Knoxville, TN – A career-high 30 points from freshman Jaden Springer and an efficient night from the field pushed the 16th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team past Georgia, 89-81, on Wednesday, February 10th at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Springer’s 30 points are the most by a Tennessee (14-4, 7-4 SEC) freshman since Grant Williams poured in 30 points against Georgia on February 11th, 2017, and mark the first time a Tennessee player has scored 30-plus points since Williams scored 43 on January 23rd, 2019.
Georgia (12-7, 5-7 SEC) was led in scoring by K.D. Johnson who closed the night with 22 points and three rebounds.
Sophomore Josiah-Jordan James dropped in a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, pulled in six rebounds, dished out a trio of assists, and recorded a pair of blocks and steals to stuff the stat sheet on Wednesday.
Sophomore Santiago Vescovi added in 19 points and six rebounds of his own while converting on all eight of his attempts from the free-throw line—with multiple buckets coming in the nights late stages.
Freshman Keon Johnson finished with 11 points and a highlight-reel posterization to help spark the Vols in the second half.
Tennessee controlled the nights opening 15 minutes, holding Georgia to a 36 percent shooting mark from the field while shooting 58 percent themselves and holding the early 31-21 advantage.
The remainder of the half was an abundance of buckets for UT who outscored Georgia 13-5 over the final five minutes, taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.
The UT Vols eight first half 3-pointers were the most attempts they had converted from 3-point range in a single half all season.
The Orange & white continued to dictate the pace in the second half, stretching their lead to as many as 23 in the first 10 minutes of the frame.
UT withstood Georgia’s late push, remaining steady at the charity stripe to walk away with the eight-point victory.
Jaden’s Night: Along with his 30 points, Jaden Springer pulled down four rebounds, nabbed a season-high-tying three steals, recorded a pair of assists, and finished the night with a team-best +15 plus/minus rating.
Box Score
Georgia 81, Tennessee 89
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 55 | 81 | |
| 44 | 45 | 89 |
Next Up For Tennessee Men’s Basketball
The Tennessee Vols basketball team hits the road this weekend for a Saturday matinee contest with LSU. Tipoff from Baton Rouge is slated for 1:00pm CT on ESPN2.
