#9/10 Vols Defeat Lenoir-Rhyne, 90-48, in Exhibition Finale

Tuesday, October 31

Knoxville, TN

6:30 PM

University of Tennessee

0-0,0-0SEC

Lenoir-Rhyne

0-0,0-0SAC

Lenoir-Rhyne

Tennessee

#9/10 Vols Defeat Lenoir-Rhyne, 90-48, in Exhibition Finale

October 31, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score VIDEO: Rick Barnes Postgame VIDEO: Tobe Awaka & J.P. Estrella Postgame VIDEO: Lenoir-Rhyne Postgame Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team turned in a dominant showing Tuesday night at the Food City Center, rolling to a 90-48 wire-to-wire exhibition victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.

Junior forward Jonas Aidoo registered a team-best 14 points for No. 9/10 Tennessee in its first home action of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Volunteers connected on six of their first seven shots, including all three attempts from deep, and built a commanding 15-0 advantage after just 3:41 of play. Tennessee continued its strong shooting and, buoyed by eight straight makes, opened the contest 18-of-24 from the field, building a 45-15 edge with 4:22 on the first-half clock.

Lenoir-Rhyne scored five of the last nine points of the half and Tennessee took a 49-20 cushion into the intermission behind 65.5 percent (19-of-29) shooting.

Midway through the second session, Tennessee scored eight consecutive points, including back-to-back 3-pointers by junior guards Jordan Gainey and Jahmai Mashack, in under a minute to earn its first 40-point lead, 80-40, with 6:39 to go.

The Volunteers went on to extend their margin as high as 43 en route to the 42-point decision in front of over 16,203 fans on Halloween.

Aidoo, who blocked three shots, went 5-of-7 from the floor and connected on his lone 3-point attempt. Three other Volunteers joined him in double figures in the victory.

Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht tallied 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Gainey matched his point total on a 5-of-9 mark, adding a co-team-high four assists. Sophomore forward Tobe Awaka added 11 points in just nine minutes. Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James and freshman guard Cameron Carr both logged nine points and a co-team-best seven rebounds.

Graduate student guard Nas Tyson finished as Lenoir-Rhyne's lone double-digit scorer, recording a game-high 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including a 2-of-3 clip from deep. Only one other Bear had over five points, as freshman guard Conner Tilley totaled nine.

The Volunteers finished the night 37-of-63 (58.7 percent) from the field and 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) at the line, while holding Lenoir-Rhyne to just an 18-of-71 (25.4 percent) ledger on field goals. The victors also had a 46-32 edge on the glass and a 22-10 margin in assists, as well as 50-12 and 26-8 tallies in paint points and fast-break points, respectively.

Tennessee begins the 2023-24 regular season Monday at 6:30 p.m. against Tennessee Tech, live on SEC Network+ from the 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.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tuesday marked the first game for the Volunteers on a new floor at their home venue and their first in the arena since it was renamed the Food City Center.
• This is the first time in Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes' nine-year tenure the Volunteers have played an exhibition game in Knoxville after previously playing one away from home.
• Barnes and director of player development Bryan Lentz are both Lenor-Rhyne alumni and Lentz's father, John, is both a former Lenoir-Rhyne head coach and ex-college roommate of Barnes.
• Tennessee played without two returning starters in fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi (family matter) and junior guard Zakai Zeigler (recovering from injury).
• In his first outing at the Food City Center, Gainey scored the team's first unofficial points in the arena this season on a jump-shot just 14 seconds after tip-off.
• Tennessee made its first four field-goal attempts of the night, while Lenoir-Rhyne missed its first six shots.
• In both of Tennessee's exhibition games, it scored at least the first nine points, tallied at least 15 points before the opponent made a field goal and led by 15-plus points in the opening four-and-a-half minutes.
• The Volunteers have also made at least eight shots in a row in the first half of each of their exhibition contests.
• In its two exhibition affairs, Tennessee led for 78:28 of a possible 80 minutes and never trailed at any point.
• Eight Volunteers saw their first action at the Food City Center: Carr, Gainey, Knecht, redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V, freshman forward J.P. Estrella, redshirt sophomore guard Grant Hurst, redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson and freshman forward Cade Phillips.
• Senior forward Colin Coyne, the team's lone returning walk-on, scored a basket to beat the final buzzer and help the Volunteers reach 90 points.
• The Volunteers went a combined 23-of-27 on dunks (8-of-8) and layups (15-of-19) in the triumph.