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HomeSportsTennessee Vols Basketball beats Chattanooga at Thompson-Boling Arena, 58-46

Tennessee Vols Basketball beats Chattanooga at Thompson-Boling Arena, 58-46

Tennessee Volunteers - UT VolsKnoxville, TN – Led by double-double performances from Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden, No. 17 Tennessee Vols Basketball claimed to a 58-46 victory over Chattanooga Monday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.

With the win over the Mocs (3-3), the Vols (5-0) extended their nation-leading home win streak to 30 games, which is three wins longer than the next closest team in the country.

The double-double was the first for Turner in his collegiate career. He finished the night with a game-high 12 assists to go along with a game-high 17 points. It was the first double-double for any Tennessee player this season, and he accomplished the feat at the 17:13 mark of the second half.

Tennessee Men's Basketball senior Lamonte Turner had 17 points and 12 assists in win over Chattanooga, Monday night. (UT Athletics)
Tennessee Men’s Basketball senior Lamonte Turner had 17 points and 12 assists in win over Chattanooga, Monday night. (UT Athletics)

Less than 10 minutes later, Bowden recorded his first collegiate double-double with his 10th rebound at the 8:07 mark in the second half. He finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

It was the second time in the Rick Barnes era that two Vols recorded a double-double in the same game.

For the second consecutive game, freshman guard Josiah-Jordan James pulled down double-digit rebounds. He totaled 11 rebounds in the triumph, including a game-high four on the offensive glass.

Despite the stellar performances from the Vols’ backcourt trio, Chattanooga kept the game within three buckets until midway through the second half.

Tennessee held the Mocs without a point for a stretch of 4:28 to extend its lead to 16 points with 5:33 remaining in the game. It was UT’s largest lead of the night. From then on, UT led by double digits.

With the Vols holding a narrow 8-6 advantage at the 13:53 mark of the first half, they clamped down defensively. Over the next 5:28 of the game, the Mocs were held scoreless as Tennessee built its lead up to 10 points.

Bowden helped pace Tennessee offensively, scoring the team’s first five points of the game. He was 5-of-8 from the field, including a pair of blocks and assists.

His backcourt mate, Turner, dished out eight assists in the first half to go along with six points. It was the second time this season Turner had eight or more assists in a half. He also had eight assists in the second half of the Murray State game on November 12th en route to a career-high 14 assists.

A whopping 91.67 percent of the Vols’ field goals came via an assist in the first half (11 of 12).

Double-Double Vision

A game after crossing the 1000-point barrier together, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden both notched their first career double-double in the win over Chattanooga.

Turner’s 17-point and 12-assist performance marked the 24th time in program history a player reached double-figures in both points and assists.

All 12 of Bowden’s rebounds came on the defensive glass.

This Is Our House

With the victory, Tennessee extended its home winning streak to 30 games, the longest active streak in Division I.

It marked the third time in program history the Vols have had a home win streak of 30 or more games.

The 37-game win streak from 2006-09 and a 33-game win streak from 1966-68 stand as the only longer home win streaks in program history.

Winning Ways

Head Coach Rick Barnes is now just five wins away from becoming the 22nd coach in NCAA history to reach 700 victories in his career.

During Barnes five years on Rocky Top, the Vols now hold a 53-14 record as a ranked team (per the AP poll).

Moving On Up

Turner’s 12 assists pushed his career total to 315, tying Brandon Wharton (1995-99) for the 14th-most assists in program history. The most recent Vol to crack the top 15 was 2019 NBA Draft pick Jordan Bone, who finished with 405 total assists in his three-year career.

Turner’s 9.2 assist per game this season have him on track to pass Bone and to land in the top five in Tennessee history.

Next Up For Tennessee Vols Basketball

The Tennessee Men’s basketball team travels to Niceville, Florida, for the Emerald Coast Classic. The Vols are set to face Florida State in the opening game on Friday at 6:00pm CT. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

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