Vols Take Home 24-Point Road Victory After Dominant Second Half Performance
COLUMBIA, S.C– Coming off of a 90-80 Tuesday night win over Texas A&M in which the Vols scored the most points they had in a conference game, Tennessee followed it up with another impressive outing, blowing out South Carolina 81-57 on the road and sweeping the Gamecocks in the regular season.
Tennessee started off making four quick threes and taking a 12-7 lead, and Josiah-Jordan James had 11 points in the first seven minutes. Both sides' quick and exciting start took a hiatus to end the first half, as both teams entered the break combining for a mere 26 points in the final ten minutes of the half compared to 36 scored in the first ten.
Tennessee junior guard/forward Josiah-Jordan James entered the half with a whopping team-leading 15 points, already a season-high for the Charleston, South Carolina, native.
Tennessee lost starting forward Olivier Nkamhoua early in the second half to an ankle injury, and South Carolina continued to hand tight with the Vols.
But thanks to Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee went on to have an explosive offensive performance the rest of the way and secure a blowout win.
Zakai Zeigler, often called Tennessee's 'spark plug,' showed why as the freshman point guard hit back-to-back three-pointers to give his team a nine-point lead.
After that, it was all Tennessee.
Zeigler sparked an incredible 35-11 run for Tennessee in the next ten minutes, and South Carolina simply had nothing for the freshman and the rest of the Tennessee offense in the second half. After scoring zero points in the first half, Zeigler erupted for 18 points in the second half with three made triples, as the freshman yet again showed what kind of energy and game-changing plays he can bring to the court for UT.
Zeigler's second half is all the more impressive considering the freshman was dealing with stomach issues, something head coach Rick Barnes and Zeigler touched on during the post-game press conference.
"Zakai hit those two big threes. He came to the bench, spit up on me, then threw up in the trash can," Barnes said. "After he sat down for a minute, he went back out there and made two shots after he said he was okay. It was just one of those days for him in the second half."
Zeigler also commented on the situation, noting he's never been sick like that in a game.
"First half, I felt like my stomach was hurting," Zeigler said. "It happened in practice this week, too. I told my teammates it would happen. I had a towel waiting and just kept drinking water, but it didn't happen until the second half. When I felt it, I spat up a little bit and thought, 'well, that's out the way, onto the next play.' But that had to be the first time I've been sick like that. Usually, my coaches just take me out of the game. But in this situation, it was just alright next play; I'm good."
When asked how Barnes reacted to Zeigler getting sick and getting 'spittle' on his head coach, the freshman said his coach only had the game on his mind.
"It happened, I ran to the garbage can, came back to the bench, and he looked at me and said, 'you know what play we're running?'"
Zeigler continues to show he is an integral part of the team's success, and Tennessee junior and veteran hooper Josiah-Jordan James noted post-game that even though Zeigler is younger, he inspires him to be better.
While Zeigler was crucial for the Vols in burying the Gamecocks, James got UT started and was the all-around MVP for Tennessee two games in a row. The junior finished his incredible outing with a career-high 20 points in his home state. James also recorded six rebounds, a team-leading three blocks and a co-team-high three steals.
James served as a terrific option from beyond the arc, making four of nine from deep total and three triples in the first seven minutes.
James' career-high point total could not have come on a more special occasion. The South Carolina native had 33 family/friends in attendance, and his grandmother rewarded him with a special gift on the court following the win.
"My grandma made me the best homemade cookies in the world. Got 'em with me right now," James said to the media as he showcased his bag of cookies.
Josiah-Jordan James shows the media the bag of cookies his grandmother made him.
osiah-Jordan James shows the media the bag of cookies his grandmother made him.
James builds off of a 14-point, eight-rebound performance against Texas A&M, and after the missed shot to end the Texas game, Triple J is finding his stride along with the rest of Tennessee's offense.
Stat Corner
-The Vols made 52% of their attempted threes, and just over half of their total points (42 out of 81) came from beyond the arc.
-Tennessee's offense played hard on the road, racking up 18 second-chance points instead of South Carolina's two.
-Tennessee had only four points in the paint in the first half and ended with 14 instead of the Gamecocks' 22 paint points. Head coach Rick Barnes noted he didn't care much despite a fairly slow offensive day down low for the Vols.
-The Vols defense matched the offense's terrific performance in the second half, as Tennessee finished the game with ten steals to the Gamecocks' six. The Vols outscored SC 48-28 in the second half.
-Kennedy Chandler had the highest +/- of any Vol on the afternoon with 28 (JJJ was second with 25). The freshman also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists to go with his co-team-high three steals. With Zeigler and James lighting up the scoreboard from deep, Chandler's performance is overshadowed but should not be ignored.
-John Fulkerson shot 75% from the field and scored eight points in 23 minutes, filling in for most of the time after Olivier Nkamhoua left with an injury.
What's to Come for Tennessee
Tennessee will stay on the road and take on Mississippi State next Wednesday, February 9, at 9:00 p.m. ET in Starkville. The Vols will come into that game having scored 171 total points in the previous two games in which they defeated Texas A&M and South Carolina by 34 collective points.
The Vols return home to Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday, February 12, for their rematch with Vanderbilt. The Commodores will be the second opponent the Vols sweep this season if they can pull off the victory, as the Gamecocks became the first on Saturday afternoon.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes' entire post-game press conference is in the video above.
Photo Credit: Tennessee Athletics
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