KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team turned in a 95-56 victory Saturday afternoon against Northern Kentucky at Food City Center.
No. 18/17 Tennessee (2-0) led by 20-plus for the final 21 minutes and got a game-high 23 points from forward Nate Ament, the most by a freshman for the Volunteers since Nov. 24, 2022.
After Northern Kentucky (1-1) took an early 10-5 lead, the Volunteers responded by not allowing a point for 5:27 and forcing seven straight missed field goals. They went on a 13-0 run during that stretch and eventually extended the spurt to 18-2 over 5:35, making the score 23-12 with 11:12 on the timer.
Tennessee shortly thereafter used a 13-2 burst in just 1:55—it featured 3-pointers by three different players—to take an 18-point advantage, 41-23, with 6:25 left in the half. The margin ballooned as high as 23 and the home team ultimately took a 52-31 cushion into the break.
The Volunteers went 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from 3-point range in the opening session and logged assists on 17 of their 20 made field goals.
Ament scored the first four points of the second frame to put his team up by 25, 56-31, with 18:23 remaining. Later in the stanza, he notched the final eight points of a 10-0 run over just 1:36 to put Tennessee ahead by a then-game-best 30, 73-43, with 11:53 to go.
The Volunteers’ final margin of 39 marked their largest lead of the day, as they scored the last 14 points over the closing four-and-a-half minutes.
Ament, who shot 6-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-10 at the line, scored 15 of his points during a second half in which he went 4-of-5 and a perfect 7-of-7, respectively. He added eight rebounds, a co-game-best five assists and two steals to a stellar line. Only two other Volunteers and five other SEC freshmen—Kennedy Chandler is on both lists—in the last 20 years (2006-26) have compiled 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in a contest.
Senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie gave Tennessee two 20-point scorers for the first time since March 16, 2025, as he finished with exactly 20 on an 8-of-14 clip that included a 4-of-10 mark from deep. Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella had career highs in points (17) and rebounds (11), the latter of which matched senior forward Felix Okpara for the game high.
Senior guard Donovan Oday and graduate forward Kael Robinson tallied 14 points apiece to co-lead the Norse. Robinson added eight rebounds, a team best.
The Volunteers excelled shooting the ball in all three areas, finishing with a 34-of-65 (52.3 percent) ledger from the floor, a 41.4 percent (12-of-29) mark on 3-pointers and a 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) count at the stripe. Northern Kentucky, at the other end, notched respective marks of just 21-of-58 (36.2 percent), 9-of-30 (30.0 percent) and 5-of-13 (38.5 percent).
The victors, who had a 42-22 edge in paint points and a 37-9 margin in bench points, amassed their 38th straight non-conference home win to, per Elias Sports Bureau, match the second-longest streak in program history.
The Volunteers are back in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a matchup with North Florida, live on SEC Network+ from Food City Center.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
