• Home
  • Sports
    • Baseball
    • Basketball (Men)
    • Basketball (Women)
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Hockey
    • Soccer (Men)
    • Soccer (Women)
    • Softball
    • Tennis
    • Track & Field
    • Volleyball
    • Wrestling
  • Columnists
    • Hank Bonecutter
    • Chris Austin
    • Colby Wilson
  • Contact
  • Purchase Photos
    • RSS Feed
      • Clarksville Sports Network
        Clarksville Sports Network is Clarksville-Montgomery County's exclusive sporting news web site. We provide extensive coverage on area sporting events. We also feature a running news feed on the latest Clarksville area sporting news, and the most comprehensive photo galleries of area athletes in action
      • High Schools
        • Clarksville Academy
        • Clarksville High
        • Fort Campbell
        • Kenwood
        • Montgomery Central
        • Northeast
        • Northwest
        • Rossview
        • West Creek
      • Colleges
        • Austin Peay State University
        • Belmont University
        • Lipscomb University
        • Tennessee State University
        • University of Kentucky
        • University of Tennessee
        • Vanderbilt University
      • Pro Sports
        • Atlanta Braves
        • Nashville Sounds
        • St. Louis Cardinals
        • Tennessee Titans
        « Older: Nashville Predators win thriller against New York Islanders 5-4 Newer: Military Appreciation Day set for February 17th »

        #15 Tennessee Vols Complete Season Sweep of Kentucky with 61-59 Win at Rupp Arena

        February 6, 2018 | Email This Post Print This Post
        • Facebook
        • Twitter
        • Tumblr
        • Pinterest
        • Google
         

        Tennessee Athletics

        Tennessee Volunteers - UT VolsLexington, KY – A poised, all-around effort in the closing minutes lifted 15th-ranked Tennessee to a 61-59 victory over 24th-ranked Kentucky Saturday night at Rupp Arena. The Volunteers have now won six straight games and stand alone in second place in the Southeastern Conference standings.

        The triumph was Tennessee’s fifth all-time win over the Wildcats at Rupp Arena (1977, 1979, 1999, 2006). It also gave the Vols (18-5, 8-3 SEC) their first regular-season sweep over Kentucky since the 1998-99 season.

        Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) and Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington (25) dive for a loose ball in the first half at Rupp Arena. (Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports)

        Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) and Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington (25) dive for a loose ball in the first half at Rupp Arena. (Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports)

        SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Lamonte Turner drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to play and finished as Tennessee’s top scorer on the night with a game-high 16 points.

        Knoxville native Jordan Bowden scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, while Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

        Neither team led by more than three points until a pair of free throws by Williams gave UT a 50-46 advantage just inside the five-minute mark.

        A putback basket in transition by Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt tied the game at 50 inside the four-minute mark, and a Tennessee turnover coming out of the final media timeout then enabled Kentucky’s top scorer, Kevin Knox, to complete a three-point play that gave the Wildcats a 53-50 lead with 3:17 to play.

        Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) retained its lead until the 1:53 mark, when Williams knotted the score at 56 with two free throws.

        But Wildcats guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—who finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists—put the Wildcats back on top by two with a floater in the lane.

        Moments later, a diving defensive effort on the perimeter by Vols junior Kyle Alexander forced a Kentucky turnover, and rather than call a timeout, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes opted to let the Vols run offense. The decision paid off, as Turner found space to launch the 3-pointer that gave the Big Orange a 59-58 lead.

        A breakaway slam dunk by Schofield off Kentucky’s 15th and final turnover of the night made the final score 61-59 and ran the Volunteers’ win streak to six games.
        Powered by a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range, Turner led the Vols with 11 first-half points as Tennessee took a 27-26 lead into the break.

        Both teams struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end during the first 20 minutes, which featured nine lead changes.

        Tennessee entered the game ranked sixth in the nation in defensive efficiency, and for the first 10 minutes of action, the Vols looked the part, forcing five turnovers and holding Kentucky to 1-of-9 shooting.

        Alexander totaled four points, two rebounds and two blocks in the first half despite playing just six minutes before heading to the bench with his second foul. Alexander’s absence in the paint late in the half enabled Kentucky to make six of its final seven field-goal attempts heading into the break.

        Alexander’s final stat line included six points, four rebounds, two blocks and arguably the biggest steal of his career.

        Lockdown Defense

        During Tennessee’s current six-game win streak, the Vols have not allowed an opponent to score more than 63 points. The Vols’ scoring defense during the streak stands at 58.5 points allowed per game.

        Vols Sweep Rivals

        Tennessee has now completed the regular-season sweep of “permanent opponents” Vanderbilt and Kentucky this season. Tennessee’s third permanent opponent is South Carolina. The Vols defeated the Gamecocks last month in Columbia and host the Gamecocks at Thompson-Boling Arena next Tuesday, February 13th, at 8:00pm CT. Tickets remain available by visiting AllVols.com or calling the UT Ticket Office at 1.800.332.8657.

