3 Takeaways: Tennessee 79, Texas A&M-CC 51

Photo by Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee got off to a slow start against Texas A&M-CC on Sunday, but pulled away for a convincing 79-51 victory. Yves Pons’ dunk got the Vols on the board, but they trailed 15-8 with 12:00 left in the first half. A Jordan Bowden dunk sparked the Vols into finishing the half on a 26-4 run. Admiral Schofield accounted for 9 points during this stretch. Tennessee led the Islanders 34-19 at halftime.

As the second half began, back-to-back dunks by Bowden and Schofield ignited the crowd and it was clear that despite the slow start, Tennessee was in full control of the game. Later in the half, Bowden scored 6 points in a 30-second span that extended Tennessee’s lead to 64-42. Brad Woodson checked into the game and buried a 3-point shot. Then, Jalen Johnson entered the game and knocked down 2 triples himself. Although it was not an ideal start, the Vols turned the game around and made it a positive game ahead of their upcoming matchup against No. 1 Gonzaga.

Admiral Schofield recorded 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Grant Williams accounted for 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Jordan Bowden came off the bench for the second consecutive game and scored 14 points on 4-6 shooting, along with 4 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. Additionally, Kyle Alexander logged a double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Here are 3 Takeaways from Tennessee’s sixth win of the season.

Sluggish Start Is Not a Bad Sign

The first 8 minutes of Sunday’s game were not what the Vols had hoped for. Still, when Tennessee awoke, they really turned it on. Their 26-4 run over the final 12 minutes of the first half was beyond impressive. It was a noon start on a Sunday, something that Tennessee rarely sees. Additionally, the Vols may have had their eyes on next Sunday’s matchup versus the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs. The game will be played in Phoenix, Arizona, for the Jerry Colangelo Classic and will feature 2 top-10 programs with national title aspirations. If the Vols win, it will be their biggest win since defeating No. 1 Kansas in 2010. That game was at home, so if the Vols emerge with a victory on a neutral court, it may be even more impressive. There’s good reason to be looking ahead, but Tennessee needs to make sure they don’t fall into that habit come SEC play. They are mature and I don’t see that happening.

Vols Had Much Offensive Success

Tennessee had a great day on the offensive side of things. Bone has really become a leader for this group. On Sunday, Bone scored 7 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists. His leadership has been stellar in recent games. In fact, he has recorded 28 assists, compared to just 5 turnovers over the past 5 contests for Tennessee. He has improved tremendously since last season and has become one of the quickest, most elite point guards in the nation. As a team, Tennessee assisted on 20 of their 26 made field goals, shooting 53% from the field. They went 7-17 from 3-point range and had a successful afternoon from the charity stripe, making 20 of their 25 free throw attempts.

Tennessee’s Defense Was Suffocating

The Vols allowed just 19 points in the first half and 32 in the final 20 minutes of action. They posted 10 steals and 6 blocks on the day, while committing a mere 7 fouls! Myles Smith scored 16 points, but other than him, nobody scored more than 7 points for the Islanders. The most impressive stat of the day was the fact that Tennessee held Texas A&M-CC to just 4 points over the final 12 minutes of the second half. There have been many incredible periods of domination for the Vols this season, but this may be the most impressive. Overall, allowing just 51 points is tremenouds, regardless of the opponent.

Player of the Game: Kyle Alexander