KNOXVILLE, TN --Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper II combined to score 36 total points, but the Tigers fell to the Tennessee Volunteers 89-60 on the road Thursday.

Nkrumah led the Tigers (2-3) with 19 points, five assists and three steals. Harper II added 17 points and two steals and Antoine Lorick III helped out with 12 points from the bench.

Led by Jean Yvens Lafleur's two offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in seven second chance points.

The Tennessee State defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 17 Tennessee turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 11 points on the other end of the floor. Nkrumah's three steals led the way individually for the Tigers.

How It Happened

Tennessee State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 43-21 heading into halftime.

Tennessee kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 76-42 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run to shrink the deficit to 76-51 with 5:44 to go in the contest. Tennessee responded and outscored the Tigers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 89-60. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 39 total points.

Game Notes

» The Tigers put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 61 percent of made baskets.
» Aaron Nkrumah, Travis Harper II, and Antoine Lorick III combined to account for 80 percent of the Tigers points.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with a game-high 19 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high five rebounds from Travis Harper II.