2001).
• Prior to Zeigler, the last Volunteer to shoot over 85.0 percent on at least eight attempts was Olivier Nkamhoua, who went 10-of-10 on Jan. 7, 2023, at South Carolina, while the last Tennessee guard to do so was Admiral Schofield when he notched an equal 7-of-8 mark on Dec. 29, 2018, versus Tennessee Tech.
• Zeigler is the second Volunteer in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) to post 19 points, eight assists, three steals, one block and one steal in a game, joining Trae Golden, who did so on Nov. 11, 2011, against UNC Greensboro.
• Miličić has scored 14-plus points in each of the last two first halves, as he tallied 14 before the break Nov. 13 versus Montana and then 15 against Austin Peay.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2005-25), Miličić is now one of three Volunteers with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a contest, joining Admiral Schofield, who did so on Jan. 29, 2019, at South Carolina, and Grant Williams who did so earlier that season on Nov. 21, 2018, versus Louisville in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Mashack’s prior career best in made free throws was five, set on Dec. 9, 2023, versus Illinois, while his prior top mark in attempts was six, recorded thrice, most recently in that contest against the Fighting Illini.
• Phillips’ prior career high in points was seven on Nov. 4, 2024, versus Gardner-Webb, while his top mark in rebounds was six on Nov. 9, 2024, against Louisville and his best tally in made field goals was three, recorded in each of those two games.
• Redshirt junior guard Grant Hurst scored the first points of his Tennessee career on a layup with 33 seconds to play.
• The last time two opposing players scored 20-plus points against the Volunteers was March 9, 2024, when Antonio Reeves (27) and Reed Sheppard (27) of Kentucky did so.