No Nate Ament, no problem for Tennessee basketball.
The Vols did not need their leading scorer in a paint-infested win over SEC-worst South Carolina on Tuesday. Tennessee dropped the Gamecocks, 78-59, at Colonial Life Arena.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie took a backseat role as a scorer for the Vols (21-9, 11-6 SEC), serving as the focal point of South Carolina’s scout. That left an opportunity for those around him, and Gillespie feasted with passes at the rim. He posted a career-high 12 assists in the win, while falling shy of a double-double at eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.
South Carolina (12-18, 3-14) took the opportunity to chuck 3-point shots, and the strategy failed. The Gamecocks shot 37% from the floor and 33% from 3-point land — connecting on 9-of-27 attempts.
Tennessee establishes team paint domination early
Jaylen Carey set the tone early by asserting himself as a big presence in the paint. In the first four minutes, Carey had four points on four rebounds, three on the offensive end. He also drew a foul call, sinking 1-of-2 free throws.
His start echoed through the rest of the team, and by the under-12 media timeout, the Vols led by 11. They made 8-of-10 shots from the field and kept South Carolina without a field goal for four-plus minutes.
At the break, Tennessee had 40 points on the board. It received 30 points in the paint. Felix Okpara led the way with 10 points, while J.P. Estrella added eight points. They combined to shoot 9-for-13 from the field.
South Carolina, conversely, had eight points in the paint in the half.
Tennessee continued to dominate on the interior over the final 20. It posted another 24 points, totaling 56 for the game. South Carolina managed just 18 over the course of 40 minutes.
Amari Evans fills in for Nate Ament
The Pittsburgh native garnered his first career start in the absence of Tennessee’s star freshman. Amari Evans went for seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes on Tuesday.
His plus-18 plus/minus ranked first on the team.
He connected with Felix Okpara on a lob in the first half, giving Tennessee a 12-point lead with four minutes to go — its largest of the first stanza.
Felix Okpara, J.P. Estrella combine for 42 points
The Vols lobbed it up to their big men, and they were sure to finish.
Okpara and Estrella led the Vols without their leading scorer. Estrella posted a team-best 22 points, while Okpara followed closely behind with 22 points — tied for a career-high.
Okpara threw down multiple alley oops, something the Gamecocks could not stop. It included back-to-back possessions at the start of the second half to put the Vols ahead by 12 points.
He shot 10-for-14 from the floor, career highs in both makes and attempts for the senior.
J.P. Estrella went on a run in the late minutes of the game, scoring eight consecutive points for the Vols. That vaulted Tennessee to a 20-point lead, its best of the night.
Estrella’s big highlight came on a posterizer dunk with 13:17 to go. He received the feed from Gillespie and punched it down over a South Carolina defender.
Tennessee caps the regular season with Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 7, in Food City Center.
