Having won two of their last three contests, the Tennessee men’s basketball team took to the road for a matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
LaMonte Turner tied a season-high with 25 points off the bench, Grant Williams logged 14, and Admiral Schofield scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds as the 21st-ranked Volunteers defeated the Gamecocks 70-63.
While those three players have had their shares of big performances this season, the Vols got a much-needed performance from one of their big men off the bench. Freshman forward Derrick Walker had arguably his best performance of the season, notching 10 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes.
After losing both games last season against the Gamecocks, the match was a much-needed win for the Vols.
“It’s a big win, just remembering how we lost last year,” Turner said. “We knew that we were going to be in for a fight, but we competed and were able to finish it off.”
Justin Minaya and Wesley Myers led South Carolina with 16 points each.
From the opening tip, Tennessee was in clear control. By the end of the first half’s seventh minute, the Vols were up 16-7, spurred by strong starts by Williams, Schofield and Turner.
Just six minutes later, UT held a 25-16 advantage following Turner’s second 3-pointer of the first half.
The game was only sophomore guard Turner’s third of the season in which he scored 20 or more as a reserve, two of those coming on the road.
The Gamecocks responded with an 8-0 run to pull within 25-23 before both teams exchanged blows to end the half, with Tennessee heading into the intermission with a 33-30 lead.
Turner ended the half with 14 points, providing necessary sparks on offense when the Vols found themselves complacent.
“I’ve been really hard on Lamonte for three years now, and he keeps bouncing back,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “He did really good in terms of what we want to get done.”
Postgame, Turner said that Barnes wanted him playing on the ball more this game and that he was more than willing to step into that role.
“Just having the ball in my hands, I felt comfortable, and I was able to make plays,” Turner said.
Tennessee opened the second half with another hot start, surging to an eight-point advantage at the midway point of the second half.
That’s when South Carolina made its run, scoring 17 points over the final eight minutes and knotting the score up at 59-59 with just over 4:48 renaming.
The Vols answered with a quick 5-0 spurt, a lead they would not relinquish. Turner’s jumper with 4:26 remaining broke the tie, and his four free throws in the final half-minute proved to be the daggers.
Following a strong opening half, Turner recorded 11 more points in the second, including six in the final five minutes. His ability to create his own shot and knock down free throws has become a useful asset for the Vols.
As a team, Tennessee shot 57.5 percent from the field despite making just five 3-pointers, an aspect that became one of the team’s biggest strengths.
Currently standing a game above .500 (4-3) in conference play, the Volunteers face a challenging road ahead as they look to improve their chances of getting an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
For now, Barnes is focused on the job his team pulled off tonight and offered a rare compliment postgame.
“We had really good execution down the stretch,” Barnes said. “We made some tough baskets … but I really thought our guys showed poise at the end.”
