Vols defeat short-handed Vanderbilt

Recapping Tennessee’s 70-58 win in Nashville Wednesday night.

The Tennessee men’s basketball team notched a road Southeastern Conference victory against in-state rival Vanderbilt Wednesday at Memorial Gymnasium.

No. 25 Tennessee’s 70-58 victory did not come easily over the Commodores.

Vanderbilt (6-13, 2-11 SEC) made 21 field goals on the night and eight of those successful shot attempts came from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Commodores hung around despite not having two of the conference’s top players. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Dylan Disu were both late scratches due to undisclosed injuries.

Still, Vanerbilt made things tough for the Vols (16-6, 9-6). The Big Orange would find enough firepower to escape Nashville with its eighth straight victory over Commodores.

Victor Bailey Jr. led UT with 21 points as he went 7-for-14 from the field and made five 3-pointers.

Jaden Springer scored 20 points as he went 5-for-8 from the field. He was 10-for-10 from the free throw line and finished the game with three rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot.

Yves Pons had a double-double as he scored 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also had one block for the Vols, who led 32-22 at halftime.