Indianapolis, IN – Offensive struggles in the opening half plagued the Tennessee basketball team Friday, as it fell to Oregon State, 70-56, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The loss ended the Volunteers’ season, while Oregon State (18-12) advances to face the winner of Oklahoma State and Liberty in Sunday’s second round.
Tennessee (18-9) was led in scoring by freshman Keon Johnson who totaled 14 points. Johnson also finished the day with six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists.
Fellow freshman Jaden Springer and sophomore Santiago Vescovi also scored in double figures, adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Sophomore guard Josiah-Jordan James, added five points and was a beast on the boards, pulling in 13 rebounds, with four coming on the offensive glass.
His performance tied for the fifth-most rebounds ever by a Vol in the NCAA Tournament, tying Jarnell Stokes, who reeled in 13 in Tennessee’s First Four victory over Iowa on March 19th, 2014.
Oregon State dealt the game’s opening strikes with multiple buckets from 3-point range and a stifling defensive effort that gave the Beavers an 18-7 lead with close to 10 minutes to play in the first half.
The Beavers continued to put it on the Vols, extending their lead to as many as 19, but a Bailey 3-pointer and a transition layup from Johnson at the buzzer sent the Vols into the locker room with a bit of momentum, despite trailing 33-19.
Out of the break, Oregon State remained in control, never letting its lead dip below double-digits across the first 10 minutes of the second half.
In the contest’s final stages, the Beavers held off Tennessee’s late flurry to cement the contest’s final score.
