The #5/4 Tennessee Volunteers staged a dramatic comeback on Wednesday night, rallying from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 81-76 at Memorial Gymnasium.

 – The #5/4 Tennessee Volunteers staged a dramatic comeback on Wednesday night, rallying from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 81-76 at Memorial Gymnasium.

 

The Vols, who trailed 42-26 at halftime, used a 25-8 run to start the second half to take the lead and never looked back. The comeback was fueled by the Vols’ stifling defense, which held Vanderbilt to just 34% shooting in the second half.

 

“I’m so proud of our guys for the way they responded in the second half,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. “We were down 16 at halftime, but we didn’t give up. We kept fighting and playing together, and it paid off in the end.”

 

The Vols were led by senior guard Santiago Vescovi, who scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the second half. Vescovi also added 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and was a key factor in the Vols’ comeback.

 

“Santi was huge for us tonight,” said Barnes. “He made some big shots and played great defense. He’s a senior leader, and he showed it tonight.”

 

The Commodores were led by senior guard Tyrin Lawrence, who scored 20 points and added 5 rebounds. Vanderbilt also got 18 points and 7 rebounds from junior forward Quentin Millora-Brown.

 

Despite the loss, Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse was proud of his team’s effort.

 

“I thought our guys played with great heart and energy tonight,” said Stackhouse. “We just couldn’t sustain it for 40 minutes. Tennessee is a great team, and they made some big plays down the stretch to win it.”

 

The win was Tennessee’s 10th in a row, and improved their record to 22-4 overall and 11-2 in the SEC. The Vols will look to extend their winning streak on Saturday, when they host the Missouri Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena.

 

“We’re feeling good right now, but we know we can’t let up,” said Vescovi. “We’ve got to keep playing together and staying focused if we want to achieve our goals.”

 

The Commodores, who fell to 13-12 overall and 6-6 in the SEC, will look to bounce back on Saturday, when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks at Memorial Gymnasium.

 

“We’ll learn from this one and move on,” said Stackhouse. “We’ve got to keep fighting and playing together if we want to make a run in the SEC tournament.”

 

Box Score:

 

Tennessee – 81

Vanderbilt – 76

 

FG%: Tennessee 45.5%, Vanderbilt 43.1%

 

3PT%: Tennessee 40.9%, Vanderbilt 33.3%

 

FT%: Tennessee 80.0%, Vanderbilt 73.3%

 

Rebounds: Tennessee 35, Vanderbilt 34

 

Assists: Tennessee 17, Vanderbilt 12

 

Turnovers: Tennessee 11, Vanderbilt 14

 

Steals: Tennessee 7, Vanderbilt 5

 

Blocks: Tennessee 4, Vanderbilt 2

 

Notes:

 

– The Tennessee Volunteers have won 10 consecutive games, their longest winning streak since the 2007-08 season.

– The Vols have won 5 consecutive games against Vanderbilt, their longest winning streak against the Commodores since the 1999-2000 season.

– Santiago Vescovi’s 22 points were a season-high, and his 17 points in the second half were a career-high for points in a half.