Vols use late run to take down Tigers for first SEC win

Tennessee beats Missouri in Columbia 69-59

On Saturday against LSU, Tennessee newcomer Santiago Vescovi made his first start for the Vols just a week after arriving on campus. He chipped in 18 points, dished several eye-popping assists and quickly made himself known, even among the more lauded members of Tennessee’s 2023 class (see Josiah-Jordan James for more). 

Still, it wasn’t enough to overcome a strong LSU team, at least not with Vescovi acting on his own. 

Tuesday, Tennessee took on a different set of Tigers in Missouri, facing former coach Cuonzo Martin. And this time, when coupled with plenty of help, Vescovi’s efforts were enough. 

Despite adding five of the Vols’ 21 turnovers, the freshman used a pair of consecutive three-pointers, a steal and a subsequentlayup to ignite a final Vols run for a 69-59 win over Missouri that marks Tennessee’s first SEC win of the season. 

But Vescovi (12 points) wasn’t alone in the scoring. 

Jalen Johnson notched a career-high 11, and he and the Uruguay native were two of six Vols to reach double figures on the night. One of those performances came in the form of Jordan Bowden, whose 13-point night could signal the end of a shooting slump for the senior from Knoxville. 

That leaves three other Vols— Yves Pons, John Fulkerson and Josiah-Jordan James— with 11 each against the Tigers. And each player had a game-defining moment to go with his performance, too. 

For Pons, his moment came twice— once in the first half with a rejection in the paint, marking his 14th-straight game with a block— and again early in the second half, when he knocked down a three to put the Vols up by 10 in a stunned Mizzou Arena. 

For Fulkerson, his came in the midst of Missouri’s comeback. Taking a smooth, no-look pass from Vescovi in the lane, Fulkerson rose for his signature slam, putting Tennessee ahead before the Tigers chipped away. 

For James, his moment came directly before Pons'. The freshman corralled a pass in front of Tennessee’s bench, launched a three that put Tennessee up by seven and, on the next possession, whipped the ball to his French counterpart, notching the assist as the Vols took a double-digit lead off a 12-0 run. 

At that point, all Tennessee had to do was put the game away. 

But thanks to 21 turnovers and Mizzou’s Tray Jackson and Mitchell Smith, the Vols almost couldn’t. Smith and Jackson fed off each other through the entire second half, and Missouri tied the score at 45 after a 12-2 run. 

Shortly thereafter, a skirmish erupted near the Tennessee sideline, as Smith was cited for a flagrant foul after appearing to throw an elbow during a double-team from Tennessee. The choppiness only continued from there, and later, the game remained locked again- this time at 53. 

Then came Vescovi’s run, and with it a flurry of Tennessee baskets that put the game away. 

The Vols started the night off strong, notching a 15-13 lead despite turning the ball over seven times within the first few minutes.

The back-and-forth continued until halftime, with Tennessee taking a 32-28 lead into the break. Then came the run for Missouri, sandwiched between the final two spurts for Tennessee.

Now, the Vols will look toward a four-game SEC slate against South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss before what could be its biggest test of the season— a Jan. 25 battle against Kansas in Lawrence. 

And 21 turnovers in any one of those games could quickly spell disaster, especially on the road against the Jayhawks. 

Overall, though, Tennessee did what it needed to win, and it took several positives in the process. Jordan Bowden seemed to regain some confidence, Vescovi will prove vital to a team that, to this point, has lacked a true point guard in the absence of Lamonté Turner, and Jalen Johnson, Josiah-Jordan James and John Fulkerson will all be key down the stretch for a team that could still find its way to an NCAA Tournament bid. 

Granted, this almost certainly won’t be a pick to move past the first round, let alone the Sweet Sixteen should they even get in. But with the right mixture of players, the Vols could still make some noise.