Bowden continues hot shooting, Vols beat Wake Forest, 79-60

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Jordan Bowden scored 17 points and No. 21 Tennessee shot 59 percent after halftime to beat Wake Forest 79-60 on Saturday.

The Volunteers (9-2) led by one at the half but took control by scoring on seven of 10 possessions coming out of the break. That pushed Tennessee to a 52-43 lead, a margin that never slipped to fewer than five as the Demon Deacons struggled for a sustained push.

Bowden and Admiral Schofield each hit key 3-pointers in the final 4 1/2 minutes in Tennessee's game-ending 13-0 run, with Bowden's straightaway 3 to beat the shot clock near the 2-minute mark pushing the lead to 75-60.

Keyshawn Woods scored 18 points for the Demon Deacons (7-5), who had won six straight while shooting better than 50 percent in each one. But Wake Forest shot just 38 percent in this one, including 9 for 28 (32 percent) after halftime while finishing with 20 turnovers.

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: The Volunteers enter Southeastern Conference play after a solid pre-league showing. Their only two losses came against the past two national champions - No. 1 Villanova at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas and No. 5 North Carolina at home last weekend - and they earned their third win of the year against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

Wake Forest: Wake Forest had seemingly stabilized itself after a wobbly 0-3 start, putting together its longest win streak since the 2009-10 season that included a victory against Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. But the Demon Deacons struggled against the Volunteers' athleticism, while top scorer Bryant Crawford (three points on 1-for-6 shooting) was hampered by foul trouble.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: The Volunteers visit Arkansas on Dec. 30.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons host No. 5 North Carolina on Dec. 30.