KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Volunteers used four double-digit scoring efforts to defeat the VMI Keydets, 88-56, on Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Tennessee (2-0) connected on 31-of-62 shots from the floor, including 11-of-26 on three-point attempts. The Keydets (1-1) struggled from the floor, hitting on 18-of-65 field goal attempts and 3-of-24 on three-point shots.
Sophomore Jason Conley (Chevy Chase, Md./ Montrose Christian) was the only VMI player to have a double-digit scoring effort with 25 points. Conley was also the leading rebounder for the Keydets with eight. Junior Radee Skipworth (Hershey, Pa./ Hershey) had the next highest point total for VMI with nine. Junior Ben Rand (Harrisonburg, Va./ Spotswood) followed with eight points. Senior Zach Batte' (Idaho Falls, Idaho/ Skyline) dropped in seven points. Sophomore Preston Beverly (Monroe Township, N.J./ St. Joseph's) chipped in six points, and freshman Tadas Mankevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania/ Roanoke Catholic) finished with one point. Junior Richard Little (Ft. Washington, Md./ Oxon Hill) dished out seven assists in the effort.
Ron Slay paced the Vols with 19 points. Brandon Crump followed with 14 points and nine rebounds. Stanley Asumnu and Thaydeus Holden fired in 11 points apiece. C.J. Watson tossed in nine points and handed out eight assists.
After Tennessee took an early 6-5 lead 3:58 into the first half, the Volunteers went on an 11-2 run capped off by a hook shot from Crump with 11:26 remaining until the half. The Keydets closed the gap on a 10-6 run, highlighted by six points from Conley to make the score 23-17 with 7:56 left until intermission.
The Volunteers then went on an 18-10 run of their own to end the half with Asumnu nailing a three-point shot to end the half, giving Tennessee a 41-27 lead at the break.
The Keydets never recovered as the Vols increased their advantage in the second half to hand VMI its first defeat of the season.
VMI will next play at St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
QUOTES
VMI head coach Bart Bellairs: "We thought that shot selection would be the key. Jason Conley took some bad shots, but so did the others. We just got ahead of ourselves. I thought our half-court offense created some opportunities for Tennesse. So give them credit. I was pleased with the first half, but we lost our discipline during the second half."
"For us to win, we have to get better as a team on both ends of the floor. We just can't shoot those kind of numbers and win."
Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson: "The intensity was much better tonight, and the freshmen were more relaxed in their play. We concentrated and put the focus on where we needed to put it."
