NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Chaz Lanier scored 26 points and Igor Milicic Jr. had 14 points and eight rebounds against his former team as No. 11 Tennessee pulled away from Virginia in the second half for a 64-42 win at the Baha Mar Championship on Thursday night.
The Volunteers found themselves locked in a tight contest going to the locker room, their lead trimmed to 22-21 when Virginia’s Andrew Rohde hit a long, straightaway three in the final seconds of the half.
After the break, the Volunteers grabbed control of the game, taking advantage of misses and turnovers to turn the contest into a rout.
Dai Dai Ames led the Cavaliers with 12 points and Rohde added eight, but UVA shot just 28.6% from the floor. Tennessee held leading scorer Isaac McKneely to four points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Takeaways
Virginia: In its first major test of the Ron Sanchez interim era, UVA’s deliberate style and defensive intensity kept things interesting before getting overwhelmed by a superior opponent in the second half.
Tennessee: The Volunteers shook off a shaky first half and took control physically in the second. Tennessee outscored UVA 19-5 in second-chance points and had eight steals, using its size and athleticism to dominate.
Key moment
Tennessee asserted itself with a 9-0 run early in the second half, aided by three Virginia turnovers. That surge swelled the margin to 37-24 with 13:06 left and, though the Cavaliers tried to hang around, the outcome was decided.
Key stat
Virginia’s poor shooting was a problem, but maybe not as much as its 18 turnovers that led to 30 Tennessee points.
Up next
Tennessee faces Baylor in the championship game Friday at 9:30 p.m., while Virginia draws St. John’s in the consolation matchup Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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