        Sixth Man of the Year

        Despite not starting a game for the Vols this season, sophomore guard Lamonte Turner is Tennessee’s third leading scorer, averaging 11.0 ppg overall and 12.6 ppg in SEC play. Turner has come off the bench to score 15 or more points seven times and has scored 20 or more points four times this season.

        Next Up for Tennessee Men’s Basketball

        The 15th-ranked Volunteers remain on the road this weekend, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, February 10th at 5:00pm CT (SEC Network).


        Sections

        Associations, Basketball (Men), Colleges, Featured Story, Ohio Valley Conference, Southeastern Conference, Sports, Sports Leagues, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee

        Topics

        Admiral Schofield, Alabama, Columbia SC, Crimson Tide, Gamecocks, Grant Williams, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Bowden, Kentucky, Kevin Knox, Kyle Alexander, Lamonete Turner, Lexington KY, Rick Barnes, Rupp Arena, SEC, SEC Network, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, South Carolina, Southeastern Conference, Tennessee, Tennessee Vols, Thompson-Boling Arena, Tuscaloosa AL, UT, UT Basketball, UT Men's Basketball, UT vols, Vanderbilt, Vols, Volunteers, Wildcats

        Related Posts

        1. Vols Defeat Vanderbilt to Complete Season Sweep
        2. #15 Tennessee Vols at #24 Kentucky, Tuesday
        3. Tennessee falls to Kentucky 74-66 at Rupp Arena
        4. Tennessee Vols Fall to #13/11 Kentucky, 83-58
        5. Second Half Surge Gives Vols 76-65 Victory Over #17 Kentucky
        0 comments
          Livefyre
        • Get Livefyre
        • FAQ
        Sign in
        + Follow
        Post comment
         
        Link
        Newest | Oldest

      • Recent Posts
        • Austin Peay Govs dominate in opening day of Ohio Valley Challenge
        • APSU Govs fall to Colonels in opening round of OVC Tourney
        • Austin Peay Govs face Belmont in key OVC weekend showdown
        • Three Govs honored by OVC as Yanes Garcia wins third straight Player of the Year award
        • Austin Peay’s Almantas Ozelis named First-Team All-OVC
        • Prestigious Georgia Tech Invitational on deck for the Austin Peay Govs
        • Nashville Sounds notch fifth shutout in fifth straight win
        • Austin Peay Govs wrap up regular season hosting Ohio Valley Challenge
        • APSU Govs look to continue climb up OVC standings at Morehead State
        • Austin Peay Govs gear up for OVC Tournament in Nashville
      • Archives
          February 2018
          M T W T F S S
          « Jan   Mar »
           1234
          567891011
          12131415161718
          19202122232425
          262728  
        • 2018: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2017: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2016: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2015: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2014: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2013: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2012: J F M A M J J A S O N D
        • 2011: J F M A M J J A S O N D
      • Latest Tweets
        • APSU Women’s Tennis continues good form with OVC win clarksvillesportsnetwork.com/2… pic.twitter.com/NBMoJUKJpT

          March 30, 2018 11:03 PM

        • Govs sweep Tech, off to best start in OVC play in school history #apsu #softball #clarksville #austinpeay #ovc… twitter.com/i/web/status/97992…

          March 30, 2018 10:48 PM

        • Tough conditions hamper Govs on first day in Richmond #golf #apsu #richmond #kentucky #clarksville #govs… twitter.com/i/web/status/97987…

          March 30, 2018 7:12 PM

        • Austin Peay Softball hosts Tennessee Tech to open OVC home slate #clarksville #apsu #softball #ovc #ncaa #sports… twitter.com/i/web/status/97952…

          March 29, 2018 8:06 PM

        • Austin Peay Govs Thursday OVC opener postponed to Friday #clarksville #apsu #baseball #ovc #ncaa #sports… twitter.com/i/web/status/97947…

          March 29, 2018 4:40 PM

      • Sports
      • Baseball
      • Basketball (Men)
      • Basketball (Women)
      • Cross Country
      • Football
      • Golf
      • Hockey
      • Soccer (Men)
      • Soccer (Women)
      • Softball
      • Tennis
      • Track & Field
      • Volleyball
      • Wrestling
      • Schools
      • Clarksville Academy
      • Clarksville High
      • Fort Campbell
      • Kenwood
      • Montgomery Central
      • Northeast
      • Northwest
      • Rossview
      • West Creek
      • Other Sites
      • Bonehead Promotions
      • Clarksville Online
      • Discover Clarksville
      • Intelligent Design
      • Contact Us
      • Phone: (931) 624.8562
      • Email: news@clarksvillesportsnetwork.com
      • Mail:
        Bonehead Promotions
        551 Stratford Way
        Clarksville, TN 37043
      • © 2017 Clarksville Sports Network, LLC.
        All rights reserved.