GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Offensive struggles and a difficult night on the boards were too much for the sixth-ranked Tennessee basketball team to overcome, as the Volunteers fell to Florida, 75-49, on Tuesday at Exactech Arena.
Florida (7-4, 4-3 SEC) was impressive from the field, knocking down 31 of its 62 shot attempts. The Gators led in scoring by Noah Locke, who had 14.
UT (10-2, 4-2 SEC) was led by senior John Fulkerson who scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, dished out a career-high-tying five assists and pulled in four rebounds.
Vols freshman Keon Johnson replaced classmate Jaden Springer (ankle) in the starting lineup and finished the night with eight points, three assists and a pair of rebounds.
Sophomore Santiago Vescovi added with seven points, three rebounds and a career-high-tying three steals.
Florida held control for large portions of the opening half, out-rebounding the Vols 26-16 to take a 38-27 lead into halftime.
Florida maintained control throughout the second half, stretching its lead to as many as 28 points and converting on more than 54 percent of its shot attempts in the second frame.
The key stretch was an 11-0 run over three minutes of play in the middle stages of the half that pushed the Gators’ lead from 11 to 22 and helped cement the night’s final score line.
Up Next: The Vols return home for the first of three consecutive games at Thompson-Boling Arena when they take on 19th-ranked Missouri on Saturday night. Tipoff from Knoxville is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | QUOTES | BARNES POSTGAME | FULKERSON POSTGAME | JAMES POSTGAME
-UT Athletics
