KNOXVILLE — Tennessee’s men’s basketball team had its share of offensive troubles at home against in-state rival Memphis Saturday afternoon.
The Volunteers dropped a 51-47 decision to the Tigers before a capacity crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee’s top scorers Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner were a combined 3-for-21 from the floor for the 19th-ranked Vols (7-2) who blew an early 17-5 lead.
Memphis (9-1), ranked 13th in the country, got the winning basket when Damion Baugh knocked down a 3-point shot to make it 49-47 with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining in the contest.
Memphis’ Alex Lomax converted a pair of free throws to provide the winning margin with 7.9 seconds to go.
Tyler Harris was a difference maker for the Tigers as he scored 11 points off the bench. D.J. Jeffries also scored 11 points for Memphis, who bounced back from a big early deficit to take a 25-24 lead by halftime. Baugh finished with 10 points.
Tennessee shot 15-for-60 from the floor and was 4-for-26 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Josiah-Jordan James, a freshman, was the lone offensive bright spot for the Big Orange on this day. James scored a career-high 14 points (to lead all scorers in the game) and grabbed five rebounds.
The Vols return to action Wednesday when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.