KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 7 Vols took down the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats in front of 21,700+ at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, 71-52. It's Kentucky's lowest point total of the season and the Vols' fourth consecutive win over the Wildcats in Knoxville.
Jordan Bone led the way with 27 points, shooting 5/5 from three-point range. Grant Williams scored 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
To start the game, Kentucky grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds to record an early 6-0 lead. The Vols answered with a 9-0 run, with Bone scoring 7 of those points.
The lead changed four times after that point. Then both teams failed to score for nearly three minutes until Admiral Schofield slammed a powerful dunk over Kentucky's Nick Richards with 4:33 left in the opening half. The momentum gained from that dunk was the game's turning point.
Kentucky did not score a field goal for 9:32, allowing Tennessee to take a 37-24 lead at halftime.
The break did not slow the Vols down, as Lamonte Turner stole a pass and finished at the other end to give Tennessee a 20-point lead early in the half.
Kentucky inched a bit closer, trailing by 13 with 14:29 remaining. They never got closer than that.
Head coach Rick Barnes said Kentucky played more physical than Tennessee in the first meeting at Rupp Arena. The Vols showed much more physicality in Saturday's rematch, scoring 28 points in the paint.
The win places Tennessee above Kentucky in the SEC standings.