KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Olivier Nkamhoua scored 20 points and No. 13 Tennessee flexed its defensive muscles in a lopsided 94-40 victory over Alcorn State on Sunday night.
The Volunteers (7-1) also got double-digit point production from Julian Phillips (18), Jahmai Mashack (13), Uros Plavsic (12), Tyreke Key (11) and Zakai Zeigler (10).
Dominic Brewton led the Braves (3-6) with 10 points.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMO
Teams around the country dread playing Tennessee because of the suffocating defense the Vols play. In the specialty measurement for defenses, the Vols lead the country by yielding 83.1 points per 100 possessions. Six times this season, Tennessee has held its opponents to 50 or fewer points. They did it five times all last season. The Vols have yet to trail at halftime this season.
BIG PICTURE
Alcorn State: An upset win at Wichita State and a coming back from a 30-point deficit before ultimately falling against Grand Canyon have proven that the Braves are capable of impressive performances.
Tennessee: With Josiah-Jordan James out with knee soreness the past four games, Santiago Vescovi has taken a leadership role. He was the MVP at the Battle 4 Atlantis and came into this game 12 points shy of being the 54th player to score 1,000 for the Vols. Vescovi ranks sixth in the Southeastern Conference and 22nd nationally with 2.57 steals a game. James played limited minutes while Vescovi sat out with a shoulder injury from the McNeese game.
UP NEXT
Alcorn State: The Braves will have nearly a week off before they return to action on the road against Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Tennessee: The Vols have one more game at home — Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky — before they have two huge battles against Maryland (in the Hall of Fame Classic in New York Dec. 11) then at Arizona (Dec. 17).
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
