The No. 3 Tennessee basketball team continued its hot start in SEC play with a 106-87 win against Arkansas on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee shot 61 percent (11-18) from the 3-point line and 90 percent (35-39) from the free throw line. Despite the win, head coach Rick Barnes was disappointed with the effort in the second half.
“Like I told the guys when I walked in tonight, ‘I’ll be disappointed if you guys aren’t disappointed with the way we played overall the whole game,’” Barnes said. “Because Arkansas won the game in the second half. They beat us.”
Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s game:
Hot start bolstered by bench productivity
Arkansas trailed 4-3 early in the contest.
Shortly thereafter, Tennessee had opened up a 20-5 lead with 12:52 left in the first half. By halftime, the Vols led 55-34.
Turner, a junior guard, led Tennessee with 14 points off the bench in the first half. Grant Williams added 12 and Jordan Bowden notched 11.
Turner and Bowden not only paced the Vols in the first half. They led Tennessee overall, as Turner finished with 21 and Bowden poured in 19.
“I do think the first half they both played really good,” Barnes said. “I thought they had a really great demeanor about themselves. Those two guys I did think were really trying to work.”
Bowden has now scored at least 17 points in all four SEC game. He finished Tuesday’s game 6 of 7 from the floor, including 5 of 6 from 3-point land.
“Just doing what I do,” Bowden said. “Just taking my shots, being aggressive on both ends and letting the game come to me.”
Turner appears to be healthy again following shoulder surgery that sidelined him for a large portion of the season. He was 6 of 8 shooting against the Razorbacks and made all six of his free throws.
“It has felt great,” Turner said. “I’m starting to feel healthy again…and get my confidence back most importantly. My teammates are helping me out and putting me in positions to score the ball.”
Schofield’s big second half
In the first half, Tennessee senior guard Admiral Schofield was kept off the scoresheet as he sat with two fouls for the majority of the half.
“With Admiral, I trust him, but again it goes back to this time of year against a team like Arkansas knowing that they have the ability to come back and score like they showed in the second half,” Barnes said. “That’s why we didn’t put him back in the game.”
The second half was a different story, as Schofield scored the first 14 points for the Vols after intermission. He finished the game with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor.
Schofield also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in 24 minutes of playing time.
“That’s just who I am,” Schofield said. “I can turn it on any time. That’s a gift I have. I would just say this year I am being more aggressive…I guess there are more cameras now, but I have been doing this for four years.”
Next up
Tennessee will look to remain perfect in SEC play on Saturday when Alabama comes to town. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Last season, the Crimson Tide defeated the Vols 78-50 in Tuscaloosa.
“I think we are playing good at home,” Turner said. “We just have to keep it up. We have a good team in Alabama coming in on Saturday. They got some great wins this season and we just have to come ready to play every game.”
