KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Smith scored a career-high 30 points and Tennessee routed Southeastern Conference East Division rival Vanderbilt 69-50 on Saturday.
“Tyler Smith was great today and we did not have an answer for him,” Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, said.
After splitting the series for the past two seasons, the Volunteers grabbed a sweep over the Commodores — one of their oldest rivals. Tennessee dominated the first game of the season in the series, a 76-63 win in Nashville.
Both Tennessee and Vanderbilt entered the game on hot shooting streaks. The Vols (16-8, 7-3 SEC) shot 50.2 percent from the floor in their previous four games, while the Commodores (15-9, 4-6) were averaging 51.8 percent in their last four.
“I think they did a good job of being physical with A.J. Ogilvy, and a good job defending him,” Stallings noted. “We have got to figure out better ways to get him the ball.”
After five lead changes and a tie at the beginning of the first half, it was Tennessee that heated up first. Down by a point, the Vols launched a 14-0 run, and an Emmanuel Negedu dunk gave them a 19-6 lead with 10:34 before halftime.
