DeWayne Brown II Goes 17 and 17 as No. 8 Tennessee Pulls Away From Wofford, 90-59

Knoxville, Tenn. DeWayne Brown II had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and No. 8 Tennessee turned a three-point halftime lead into a 90-59 rout of Wofford in Tuesday night's season opener at Food City Center.

Terrence Hill Jr. matched Brown with 17 points, and Tyler Lundblade made 4 of 9 3-pointers for 12. The Vols (1-0) shot 52.3% from the field and outscored the Terriers 56-28 in the second half, according to the AP.

It was the first game that counted for a roster rebuilt almost entirely through the transfer portal, and it came after exhibition losses to Xavier and Duke, both by double digits.

The run that decided it

For 20 minutes this looked like the team from the exhibitions. Wofford outrebounded Tennessee in the first half, per the AP, and a stretch of almost eight minutes in which Hill's 3-point play was Tennessee's only score helped the Terriers put together a 6-0 run. Chace Watley's layup gave Wofford its first lead with 10:29 left in the half, according to Field Level Media.

Lundblade kept the Vols afloat. He hit two 3-pointers in the first five minutes and a third from the top of the key to tie it at 18. Hill had 11 points by halftime and made two free throws for the 34-31 edge at the break.

The second half belonged to Tennessee from the first possession. The Vols opened on a 20-5 run, with Miles Rubin scoring six points, including two dunks, and Lundblade and Juke Harris each hitting a 3-pointer, per Field Level Media. Hill's steal and breakaway layup made it 54-36.

The AP measured the whole stretch as a 36-10 run across the first 14 minutes of the half. Christian Fermin's layup late made it 90-58, the largest lead of the night.

Brown on the glass

Brown was the steadiest player on the floor. He went 7 of 11 from the field and 3 of 3 at the line in 31 minutes, and 5 of his 17 rebounds came on the offensive end, according to the ESPN box score. He also had three assists and two blocks. Field Level Media noted he is the team's only returning post player.

His work inside set the tone for a lopsided paint battle. Tennessee scored 52 points in the lane to Wofford's 24 and had 27 fast-break points to the Terriers' six.

Rotation notes

Barnes started Brown, Rubin, Jalen Haralson, Dai Dai Ames and Lundblade, per the ESPN box score. Two of the biggest names in the portal class came off the bench.

• Hill: 17 points in 22 minutes on 6-of-13 shooting, 5 of 5 at the line and 0 of 6 from 3. He also had three assists and two steals. It was his first game since he left the Oct. 20 exhibition at Duke with an apparent left ankle injury, as reported by Saturday Down South.
• Harris: 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 26 minutes, the second-most minutes on the team behind Brown.
• Lundblade: 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, all of his makes from 3, in 22 minutes.
• Troy Henderson: 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2 of 4 from deep, in 12 minutes.
• Rubin: 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

Haralson finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds, and Ames had 6 points in 20 minutes. Thirteen Vols played.

The defensive numbers are what Barnes will want to see more of. Wofford shot 31% from the field and 6 of 27 from 3, a sharp turn from the exhibitions, when defense was the missing piece, according to the AP.

Cam Lowe led Wofford (0-1) with 14 points. Cutter Sisk and Chris Arias each scored 10, and Evan Ramsey had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

What's next

Tennessee hosts Radford on Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, according to ESPN's schedule.

Tennessee State follows on Nov. 13. Then comes the first real measuring stick of the season: Michigan State visits Food City Center on Nov. 17.

Sources: Field Level Media, No. 8 Tennessee uses second-half wave to down Wofford; AP via La Nacion, DeWayne Brown II 17 and 17 as No. 8 Tennessee beats Wofford; ESPN box score, Wofford at Tennessee; ESPN, Tennessee men's basketball schedule; Saturday Down South, Terrence Hill Jr. suffers apparent ankle injury vs. Duke