DURHAM, N.C. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team fell at second-ranked Duke, 103-64, Tuesday evening in a top-10 exhibition clash at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
No. 8/9 Tennessee could not climb back after an offensive onslaught by the home team in the opening minutes. Senior guard Dai Dai Ames paced the Volunteers with 19 points in the setback.
The Blue Devils, who forced misses on Tennessee’s first five field-goal attempts, scored 15 straight points in 4:13 to claim and early 17-2 lead after 5:25 of action. During that early surge, which extended to 27-4 to put Duke up by 23 with 10:49 on the timer, the Volunteers lost junior guard Terrence Hill Jr., to a left ankle injury for the remainder of the contest.
Tennessee scored the next six points to make it 29-12 with 9:53 left in the half, but could not claim any further momentum to chip away beyond that. Duke ultimately took a 54-30 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
The shorthanded Volunteers, with four players unavailable for the final 35-plus minutes and five out for the last 17-plus, were unable to get any closer in the second half. Although their field-goal shooting improved in the latter stanza, Duke remained hot from the floor at the other end.
Ames’ 19 points came on 8-of-16 shooting, while two teammates joined him in double figures. Sophomore guard Troy Henderson, who did not play the last 17-plus minutes due to a right ankle injury, finished with 10 on and 3-of-6 field-goal clip, while junior guard Juke Harris also scored 10 points. Junior forward Braedan Lue led the game with eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Deron Rippey Jr., scored a game-best 21 points for the Blue Devils, finishing 9-of-12 from the floor, and led all players with three steals. Senior guard John Blackwell tallied 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, along with five rebounds, while sophomore guard/forward Dame Sarr logged 15 points on a 6-of-9 ledger.
Junior center Patrick Ngongba II posted 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the two-time reigning ACC championships. Sophomore guard/forward Sebastian Wilkins and freshman forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje had 11 points apiece.
Duke shot 54.5 percent (36-of-66) on field goals and 90.5 percent (19-of-21) on free throws in the home victory.
The Volunteers begin the regular season Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., when they host Wofford at Food City Center, live on SEC Network.
