KNOXVILLE — Coming in to its Southeastern Conference showdown against Kentucky, the Tennessee men’s basketball team had notched a pivotal road win at Alabama with a strong second half.
But the Volunteers, who returned home to face the Wildcats Saturday, could not continue their winning ways as they came up on the short end of a 77-64 decision at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols (13-10 overall, 5-5 in the SEC) had some bright moments, but in the end it was Kentucky’s effort from the free throw line that would be the difference.
The Wildcats, which fell behind only once when they trailed 4-2 early, were 22-for-25 from the foul line in the contest. Kentucky (18-5, 8-2) went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe after halftime.
The Wildcats got a career-high 13 points (including three 3-pointers) from Johnny Juzang, who came off the bench after Kentucky found itself in foul trouble in the first half.
Kentucky, which left Knoxville tied for first place in the SEC, led 37-30 at halftime. The Wildcats are tied with LSU and Auburn for the top spot in the conference as Bruce Pearl’s Tigers got a 91-90 overtime win at home and handed the Bayou Bengals their second consecutive league loss. LSU lost to Vanderbilt earlier this week.
Immanuel Quickley led the Wildcats with 18 points. Nick Richards and Tyrese Maxey added 15 points apiece, while Ashton Hagans finished with 10.
For Tennessee, Santiago Vescovi matched his career-high with 18 points and made a 3-pointer to pull the Vols to within 51-47 with 9 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game.
Jordan Bowden and John Fulkerson each had 16 points and two assists for the Vols. Bowden grabbed nine rebounds while Fulkerson pulled down seven for the Vols, which saw its five-game home winning streak against Kentucky come to a halt.