“No. 4 Vols Cruise to 70-52 Victory at Oklahoma”
The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers continued their dominant start to the season with a convincing 70-52 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on the road. The win marked the Vols’ 11th straight victory, dating back to last season, and improved their record to 13-2 overall.
The Vols were led by a balanced scoring effort, with four players reaching double figures. Santiago Vescovi paced the team with 13 points, while Olivier Nkamhoua and Josiah-Jordan James added 12 points apiece. Zakai Zeigler rounded out the quartet with 10 points.
Tennessee’s defense was also stifling, holding the Sooners to just 52 points on 31.7% shooting from the field. The Vols forced 16 turnovers and outrebounded Oklahoma 41-31.
“I’m really proud of our guys for coming out and playing with the energy and focus that we needed to win on the road,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. “We knew Oklahoma was going to be a tough opponent, but our guys rose to the challenge and played a great game.”
The Vols got off to a hot start, racing out to a 14-4 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Oklahoma battled back to cut the deficit to 24-20 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, but Tennessee closed the period on a 10-2 run to take a 34-22 lead into the break.
The Sooners came out strong in the second half, cutting the deficit to 38-30 with 14:45 remaining. However, the Vols responded with a 12-2 run to push their lead back out to 50-32 with 8:45 left.
Oklahoma never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way, as Tennessee cruised to the 70-52 victory.
“I thought our guys did a great job of responding to Oklahoma’s runs and staying focused on the task at hand,” Barnes said. “We’re proud of the way we played tonight, but we know we’ve got to keep getting better if we want to achieve our goals.”
The win marked Tennessee’s first victory over Oklahoma since 2010, and improved the Vols’ record to 2-4 all-time against the Sooners.
Tennessee will look to extend its winning streak to 12 games when it hosts the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday.
“Vols’ Balanced Scoring Effort a Key to Success”
One of the key factors in Tennessee’s success this season has been its balanced scoring effort. The Vols have had at least four players reach double figures in scoring in 10 of their 15 games, and have had five players reach double figures on four occasions.
“I think our balanced scoring effort is one of the things that makes us tough to defend,” Barnes said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can score the ball, and that makes it hard for teams to key on just one or two players.”
Vescovi, Nkamhoua, James, and Zeigler have been the most consistent scorers for the Vols this season, but other players like Julian Phillips and Jonas Aidoo have also made significant contributions.
“I think our guys are doing a great job of sharing the ball and finding the open man,” Barnes said. “We’re not just relying on one or two guys to score the ball. We’re getting contributions from everyone, and that’s making us a tough team to defend.”
“Vols’ Defense Continues to Shine”
Tennessee’s defense has been one of the stingiest in the country this season, and it continued to shine against Oklahoma. The Vols held the Sooners to just 52 points on 31.7% shooting from the field, and forced 16 turnovers.
“I thought our defense was outstanding tonight,” Barnes said. “We did a great job of contesting shots and making it tough for Oklahoma to get good looks at the basket.”
The Vols have now held 11 of their 15 opponents to 60 points or less, and have held five opponents to 50 points or less.
“I think our defense is one of the things that’s going to carry us throughout the season,” Barnes said. “We’re proud of the way our guys are playing on that end of the floor.”
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