KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 6 Tennessee had another complete performance against another SEC opponent. Dalton Knecht led in points for the fourth game in a row to secure the 91-71 win over the Crimson Tide.
Tennessee's starting five included Zakai Zeigler, Dalton Knecht, Jonas Aidoo, Josiah-Jordan James, and Santiago Vescovi.
Aidoo opened up scoring for the Vols with a layup. Vescovi notched the following five points for Tennessee, and a Zeigler three made it a 10-5 point game early on.
In the first four minutes of play, the Vols picked up four offensive boards but only scored off one. However, Tennessee forced six turnovers in just the first six minutes, making it difficult for the Crimson Tide to put points on the board.
Knecht secured seven points in the first eight minutes, and his first three of the night put the Vols up 21-12.
Turnovers continued to plague Alabama, with eight just in the first ten minutes. Tennessee had taken 26 shots at the seven-minute mark compared to Alabama's 13. However, the Crimson Tide was often sent to the line, keeping them within range to cut into Tennessee's lead.
With about five minutes to go, Freddie Dilione turned the ball over, but he forced Alabama's eleventh turnover immediately after. This led to an electric dunk from Dalton Knecht to cap off an impressive sequence.
Soon after, Jordan Gainey picked up five more points on back-to-back possessions for the Vols. Jahmai Mashack added to the lead with a nice layup and his first points of the game. Tennessee was up 45-29.
Alabama went on a 6-0 run towards the end of the first half. Tennessee couldn't get shots to fall for two minutes until Gainey sank another corner three to give the offense some spark. Gainey was 3-4 from beyond the arc to end the half.
Tennessee was up 50-37 at halftime. Knecht led with 17 points, and Zeigler was leading with five assists. Gainey finished the half with 13 points. The junior guard had not hit 13 points since Tennessee played Kansas during the Maui Invitational.
Aidoo got back to work to start the second half. In the first, the big man notched ten points but didn't play for a majority of the back end of the first half.
A layup, jumper, and dominant block from Aidoo, all within a little over two minutes of gameplay, fired up the Tennessee crowd. The Vols were up 55-41 with 15:53 left in the game.
To add to that energy from the crowd, Zeigler hit his second three of the day to give Tennessee a 17-point lead, its largest lead at that point in the game.
Jahmai Mashack stole the ball and dished it to Knecht, who smashed another one in on a fast break to the rim. It was another impressive sequence ending in a Knecht dunk.
Tennessee's defense continued to handle Alabama. The Crimson Tide ended the game with 22 turnovers, which is the most they've had all season.
In this win, Knecht had 25 points. The star transfer has led in scoring for Tennessee over the last four games. Despite being on the bench for a good chunk of the first half, Aidoo also picked up 19 points himself.
Tennessee's performance on both ends solidified another complete win to move them to 5-1 in conference play. The team shot 48.5 percent from the field and went 10-28 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Alabama was just 4-21 from three.
Next, Tennessee will look for another conference win against in-state rival Vanderbilt on Saturday, Jan. 27, inside Memorial Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
