Milicic Jr. Leads Vols
photo by UT Athletics
The University of Tennessee men's basketball team turned in a superb second-half performance Wednesday night against Montana, en route to a 92-57 decision at Food City Center.
No. 11/9 Tennessee (3-0) trailed for just 13 seconds and led by double digits for the final 19-plus minutes, as head coach Rick Barnes moved past Don DeVoe for sole possession of second place on the program's all-time wins list (205). Senior forward Igor Milicic Jr., paced the victors with 18 points, adding a game-best 10 rebounds and a co-career-high five assists.
In the opening 4:38 of action, the Volunteers made all six of their field goals, including two from deep, and both their free throws, racing out to a 16-6 lead, capped by seven straight points in 90 seconds. Montana (2-2) responded with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to one, 19-18, with 11:38 to go in the session, but could not pull even or go ahead, as it then went the next 4:35 without a field goal.
Aided by another 7-0 surge late in the half, Tennessee took a nine-point advantage, 40-31, into the locker room and posted a 9-0 margin in fast-break points in the opening half. Each team had one player well eclipse a dozen first-half points; the Volunteers got 14 from Milicic, who shot 4-of-5 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 4-of-4 at the line, while Montana sophomore guard Money Williams put up 16 on respective 4-of-6, 3-of-4 and 5-of-5 ledgers.
The Grizzlies scored the first basket of the second half, but Tennessee countered with 13—eight of them by fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier—of the next 15 points, including yet another 7-0 burst, to go ahead by 18, 53-35, with 16:37 to play. The Volunteers stretched their edge over 20, 58-37, for the first time on a 3-pointer by Lanier with 14:05 to go, making it an 18-4 extended push.
Tennessee, behind six consecutive points from sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, extended its margin as high as 28, 73-45, with 8:10 left. The lead, behind a 13-0 spurt in 3:30 that included nine points from sophomore guard Cameron Carr, reached a game-high 38, 92-54, with 18 ticks remaining. The Grizzlies hit a 3-pointer seconds before the buzzer to make the final differential 35 points.
Milicic, who posted his 12th collegiate double-double and first of the season for Tennessee, finished 6-of-10 from the floor and added a pair of steals. Carr scored a career-best 13 points, shooting 3-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the stripe, chipping in two assists.
Lanier, too, scored 13 points, including 11 after the break, finishing 5-of-8 on field goals, including 3-of-5 on from long range. A third Volunteer, junior forward Felix Okpara, also tallied 13 points, notching a 5-of-7 mark from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 clip on free throws, adding two blocks. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block, with only one turnover in nearly 29 minutes, while shooting 3-of-4 from deep.
Williams tallied a game- and career-best 30 points for the Grizzlies, becoming the first non-conference visitor to hit that mark at Food City Center in nearly a decade. He finished 8-of-15 from the floor, 4-of-7 beyond the arc and 10-of-13 at the line, adding a co-game-high three steals and two assists, while the rest of his team shot 10-of-37 (27.0 percent) and no one else eclipsed six points.
The Volunteers dominated down low throughout the contest, amassing a commanding 38-17 rebounding advantage and a 38-22 cushion in paint points. They also had an eye-popping 20-0 margin in fast-break points, along with a 15-4 edge in points off turnovers and a 29-12 tally in bench points.
Tennessee, which totaled 24 assists shot a scorching 60.8 percent (31-of-51) from the field, its best figure since Jan. 3, 2023. The Volunteers also recorded a 42.9 percent (9-of-21) ledger from deep and an 84.0 percent (21-of-25) clip at the line. It marked the fourth time—all under Barnes—in the last 20 seasons Tennessee accumulated a 60/40/80 shooting line. None of the prior three contests included more than four makes both beyond the arc and at the line.
Up next for the Volunteers is a second straight home contest, this one slated for Sunday at 3 p.m. against Austin Peay, live on SEC Network+ from Food City Center.