KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team turned a one-point halftime deficit into an 18-point victory, 74-56, Wednesday night against No. 23 Georgia.
In the first-ever AP top-25 matchup between the two long-time conference foes, sixth-ranked Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC) dominated the second half to remain undefeated this season at Food City Center. In a contest during which he broke the program’s career steals record, Zakai Zeigler had 16 points, a game-leading seven assists and a career-best six steals, while fellow senior guard Jordan Gainey scored a game-high 19 points.
The entire first half was played within a one-possession window either way for all but 17 seconds, as both teams struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end. Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) took the largest lead of the stanza when it went ahead by five, 26-21, with 1:12 on the timer.
On the next possession, the Volunteers snapped a drought of 7:02 without a field goal and then tacked on another basket on their next trip down the floor, making it a one-point margin, 26-25, at the break. Tennessee shot 27.3 percent (9-of-33) in the first frame, but grabbed 12 of its misses—all in the first 14 minutes—and conceded half as many offensive boards at the other end, plus forced nine turnovers and committed only five.
The Volunteers scored the first seven points after the intermission, making it an 11-0 run over 4:07 dating to the final minute of the first half, to go in front by six, 32-26, with 16:48 to play. The onslaught continued from there, as Tennessee pushed its margin all the way to 21, 51-30, at the 12:30 mark.
The burst featured another 11-0 surge, this one in just 70 seconds and capped with back-to-back 3-pointers by Zeigler, to conclude a 30-4 extended run over just 7:25 of action. The Volunteers made six consecutive field goals to end the stretch, during which Zeigler also tied, broke and extended the school’s all-time steals record.
The Bulldogs responded with nine straight points in just 1:12, cutting their deficit to a dozen, 51-39, with 10:52 to go. The margin remained 12 with under six minutes to play, but Tennessee once again went on a commanding run to regain full control. It made six consecutive shots, the latter four of which created a 9-0 run in 100 seconds to push the lead back up to 21, 72-51, with 3:48 on the ticker.
The Volunteers took their largest advantage of the evening, 74-52, with 1:32 to go. Georgia scored the last four points to make it an 18-point final margin.
Zeigler became just the sixth SEC player in the last 15 seasons (2010-25) to record his 16-point, seven-assist, six-steal line, including the first since Feb. 22, 2022. The Long Island, N.Y., native, who upped his career steals mark to 215 to exceed Santiago Vescovi’s record by three, also became the first Volunteer since Nov. 30, 2021, to log at least a half-dozen steals in a single contest. In the second half alone, Zeigler compiled 11 points, five assists and four steals, while shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc with all three makes in the span of just 71 seconds.
Gainey’s 19 points, his second-most as a Volunteer and four shy of his season best, came on a 6-of-12 clip from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 ledger at the stripe. He scored 14 points in the final 16 minutes alone and he added a co-career-high seven rebounds to his line.
Senior guard Jahmai Mashack posted a season-best 11 points and made all five of his field goals, becoming the first Tennessee player since Feb. 25, 2023, to make five-plus shots from the floor without a miss. Sophomore forward Cade Phillips added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a co-career-high three assists, while senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, a game-best eight rebounds, three assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
Freshman forward Asa Newell led Georgia with 13 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Silas Demery Jr., scored 12 points on a 4-of-7 long-range clip. No other Bulldog eclipsed eight points in the affair.
Tennessee shot 57.6 percent (19-of-33) from the field, including 41.7 percent (5-of-12) beyond the arc, in the second half. It went a perfect 10-of-10 from the line in the win, its first unblemished mark on free throws since the 2023-24 season opener against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 6, 2023.
The Volunteers had a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers and a 13-7 cushion in fast-break points, buoyed by forcing 19 giveaways and committing only 10. They had 11 steals in the triumph, one shy of their season best.
Up next for Tennessee is an in-state road trip to Nashville, Tenn., where it meets Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium, with action slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on 103.1FM WIKQ with coverage beginning at 3pm.
