KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP)- Grant Williams scored 25 points and Robert Hubbs III added 21 on Saturday as Tennessee breezed to a 90-70 victory over Missouri.
Tennessee (15-12, 7-7 SEC) won for just the second time in its last five games. Missouri (7-19, 2-12) has dropped two straight since a three-game stretch in which it earned its first two SEC wins of the season.
Admiral Schofield scored 17 points and Shembari Phillips had 10 for Tennessee. Terrence Phillips scored 18 points, Jordan Barnett had 11 and Kevin Puryear added 10 for Missouri.
The Volunteers have struggled to preserve double-digit leads this season but capitalized on an early 16-2 run to stay in control of this one pretty much from start to finish.
After Missouri’s Cullen VanLeer gave Missouri a 2-0 lead 54 seconds into the game, the Tigers wouldn’t get another basket for over eight minutes. Tennessee scored 13 straight points during one portion of that Missouri drought.
The Vols led 33-15 late in the first half before Missouri went on an 11-0 spurt to get back into the game. Tennessee responded with a five-point possession, as Lamonte Turner hit a 3-pointer and Williams sank two free throws after getting fouled away from the ball.
Tennessee was in front 41-28 at halftime and led by as many as 24 in the second half.
Williams and Schofield were models of efficiency as they consistently got to the free-throw line for Tennessee. Williams needed just 12 field-goal attempts to get his 25 points, as he went 12 of 13 on free throws. Schofield scored his 17 points by shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 7 of 10 from the line.
BIG PICTURE
Missouri: Saturday’s game represented a reunion of sorts for Barnett and Texas coach Rick Barnes. Barnett played 21 games and averaged 1.9 points in 2014-15 for a Texas team that was coached by Barnes.
Tennessee: Hubbs broke out of a slump to give the Vols a big boost. Hubbs entered the day averaging a team-high 14 points but had exceeded the 11-point mark in just one of his last six games. He had 11 points by halftime Saturday. Hubbs had eight rebounds to go along with his 21 points.
UP NEXT
Missouri: Hosts No. 13 Kentucky on Tuesday.
Tennessee: Hosts Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
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