James, Zeigler lead No. 11 Vols to rout of Gamecocks

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second time this season, Tennessee beat South Carolina by at least 40 points, taking down the Gamecocks in dominant fashion, 85-45 on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee’s pair of wins over South Carolina totaled a margin of 83-points, as the Vols won 85-42 in Columbia on January 7. Tennessee has won each of the last six meetings in Knoxville against the Gamecocks and 10 of the last 11 meetings overall. in series.

The Vols’ total turnovers Saturday were UT’s fewest in a game in head coach Rick Barnes’ eight years.

Five Vols scored in double figures Friday as Tennessee assisted on 29 of 36 field goals. UT shot 58 percent from the floor and shot just 43 percent (10-of-23) from 3-point range.

Out for four games injured, Josiah-Jordan James combined for a game-high scoring effort, leading the Vols with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, two rebounds and an assist. Jahmai Mashack recorded 14 points, connecting on 5-of-7 field goal attempts and making two 3-point attempts to go along with six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.

Zakai Zeigler posted a double-double, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field—including a 3-of-4 clip from beyond the arc—and dishing out a career-high 11 assists.

Olivier Nkamhoua recorded an efficient performance, totaling 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists in the win. Uros Plavsic finished with 10 points in a perfect 5-of-5 shooting effort. Santiago Vescovi chipped in with seven points, four assists and four rebounds.

South Carolina had only one player score more than seven points, with Hayden Brown registering 18 points in 7-of-14 shooting efforts.

James led Tennessee in scoring in the first half, coming off the bench for 10 points in a few minutes. Zeigler and Plavsic weren’t far behind, scoring eight goals in the first half. Tennessee matched South Carolina’s 26-point halftime total with 26 of its own in the paint alone, taking a 12-point lead into the break, 38-26.

At the beginning of the second half, Jonas Aidoo beat an alley-oop dunk from the help of Zeigler to put Tennessee with 19 points, before Nkamhoua’s jumper had the right to give the Vols the first lead of 20 points, leading with 21 at 51- 30.

With only nine minutes left in the game, Tennessee has four double-digit scorers-Zeigler, Nkamhoua, Plavsic and James-compared to one for South Carolina, Brown.

Through the first 13 minutes of the second half, South Carolina mustered just four field goals with five turnovers. At that point, just three Gamecocks had registered points in the second half, combining for eight points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field.

Tennessee used a 22-5 second half run to take a 73-39 lead and ended the game on a 34-11 run over the final 12:35 of play. UT made six of its last seven field goal attempts on the night.

SCORIN’ AND DISHIN’: was 13-point, 11-double-double is Zakai Zeigler’s fifth points / double-double assist this season, but ties to the program’s career record, which was set by Rodney Woods from 1972-75.

DEFENSE NATURE: For the 12th time this season, Tennessee held an opponent to 50 points or less — a mark that led the nation.

WINNING MARGIN: The 40-point victory Saturday also marked Tennessee’s 12th win of the season by 20 or more points—a program record for a 20+ point win in a single season.

TEST: Tennessee shot .567 from the field in the first half and .594 in the second half, its best shooting percentage in a half since shooting .625 in the second half against Texas on Jan. 28.

The Vols have now shot 50 percent or better from the field for 18 straight halves this season.

Money: Tennessee hit 10 3-pointers on Saturday night, giving it 10 games with at least 10 made threes this season. With the Vols making 10+ three-pointers 14 times last year, it was the first time since 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons that Tennessee has made 10+ 3-point shots in a game at least 10 times in consecutive seasons.

UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena for the final time this season for Senior Night, taking on Arkansas on Saturday at 9 pm ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.