Tennessee basketball led Montana by just two points late in the first half before using a big run around the intermission to coast to a 92-57 victory.
Here’s three quick takeaways on the win.
Tennessee Shaky In First Half While Key Players Battle Foul Trouble
Tennessee came out the gates red-hot against Montana, making its first six shots from the field and scoring on its first seven possessions to open up an early 16-6 lead. But the Vols’ offense went cold quickly thereafter and Montana was able to pull itself back in the game.
Then Chaz Lanier picked up his second foul with 9:32 to remaining in the first half and Zakai Zeigler picked up his second foul shortly after with 8:55 remaining in the first half. They were the only four fouls that Tennessee had committed but they were all from its two top offensive players.
Now Tennessee led by just two points when Zeigler exited the game but the Vols struggled to create any separation at that point largely due to stagnant offense. Tennessee’s lead remained two points when Zeigler checked back in out of the under four timeout.
Zeigler’s return sparked a 9-2 run before he exited the game again with just over a minute to play. Lanier did not return to the court after picking up the foul.
The Vols didn’t play horribly without Zeigler or Lanier but they were predictably less efficient which allowed Montana to remain in striking distance throughout the first half.
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Igor Milicic Jr With The Best Game Of His Young Tennessee Tenure
Charlotte transfer Igor Milicic Jr. was one of Tennessee’s most impressive incoming transfers during the preseason but got off to a relatively quiet start in the first week of the season. Part of that was foul trouble against Louisville because he was efficient scoring in the minutes he played.
But the 6-foot-10 forward came alive against Montana. Milicic scored 14 first half points on four-of-five shooting from the field. It was his drive-and-finish followed by a transition three-pointer that gave Tennessee some breathing room late in the first half after Zeigler checked back in.
Milicic’s scoring slowed down in the second half as he finished the night with 18 points. But he remained highly effective on the offensive end. His pump fake gave Montana fits and it helped him drive and create for others.
He recorded four of his five assists in the second half and also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in the game. It was Milicic’s best game in orange-and-white.
Vols Lose The Turnover Battle But Still Get In Transition
Rick Barnes emphasized turnovers on Tuesday as something he wanted to clean up this week ahead of the Vols’ trip to the Bahamas next week.
That started poorly as Tennessee coughed up the ball often in the second half. Tennessee totaled nine turnovers in the first half but cut it down with just four in the second half to end at 13. That’s still not a great number against a Big Sky team but the Vols can live and function with that.
After coughing the ball up 11 times by himself against Louisville, Zakai Zeigler did a much better job of taking care of the ball and turned it over just once. Felix Okpara and Bishop Boswell led the team with three turnovers while two others had two.
On the other end, Montana did a solid job taking care of the ball against Tennessee’s elite defense and turned it over just 11 times.
Despite losing the turnover battle, Tennessee did a great job of getting out and running in this game. The Vols outscored Montana 20-0 in fast break points, doing a stellar job of grabbing the rebound and pushing the basketball. Tennessee wants to play fast offensively despite dragging opponents into long possessions. They did a great job of that against the Grizzlies.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee is back in action on Sunday afternoon when the Vols host Austin Peay at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. ET and the SEC Network+ is streaming the game.
