Olivier Nkamhoua scored 16 points and Santiago Vescovi added 14 as Tennessee maintained its grip on fourth place and a double-bye in the upcoming Southeastern Conference Touranment with a 75-57 victory over Arkansas Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
Josiah-Jordan James added 11 points as the Volunteers (22-8, 11-6 SEC) lost starting point guard Zakai Ziegler to an apparent knee injury less than three minutes into the game, but dominated inside offensively and used a ferocious defense to force the Razorbacks into 16 turnovers.
The Vols held a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint but only a 19-11 cushion in points off turnovers because of their own 10 turnovers.
Anthony Black and Devo Davis shared scoring honors with 13 apiece for the Razorbacks (19-11, 8-9) while Nick Smith Jr. added 12 and Ricky Council IV 11.
In addition to their turnover woes, the Hogs also struggled with their shooting and failed to reach 40 percent for just the fourth time this season. They were 18-of-49 from the field (36.7 percent).
Tennessee finished 27-of-54 from the field for an even 50 percent and outrebounded the Hogs 35-32 overall and 10-9 on the offensive boards.
Up nine points at the half, the Vols took a double-digit lead 46-36 less than six minutes into the second half and held double-digit leads the rest of the way. Their biggest lead was 24 points at 72-48 with 3:18 left in the game after the Hogs went over 5 minutes without a field goal.
The Volunteers enjoyed a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint and 12-0 gap in second-chance points to build a 34-25 lead at the halftime break. They jumped in front 7-0 and later used another 7-0 run to take a 24-15 lead with 5:17 left in the period.
The Razorbacks struggled with 9-of-24 shooting and committed 10 turnovers in the first half, but the Vols managed only a 9-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Tennessee’s Nkamhoua with 10 points was the only player in double figures for either team in the first half.
–Field Level Media