KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ty-Laur Johnson scored a game-high 22 points and handed out seven assists as Tennessee State cut a 15-point second-half deficit to five in the final minute before falling 83-78 to No. 11 Tennessee on Friday at Food City Center.
Jayden Jones scored all 13 of his points after halftime and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds off the bench for the Tigers (2-2). Christian Alston and Arterio Morris scored nine points apiece. Morris added three steals and two blocks, and Ajayi Simmons scored seven points off the bench.
Tennessee State outrebounded the Volunteers 45-43 and collected 24 offensive rebounds, including six by Aaron Bradshaw and five by Jones. The Tigers turned those extra possessions into 12 second-chance points and scored 24 points off 17 Tennessee turnovers. TSU committed 12 turnovers and attempted 25 more shots than the Vols, finishing 25-for-78 from the field.
Terrence Hill Jr. led Tennessee (3-0) with 19 points and four 3-pointers. Jalen Haralson added 15 points, and Tyler Lundblade scored 14 while going 9-for-9 at the line. The Vols made 27 of 40 free throws.
How It Happened
Morris turned a steal into a layup to give Tennessee State its largest lead, 11-5, with 13:09 left in the first half. After Tennessee tied the game at 16, Johnson made two free throws and Morris hit a 3-pointer off a turnover to put TSU ahead 21-16 with 9:33 remaining.
Alston's two free throws gave the Tigers a 23-19 lead before Hill scored four points in three seconds, hitting a 3-pointer and making a free throw to tie the game at 23. Tennessee later used an 8-0 run to go ahead 33-25. Simmons answered with a 3-pointer, and Bradshaw hit another with three seconds left in the half to bring TSU within 42-37.
The Vols extended their lead to 58-43 with 12:17 to play. Morris scored inside, Jones added a putback and Daniel Vieira-Tuck turned his steal into a dunk to cut the deficit to 58-49. Tennessee pushed the margin back to 15 before Jones hit a 3-pointer with 7:02 left.
Down 73-60 with under five minutes to go, the Tigers scored six straight points. Johnson hit a floater, and Jones followed with two layups, the second off Johnson's seventh assist, to make it 73-66 with 3:38 remaining. Jones added a putback with 1:07 left to keep TSU within seven.
Johnson converted a three-point play with 32 seconds remaining to make it 78-73, then hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to cut the deficit to 81-76. Lundblade made two free throws with seven seconds to go before Johnson scored the final basket.
Game Notes
» Johnson made all nine of his free throws. The Tigers went 12-for-12 at the line in the first half and finished 20-for-24.
» TSU scored 30 bench points, including 20 after halftime. Simmons made both of his 3-point attempts.
» Tennessee State held a 23-10 advantage in fast-break points and scored 17 of those points in the second half.
» The Tigers outscored Tennessee 30-24 in the paint, with 22 of their 30 points coming after halftime.
» Seven Tigers made at least one 3-pointer. TSU finished with eight as a team.
Up Next
Tennessee State visits South Florida on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Fla.
