The steam ran out on the final day in Vegas.

Tennessee basketball struggled to build upon its 12-point lead in the second half, falling to Kansas, 81-76. The No. 17 Vols (7-1) faltered due to multiple scoring droughts, forcing them to claim fourth place in the Players Era Festival.

As a result of the contest, Tennessee earns $200,000 toward its NIL fund.

Tennessee attempted to pull away from the Jayhawks (6-2) in the second half, but a scoring drought of 5:19 allowed Kansas to pull the game within four points. The Vols meandered through another 2.5-minute drought as the Jayhawks put together a 12-2 run to take a four-point lead of their own with four minutes remaining.

The Vols were never able to recover, hence leading to their first loss of the season.

Nate Ament shows promise, struggles in second half

A day after making one shot and missing seven others, Nate Ament got back on track against Kansas in the first half, but fell apart in the second.

He finished with a team-high 20 points, in large part due to his 8-for-8 day at the line. He finished 5-for-15 from the floor and did not make a shot in the second half.

The true freshman wasted little time getting on the board, scoring Tennessee’s first two baskets of the night — attacking the rim for both. His next two attempts came from deep, and he splashed both.

In 17 minutes on the court in the first half, Ament went for 14 points and six rebounds. He sprinkled in three layups and two 3-pointers while sinking his two free throws.

He impressed by being a physical presence with his lanky frame. With 8:21 left in the game, Ament skied on a missed free throw and snagged the ball out of the air with one hand before putting it back up while drawing a foul. He striped both at the line to push Tennessee’s lead to six.

Ament struggled down the stretch to get shots to fall. He missed all seven he took in the second half, most of which were in the midst of offensive droughts for Tennessee.

Jaylen Carey’s stock rises

The Vanderbilt transfer big man has put on a display in Vegas.

While still learning his role in the early parts of the season, Jaylen Carey fought to receive significant minutes — but through the last two games, he has been given 20-plus minutes, which is indicative of his improving play.

Carey went for 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on Wednesday against Kansas in 26 minutes. It is his second consecutive game scoring in double digits and the first double-double during his short time with the Vols.

He is showing his value as a multi-tool forward, with sly abilities despite a 267-pound build. Carey put together a highlight reel play late in the first half, jumping the Jayhawk passing lane for a steal, running the floor to the other basket while waiting for the defender to get in front of him, before slamming the ball over top of him anyway.

That came in part with his six-point, four-rebound and four-assist first-half.

He continued to stuff the stat sheet in the second half. Carey drew a foul trying to pull in an offensive rebound as Kansas was in the midst of an 8-0 run to pull within four points. He went to the line and drained a free throw, getting Tennessee back on the board after nearly four minutes without a point.

With 1:43 left in the matchup, he swallowed an Ament blocked shot and put it back for two points to keep Tennessee within striking distance. He also added the last bucket of the night with a simple layup with five seconds remaining.

Felix Block-para makes life difficult defensively

Kansas’ qualified leading scorer Flory Bidunga is one of the more efficient scorers in college basketball, shooting 69% from the floor on the season.

But met with one of the top interior defenders in the SEC, Felix Okpara, the 6-foot-10 Bidguna was left searching for answers.

Okpara held his primary assignment to a 5-for-15 shooting day with 13 points. That included nine consecutive missed shots in the first half, where he shot 2-for-11 heading into the break. Bidunga missed seven shots against Notre Dame on Monday, and that had been his previous high for missed shots in a game before Okpara shut him down.

Okpara posted a seven-point, three-rebound and three-block stat line for the evening himself.

Tennessee gets the holiday break to enjoy before returning for its first true road game at Syracuse on Dec. 2.