No. 11 Tennessee men's basketball took on Virginia in Wednesday night's first round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.
The Vols' starting five included Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic Jr., and Felix Okpara in the 64-42 win.
After nearly three minutes, Jahmai Mashack opened the game's scoring. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was not happy with the team's performance in the first half.
The Vols led by just a point, 22-21, while shooting 30% from the field and making nine of their 30 attempts. Lanier led with eight points, while Zeigler went 0-of-5 from the field to end the half.
However, Lanier scored 11 straight points in the second half, including a pair of triples to give the Vols a safer lead, 39-28.
The Cavaliers cut it to a five-point game with some triples later in the second half, but Milich Jr. responded with a three of his own, his second of the night, to make it a 42-35 game with a little over ten minutes remaining.
The Vol’s offense started to pick up with about five minutes left. Tennessee went on an 18-3 run over just six minutes of play. Chaz Lanier led in points with a game-high 26 and made six triples in his performance. Milich Jr. also scored in double-figures with 14.
Next up, Tennessee continues play in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship against Baylor for a 9:30 p.m. tip-off Friday night.
