COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 2 seed Tennessee outlasted a second-half rally by 15th-seeded Colgate at Nationwide Arena to advance past the ffirst round in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament.
After the Raiders (24-11) stormed back from a 12-point deficit at halftime, the Vols (30-5) stepped up in the final minutes to put the game away. Tennessee hit four of its final five shots, all of which came from beyond the arc. The last three makes came off the right hand of All-SEC wing Admiral Schofield. The final dagger dropped through the nets with 45 seconds left to make it 73-64.
Schofield finished with a team-high 19 points, including 11 points in the second half to fuel Tennessee’s offense. Point guard Jordan Bone added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Jordan Bowden chipped in 14 points and two steals off the bench, while Lamonte Turner added 13 points, six assists and three steals.
The Vols found success in the paint, outscoring the Raiders, 38-20, and recording five blocks. UT also had seven steals and forced 13 turnovers that led to 16 points.
Jordan Burns went off for Colgate, dropping 32 points, including eight of the Raiders’ 15 total 3-pointers. He scored 20 points in the second half to keep CU in the game.
Colgate rallied back after halftime, using a 19-6 run to take its first lead of the game at the 12:09 mark. During that stretch, the Raiders caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down five 3-pointers. On the other end of the floor, Tennessee began the half by shooting just 2-of-12 from the field.
The Big Orange responded with a 6-0 run of its own to regain the lead and never looked back, preventing any chance of the Raiders rallying to pull the upset.
Tennessee opened the game on a 9-0 run to take the early lead. The Raiders, who knocked down six 3-pointers in the frame, fought back to make it a one-possession game, but the Vols rattled off a 16-2 run to take a double-digit lead into halftime, 42-30.
Turner was active on both ends of the floor in the first half, dropping 10 points behind two 3-pointers and recording three steals on the defensive end of the floor. Bowden also chipped in 10 points on a pair of threes.
Tennessee found success in the paint on both ends of the floor, outscoring Colgate, 26-10, down low. The Big Orange shot 50 percent (18-of-36) from the field in the half. On the defensive end, UT forced eight turnovers while recording six steals and three blocks to keep the Raiders’ offense from getting into a rhythm.
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