Terrence Hill Jr. Scores 19 as No. 11 Tennessee Holds Off Tennessee State, 83-78
The Vols led by 15 in the second half, then committed 17 turnovers, gave up 24 offensive rebounds and needed 27 free throws to survive. Rick Barnes said Tennessee State played harder and was better coached.
Knoxville, Tenn. Terrence Hill Jr. scored 19 points, and No. 11 Tennessee made 27 free throws to hold off Tennessee State 83-78 on Friday night at Food City Center, a win that looked more like a warning than a result.
The Vols (3-0) led by 15 in the second half, according to Tennessee State's game release. Then they turned the ball over, lost the glass and let the Tigers (2-2) cut it to five in the final minute.
Rick Barnes did not dress it up.
Tennessee State played harder. I thought they were better coached. I thought they executed better.Rick Barnes, via Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee 83, Tennessee State 78
- Terrence Hill Jr.
- 19 pts, 4‑8 3PT, 5 ast
- Jalen Haralson
- 15 pts, 7‑10 FT
- Tyler Lundblade
- 14 pts, 9‑9 FT
- Turnovers
- Tennessee 17, TSU 12
- Offensive rebounds
- TSU 24, Tennessee 14
- Free throws
- Tennessee 27‑40, TSU 20‑24
How it unfolded
Tennessee State scored the first five points, opening with a 3-pointer from Knoxville native Deondrea Lindsey, and led 11-5 seven minutes in, Tennessee Volunteers On SI reported. DeWayne Brown II picked up two fouls in the first two minutes, and Miles Rubin had two early as well.
Dai Dai Ames answered by scoring eight straight points, and all 11 of his points came in the first half. Hill tied the game at 23 with an and-one 3-pointer with 8:20 left in the half, then hit another 3 to put Tennessee ahead. The Tigers went more than five minutes without a field goal, and the Vols led 42-37 at halftime.
Tennessee opened the second half on a run and led 51-40 at the 15:25 media timeout. The lead reached 15 before the Vols started giving it back. Brown fouled out with 9:24 left after playing eight minutes, and Haralson also fouled out.
Tennessee State cut a 15-point deficit to 73-66 with 3:38 to go, according to TSU's release, and later got as close as 81-76 with 11 seconds left. Ty-Laur Johnson, who scored a game-high 22, made the final basket, and Tennessee made enough free throws to finish it.
The numbers that should worry Barnes
Tennessee shot 43.4% from the field and held the Tigers to 32.1%, 25 of 78. That is usually a comfortable night. It was not, for three reasons in the box score:
- Offensive rebounds: Tennessee State had 24 of them and outrebounded the Vols 45-43, with Bradshaw grabbing six on the offensive glass.
- Turnovers: Tennessee's 17 turned into 24 Tennessee State points. The Vols scored 13 off TSU's 12.
- Transition: The Tigers won fast-break points 23-10 and points in the paint 30-24.
Barnes tied the turnovers to the lack of a point guard who will run the team. He was blunter about the rebounding and singled out Brown, saying he was disappointed because he believes Brown can play better.
Juke Harris was the exception. He shot 2 of 9 and scored 8, but he grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, and Barnes said that is the trade he wants.
Believe me, I'd take that every night over 25 points. I really would.Rick Barnes, via Rocky Top Insider
Bradshaw contained
The Tigers' former five-star center, Aaron Bradshaw, was held to 5 points on 1-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes before fouling out. His impact came on the glass. Jayden Jones did most of the damage inside instead, scoring all 13 of his points after halftime with nine rebounds off the bench.
Lundblade's first five points came at the line, and he finished 9 of 9 there. Braedan Lue played 31 minutes, the most on the team, and had 6 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists without missing a field goal. Attendance was 18,145.
Box Score
Team Stats
| Stat | Tennessee | Tennessee State |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 23‑53 (43.4%) | 25‑78 (32.1%) |
| 3-pointers | 10‑28 (35.7%) | 8‑30 (26.7%) |
| Free throws | 27‑40 (67.5%) | 20‑24 (83.3%) |
| Rebounds | 43 | 45 |
| Offensive rebounds | 14 | 24 |
| Assists | 19 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 12 |
| Steals | 7 | 9 |
| Blocks | 4 | 4 |
| Points in the paint | 24 | 30 |
| Fast-break points | 10 | 23 |
| Second-chance points | 14 | 12 |
| Points off turnovers | 13 | 24 |
| Bench points | 37 | 30 |
| Fouls | 24 | 26 |
Tennessee
| Player | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence Hill Jr. | 19 | 5‑11 | 4‑8 | 5‑7 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Jalen Haralson | 15 | 4‑8 | 0‑0 | 7‑10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyler Lundblade | 14 | 2‑9 | 1‑7 | 9‑9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dai Dai Ames | 11 | 4‑8 | 3‑6 | 0‑0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Juke Harris | 8 | 2‑9 | 1‑5 | 3‑7 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Braedan Lue | 6 | 3‑3 | 0‑0 | 0‑1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles Rubin | 5 | 2‑2 | 0‑0 | 1‑4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Troy Henderson | 5 | 1‑3 | 1‑2 | 2‑2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DeWayne Brown II | 0 | 0‑0 | 0‑0 | 0‑0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Christian Fermin | 0 | 0‑0 | 0‑0 | 0‑0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 83 | 23‑53 | 10‑28 | 27‑40 | 43 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
Tennessee State Leaders
| Player | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty-Laur Johnson | 22 | 6‑15 | 1‑5 | 9‑9 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Jayden Jones | 13 | 5‑11 | 1‑1 | 2‑2 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Alston | 9 | 2‑10 | 0‑3 | 5‑7 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Arterio Morris | 9 | 4‑16 | 1‑6 | 0‑0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Tennessee's totals include 5 team rebounds and 2 team turnovers. Box score from Tennessee State Athletics.
What's Next
Tennessee hosts Michigan State on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 at Food City Center. Tennessee State plays at South Florida the same night.
Sources: Tennessee State Athletics, Tennessee State vs. Tennessee box score; Tennessee State Athletics, Johnson scores 22 as men's basketball falls 83-78 at No. 11 Tennessee; UTSports.com, No. 11/9 Vols improve to 3-0 with 83-78 win over Tennessee State; Tennessee Volunteers On SI, No. 11 Tennessee men's basketball defeats Tennessee State, 83-78; Rocky Top Insider, Everything Rick Barnes said after narrow win over Tennessee State; ESPN Press Room, ESPN and SEC announce 2026-27 men's basketball schedule
