University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
6-4
Lipscomb
4-9
Second-Half Surge Fuels Vols Past Lipscomb, 92-77
December 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --Freshman Grant Williams scored a career-high 30 points, and Robert Hubbs III had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds as Tennessee defeated Lipscomb, 92-77, on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee (6-4) dominated the second half to respond to Lipscomb's (4-9) strong start. In the second half, the Vols shot 53.8 percent (14-of-26) and enjoyed a 25-13 advantage on the glass. UT finished with 41 rebounds to Lipscomb's 29.
Williams was 10-of-12 for the night and also made 10 of his 13 free-throw attempts to finish with 30 points, the most in a game by a Vol this season and the most by a UT freshman since Chris Lofton had 30 against Arkansas in 2005. Hubbs notched the first double-double of his career with 9-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Detrick Mostella added 11 points.
Garrison Matthews led Lipscomb with 28 points, doing most of his damage before the break.
Lipscomb's early sharp 3-point shooting created problems for the Vols, as the Bisons were 11-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half. Matthews connected on his first four 3-pointers and was 5-of-7 from long range with 20 points in the first half. Lipscomb led by as much as 15 points and took a 58-49 lead into halftime.
Williams paced the Vols with 16 points in the first half on efficient shooting, going 5-of-6 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Hubbs had 12 points and five rebounds before halftime.
The Vols opened the second half with renewed energy and a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to knot the game at 58-58. The game stayed within one possession until a 3-pointer by Hubbs with 12:17 left sparked a 19-0 UT run.
UT limited Lipscomb to a 25.8 field goal percentage in the second half. The Bisons were just 1-of-10 from 3-point range after halftime.
The Vols were forced to play without freshman starting forward John Fulkerson for most of the game. He suffered an injury while defending a layup and exited the game at the 9:57 mark of the first half.
WILLIAMS, HUBBS REACH 20-POINT MARK: With 30 points, Williams became the fourth different UT freshman score 20 points in a game this season.
Hubbs has now scored 20 or more points four times this season, including each of the last three games. He entered the season with just one 20-point performance.
DECEMBER HOME STREAK: With the win, Tennessee extended its December home win streak to 15 games, dating to 2013.
SHARPSHOOTING BISONS: Lipscomb shot 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the field in the first half, marking the best field-goal percentage in a half by a Tennessee opponent since TCU shot 62.5 percent (15 of 24) from the floor in the second half of a 75-63 Horned Frogs win on Jan. 30, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was also the best opposing shooting percentage in a half at Thompson-Boling Arena since Texas A&M connected on a 63.3 percent clip (19 of 30) in the second half of a 92-88 Aggies win on Jan. 9, 2016.
UP NEXT: The Vols open a three-game road swing against No. 8 Gonzaga (10-0) in the Battle on Broadway on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The game will start at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2. UT returns to Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 3 to face Arkansas.
