Field Level Media
Feb 1, 2022
Kennedy Chandler had 16 points and seven assists and Olivier Nkamhoua added 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as No. 22 Tennessee rode a strong first half to a 90-80 victory over visiting Texas A&M in a Southeastern Conference game on Tuesday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and Santiago Vescovi had 13 points and five assists for Tennessee (15-6, 6-3 SEC), which bounced back from losing at Texas on Saturday with its fourth win in its past five games. Zakai Zeigler added 14 points and three assists.
Wade Taylor IV scored a game-high 19 points and Quenton Jackson had 14 points for Texas A&M (15-7, 4-5), which lost its fifth straight game. Henry Coleman III had 12 points and Tyrece Radford added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Aggies.
Tennessee shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) from the field, including 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from 3-point range, in addition to scoring 24 points off the Aggies' 16 turnovers. The Vols also recorded an assist on 22 of their 29 field goals.
The Aggies shot well from the free-throw line, going 21-for-25, but connected on just 46.4 percent (26-for-56) of their shots from the field and just 31.8 percent (7-for-22) of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Trailing 43-35 at halftime, Texas A&M pulled to within 60-59 following Andre Gordon's jumper with 8:49 remaining. But Tennessee responded by going on a 12-2 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Justin Powell for a 72-61 lead with 5:30 remaining.
Tennessee stretched its lead to 76-61 following James' two free throws with 4:54 left.
The Volunteers used an 11-0 run to take a 17-6 lead on Zeigler's 3-pointer with 13:39 left in the first half.
Tennessee led at intermission after Nkamhoua scored 11 first-half points to lead an offense that shot 45.2 percent (14-for-31) from the field, including 38.9 percent (7-for-18) from beyond the arc. The Volunteers were methodical offensively, as they recorded 12 assists, including five by Chandler, on their 14 first-half field goals.
--Field Level Media