Vols' Win Streak Ends With 78-68 Loss At Georgia

Saturday, March 02, 2013 - by special report to chattanoogan.com

ATHENS, Ga. -- Despite an another amazing offensive effort from Jordan McRae, the Vols saw their six-game winning streak come to an end at Stegman Coliseum on Saturday, 78-68.

McRae's 35 points were the most by a Vol in seven years, but it wasn't enough as the rest of the Orange & White combined for 33 points. Tennessee fell to 17-11 and 9-7 in the SEC while Georgia improved to 14-15 and 8-8 in the league in sweeping the season series from the Vols. It was Georgia's first sweep since 2001.

 

The Bulldogs were led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (25 points) and Charles Mann (18 points) as the duo combined for 43 points. Mann made 12 of 14 free throws. Georgia made 22 of 26 attempts overall. Georgia outscored Tennessee, 41-13 in bench points and 30-14 in the paint.

Tennessee falls to sixth place in the SEC, behind Missouri (9-6 SEC), with two games remaining at Auburn and vs. Missouri in the finale at home.

McRae's scoring effort was the best since Chris Lofton also tallied 35 against Texas on Dec. 23, 2006. Lofton was a remarkable 10-of-15 from the floor including 8-of-11 from 3-point range. McRae's eight 3-pointers tie for second-most in a game in UT history behind Lofton's record of nine -- set at Georgia (2/11/2006).

Kenny Hall had 10 points as UT's only other double-figure scorer. Trae Golden (4 points) struggled all night, missing his first nine field goals before connecting on a 3-pointer to finish the game's scoring.

In his homecoming, the Midway native, McRae continued to keep the Vols in reach throughout the second half while the rest of the team struggled to get on target. Skylar McBee finally knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:51 left in regulation to cut the deficit to five at 53-48. Georgia answered back as Caldwell-Pope nailed a 3-pointer with four minutes left, then Charles Mann made a free throw to give the Bulldogs a nine-point lead with 3:47 left. Then Kenny Gaines connected on a 3-pointer with 2:56 left for a 12-point bulge in the Bulldogs favor.

McRae kept UT alive with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 2:30 left in regulation. The second bomb brought UT within six at 64-58.

The Bulldogs were nearly perfect from the line to seal the game, making 9-of-10 foul shots in the final 1:22 as Tennessee saw its winning streak come to an end.

After not converting a field goal for the entire first half, Jarnell Stokes (eight points, 10 rebounds) opened the game's scoring in the second half with a layup 38 seconds into the stanza.

Georgia had six turnovers in the game's first five minutes, but only turned the ball over three times in the final 35 minutes.

After falling behind 7-0, Georgia outscored Tennessee 25-7 over a stretch of 13 minutes to lead 25-22 at halftime. The Vols made just eight field goals in the first half for 29.6 percent. McRae (14 first-half points) had five of the baskets while the remainder of the team was 3-of-19. Stokes and Golden were a combined 0-of-8 from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

McRae scored the final six points of the half as he hit a 3-pointer and converted a 3-point play to bring the Vols back within three at intermission

Tennessee kept Georgia off the board for the game's 4:17 as the Vols opened the contest scoring the first seven points, but the Bulldogs ripped off a 15-4 run to take a 15-11 lead on a Caldwell-Pope layup with 9:23 left in the first half. Georgia continued its offensive charge as the Bulldogs took a 25-14 lead on a 3-pointer by Sherrard Brantley.

The Vols finish their regular-season road schedule at Auburn on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. That game airs on CSS and can be heard on the Vol Network.

OFFICIAL BOXSCORE

VISITORS: Tennessee 17-11 (9-7)
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
05 Stokes,Jarnell...... f  3-7    0-0    2-2    2  8 10   3   8  1  1  0  1  49
01 Richardson,Josh..... g  3-11   0-1    2-2    0  1  1   3   8  1  2  1  2  48
04 Moore,Armani........ g  0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  1  1  0  0  12
11 Golden,Trae......... g  1-10   1-5    1-3    2  3  5   4   4  4  1  0  1  49
52 McRae,Jordan........ g 10-15   8-11   7-7    1  5  6   5  35  3  3  1  1  38
00 Makanjuola,Yemi.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   2
03 Reese,Derek.........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
13 McBee,Skylar........    1-8    1-7    0-0    1  0  1   3   3  0  0  0  1  51
20 Hall,Kenny..........    4-5    0-0    2-2    1  2  3   1  10  0  0  0  0  16
31 Chievous,Quinton....    0-0    0-0    0-0    2  0  2   1   0  0  3  0  0  24
32 Edwards,D'Montre....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
   TEAM................                         3  3  6             1
   Totals..............   22-57  10-25  14-16  12 22 34  23  68 10 12  2  6 293

