NEW YORK (AP) — Chaz Lainer scored 22 points, and No. 1 Tennessee beat struggling Miami 75-62 on Tuesday night at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden.
Igor Milicic Jr. added 16 and nine rebounds for the Volunteers, who took the top spot in the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since February 2019. Zakai Zeigler added 13 points and nine assists for Tennessee, which pulled away late in the first half and withstood a Miami comeback attempt for its first 9-0 start since 2000-01.
Lynn Kidd scored 14 as the Hurricanes (3-8) dropped their seventh straight game. Nyjel Pack added 12 and AJ Station-McCray added 11 for Miami, which shot 39.3%.
The Hurricanes held a two-point lead on a hook shot by Kidd with 7:52 remaining in the first half. The Volunteers never trailed after Ziegler hit three free throws 30 seconds later to start a 14-0 run.
Takeaways
Tennessee: The Volunteers won their ninth straight by double digits and looked the part of a top-ranked team.
Miami: The Hurricanes started decently by making four of their first seven 3s but finished 8 of 33.
Key moment
Miami made a comeback and cut the deficit to 63-56 with 5:36 left but Milicic hit an open 3 nearly a minute later and Lainer coasted in for a layup to put the Volunteers back up by double digits on the next possession.
Key stat
Tennessee made 10 3-pointers, the third straight game it hit at least 10 and fifth time overall.
Up next
The Volunteers play their second game as the top-ranked team when they visit Illinois on Saturday. The Hurricanes host Presbyterian on Sunday.
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