The Tennessee hoops team traveled to Nashville on Saturday, for an SEC matchup with Vanderbilt. The Vols were looking to get back on the winning side, after a disappointing performance against Georgia.
The way this game started for both teams, it looked like we were going to get a night of turnovers and bad shots.
Things started to fall for Tennessee midway through the first half, as the Vols were 8-15 from the field at the 7:46 mark. Bowden had five points to this point, also leading on the defensive side. Vanderbilt went over five minutes without scoring up until the 5:58 mark in the half.
This was a dreadful first half for Tennessee with turnovers, having 10 the first 20 minutes. Both teams were a combined 0-15 from 3pt range in the first 20 minutes. The Vols led 21-20 at halftime.
There’s not much you can say about that first half, besides nothing was falling for either team.
Tennessee and Vanderbilt shooting 3’s pic.twitter.com/4XYF99WeTX
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 18, 2020
Tennessee came out in the 2nd half looking to extend the lead and play faster. Thanks to four quick points from Jordan Bowden, off of Vanderbilt turnovers, the Vols were finding their grove.
Tennessee went on a 10-0 run to start the 2nd half, ending at the 15:58 mark. It was led by transition buckets and really good defense. Jordan Bowden connected with Yves Pons on a breakaway dunk to send the pro-Tennessee crowd into a frenzy at Memorial Gym.
Another nice play from Jordan Bowden for Tennessee on the pass. pic.twitter.com/rEZhx7J4Ok
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 19, 2020
Both teams had yet to hit a three point basket until Santiago Vescovi drained one from the corner at the 12:34 mark. They were a combined 0-20 up until the basket.
Tennessee led Vanderbilt by just one point at halftime, but by the under twelve break, they had expanded their lead to 44-28, thanks to some good defense and fast paced scoring. This was exactly what the Vols were hoping to do, push the basketball and force Vanderbilt into bad shots.
At one point, Tennessee had eight blocks and Vanderbilt had only 9FG’s in the game. The Vols had forced seven turnovers in the just over the first five minutes of the 2nd half, which Tennessee scored ten points off of. They were starting to play complimentary basketball at the right time of this game.
Tennessee led 48-30 at the under eight break, with eight blocks up to this point. Vanderbilt was 0-18 from 3PT range and an abysmal 9-41 shooting. The Vols were forcing the Dores to take some very ugly shots, especially from inside the arc.
John Fulkerson was working on a double-double late in the 2nd half as he soared through the paint for a huge jam to bring the Tennessee crowd to its feet again inside Memorial.
Fulkerson is flying for @Vol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/xfKNoJgisS
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 19, 2020
After struggling the past few weeks to find rhythm in transition, the second half for the Vols was just what they needed. Tennessee led 58-38 at the under four break. Finally, it seemed like the Vols were playing faster, with 38 fast break points at the 3:49 mark of the 2nd half.
Things got so out of hand, that they PXP crew started talking about Zaxbys chicken fingers during the final two minutes.
Vanderbilt fans were booing, as their players were scoring baskets in the paint. If you didn’t know, the Dores had drained a three point shot in 1,080 games. That streak ended on Saturday night.
Tennessee finished off Vanderbilt 66-45 on Saturday night, in a much needed road performance. It can’t be understated how much the Vols needed to bounce back with a victory.
Jordan Bowden led Tennessee with 21 points and 4 rebounds. After struggling to find the basket for much of the season, this was a nice performance for the senior. (He had 14 points at Georgia)
Fulkerson and Pons finished with 12 points each, as Tennessee shot 53% from the field. Though they went 1-8 from 3pt range, it was the transition buckets that helped Tennessee finish things off.
A road win is what Tennessee needed, they are now 11-6 (2-2 SEC) on the season, with Ole Miss coming to town on Tuesday. If this group can build off this performance and bring the same energy they had in the second half, then they will have an opportunity in more games than not.
