Tennessee cruises past WVU, 83-66
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West Virginia (9-11) wasn’t able to pull off another upset win over a top-10 team and fell to No. 1 Tennessee (18-1) on the road Saturday, 83-66, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Mountaineers started the game strong and led by as much as 12 points during the first half, but a 24-2 run from Tennessee to end the first half proved to be turning point of the game as West Virginia committed 24 turnovers and dropped its second straight game.
West Virginia was led by Esa Ahmad's 16 points and Derek Culver's 15. The Volunteers were led by Lamonte Turner's 23 points as four total Tennessee players finished in double figures.
Tennessee scored the game’s first points with a jump shot from Jordan Bone which came after an Ahmad turnover.
West Virginia tied the game up with a layup from Jermaine Haley which sparked an 8-0 run for the Mountaineers. The run consisted of Haley’s layup and three-pointers from Ahmad and Chase Harler, giving the team an 8-2 advantage over the Volunteers.
Tennessee answered back with a three-pointer of its own and West Virginia would then go on another 8-0 run with three’s from Jordan McCabe and Lamont West along with a fast-break dunk from Wesley Harris off a Tennessee turnover.
This run extended West Virginia’s lead to 16-5 with 11:42 left until halftime as Tennessee started out shooting just 2-of-13 from the field. Jordan Bowden ended West Virginia’s run with a jumper which was followed by a three-pointer from James “Beetle” Bolden to give the Mountaineers a 12-point lead at the 11:05 mark.
Tennessee answered back with a 17-0 run to take a 24-19 lead as West Virginia was held scoreless for 9:31. Culver ended the team’s drought with a jumper but the Volunteers closed the half on a 7-0 run and took a 31-21 halftime lead. Overall, Tennessee ended the half on a 24-2 run against the Mountaineers.
The Volunteers started off the second half with four quick points to extend their lead to 35-21. Harler answered back with a three-pointer and a layup from Ahmad cut Tennessee’s lead down to nine points.
After a pair of free throws from Grant Williams and one from Ahmad, Tennessee made it a 13-point game with a three-pointer from Bowden. West Virginia then lost Bolden for the game who exited with an ankle injury.
Tennessee continued to roll against West Virginia and led by 19 points after another three-pointer from Bowden. After two free throws from Harris, he was called for a flagrant 1 foul was called and a pair of free throws from Williams and a dunk from Ahmad put the score at 54-37 in favor of the Volunteers.
The two teams exchanged baskets over the next few minutes as Tennessee maintained its large lead. From there, West Virginia was unable to rally back and suffered its second straight loss and 11th of the season.
The Mountaineers will take on Iowa State on the road Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
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