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-27 29.6%   2nd Half: 14-30 46.7%   Game: 38.6%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-10 30.0%   2nd Half:  7-15 46.7%   Game: 40.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-3  100 %   2nd Half: 11-13 84.6%   Game: 87.5%    0


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Georgia 14-15 (8-8)
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
15 Williams, Donte'.... f  1-4    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   4   2  0  1  4  0  17
32 Florveus, John...... c  1-1    0-0    0-0    1  2  3   3   2  0  3  1  0  40-
01 Caldwell-Pope, Ken.. g  7-18   4-8    7-8    2  7  9   3  25  2  3  1  4  55
11 Williams, Vincent... g  0-0    0-0    2-2    1  0  1   0   2  1  0  0  0  35
23 Brantley, Sherrard.. g  2-5    2-4    0-0    1  0  1   0   6  1  1  0  0  26
04 Mann, Charles.......    3-9    0-1   12-14   2  2  4   3  18  8  0  0  2  42
05 Dixon, Tim..........    2-4    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   0   4  0  0  0  1  11
12 Gaines, Kenny.......    3-7    2-3    1-1    1  0  1   2   9  1  0  0  0   8
31 Morris, Brandon.....    1-1    0-0    0-1    0  1  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   9
41 Cannon, John........    1-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   3
42 Djurisic, Nemanja...    3-6    0-0    0-0    2  5  7   1   6  3  1  1  0  46
   TEAM................                         1  3  4
   Totals..............   24-56   8-16  22-26  13 25 38  16  78 16  9  7  7 292

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0%   2nd Half: 14-31 45.2%   Game: 42.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-8  37.5%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half: 20-24 83.3%   Game: 84.6%    1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Anthony Jordan, Patrick Evans, Forrest Sigler
Technical fouls: Tennessee-None. Georgia-None.
Attendance: 9436
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Tennessee.....................   22    46  -   68
Georgia.......................   25    53  -   78

Points in the paint-UT 14,UGA 30. Points off turnovers-UT 12,UGA 13.
2nd chance points-UT 17,UGA 14. Fast break points-UT 0,UGA 4.
Bench points-UT 13,UGA 41. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-3 times.
Last FG-UT 2nd-00:16, UGA 2nd-00:35.
Largest lead-UT by 7 1st-16:05, UGA by 14 2nd-00:35.

 

 

Hefflinger Emerges As Braves' Top Power Prospect

Rob Hefflinger's pro career began like a house afire. But all too often, when the initial heat diminishes, all you have left is an ice cold player whose days quickly become numbered. For a time, the Gainesville born-and-raised outfielder seemed headed to the cooler, but instead, the 6-4, 220 righty hitter has emerged as the farm system's top power prospect. Hefflinger, the ... (click for more)

Baylor Beats St. Benedict, 7-2, To Earn Spot In Softball Title Game

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Baylor’s Lady Red Raiders beat St. Benedict on Friday to earn a spot in the Division II-AA state softball championship game. Baylor (33-7) rode the four-hit pitching of Sarah Moore and an 11-hit attack – three different players each had two hits – to a 7-2 win over St. Benedict at the Starplex softball complex. The Lady Raiders will play Pope John ... (click for more)

Lee, 5 Juveniles Charged In Multiple Robberies

Police have arrested an 18-year-old, four 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old in connection with several back-to-back robberies. At approximately 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, four suspects were interrupted by the homeowner during a burglary at 1069 Hurricane Creek Dr. The suspects then carjacked the victim’s 2001 Chevy truck. At 11 p.m., the suspects utilized the stolen Chevy and went ... (click for more)

Head Of BB&T's Chattanooga Commercial Banking Operations To Plead Guilty To Making Fraudulent Loans

The head of BB&T's Chattanooga commercial banking operations has been charged by federal authorities with making fraudulent loans. Tracy Brown is set to plead guilty to bank fraud on June 4. Authorities said Brown "appropriated the identities of three customers and took out fraudulent loans in their names. In October 2012, a customer of BB&T, D.M., went to the Ooltewah ... (click for more)

Immigration Reform

We do not have to pander to those in our country who were not invited and made their way here on their own. They are here against our laws that are already on the books which are not enforced.  They do not have negotiation rights to dictate to the United States government nor does our government have the right to pick and choose which laws are to be enforced or ignored so ... (click for more)

Roy Exum: So How Am I Really Doing?

I’ve gotten hundreds of jokes since Tuesday when I wrote about feeling a little puny lately and expressing my belief that laughter is the best medicine. After breaking some bones in my arm as I slept last week and having no idea there were already some other fractures, it looked pretty certain I had a case of “The Big C.” I’ve always felt that stands for “courage” but the medical ... (click for more)