Local Teams

Freshman Jaden Springer scored a career-high 30 points and sophomore Josiah-Jordan James added a career-best 18 points to lead the No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers to an 89-81 victory over visiting Georgia on Wednesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

Santiago Vescovi had 19 points and six rebounds and Keon Johnson added 11 points for the Volunteers (14-4, 7-4 SEC), who won for the fourth time in five games.

Springer was 9-for-11 from the field, 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. James went 5-for-8 shooting from the field, 2-for-4 from the 3-point line and 6-for-7 from the free throw line.

For Georgia, K.D. Johnson scored a team-high 22 points, Toumani Camara had 14 points and eight rebounds and Sahvir Wheeler added 11 points and five assists. The Bulldogs (12-7, 5-7) ended a three-game winning streak.

Tennessee put on a show offensively by shooting 27-for-52 from the field, including 10-for-24 from beyond the arc, as five Volunteers sank at least one 3-pointer, led by Springer and Vescovi, who each made three from long range.

The Volunteers overwhelmed Georgia, which shot 28-for-62 from the field and just 5-for-19 on 3-pointers, in addition to committing 18 turnovers that Tennessee turned into 18 points.

Tennessee took control with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Leading 26-21, the Vols ended the half on an 18-5 run to take a 44-26 lead at intermission.

The Volunteers dominated Georgia in nearly every facet of the game in the opening 20 minutes.

Tennessee shot 16-for-29 (55.2 percent) from the field and 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) from the 3-point line, led by Vescovi and Springer, who went a combined 5-for-7 from long range.

Springer scored 12 points in the first half, while Vescovi added 11 and James added nine.

Meanwhile, Georgia's first-half offense was the opposite of the Volunteers'. The Bulldogs' poor shooting and sloppy play prevented them from finding any rhythm offensively. The Bulldogs shot just 10-for-29 (34.5 percent), including 3-for-10 from beyond the arc, and committed 11 turnovers that the Vols turned into seven points.

The Volunteers led by as many as 23 in the second half and Georgia didn't get to within six points the rest of the way in a near-wire-to-wire win. The Vols fell behind 2-0 and didn't trail again after Vescovi hit a 3-pointer on the Vols' ensuing possession.

--Field Level Media