Recap: Illini fall at No. 17 Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dalton Knecht scored 21 points and No. 17 Tennessee rallied from a second-half deficit to beat No. 20 Illinois 86-79 Saturday.

Knecht had eight points in a pivotal four-minute stretch when Tennessee (6-3) rallied from a four-point deficit to a six-point lead with just over 13 minutes to play. The Illini were held scoreless in the stretch.

“This was the most focus, knowing what we had to do on the defensive end, all season,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “(The Illini) challenge everything you do.”

Guard Santiago Vescovi added 12 points and nine rebounds against the much-taller Illini. Jonas Aidoo scored 14 and Josiah-Jordan James had 12 points and seven assists and Zakai Zeigler scored 11. Tennessee commanded the boards, 43-34.

Quincy Guerrier and Terrence Shannon scored 22 each to lead Illinois (7-2). Coleman Hawkins had 12. The Illini were limited to 35% shooting from the field.

“We’re really good,” said Underwood. “We’ve got a really high ceiling. We just missed some shots and were out of sorts.”

Tennessee went more than four minutes without scoring in the first half, allowing Illinois to build a 36-34 halftime lead behind 12 points by Guerrier. Knecht, who was limited to 11 minutes by foul trouble, led the Vols with eight.

Up next: The Illini will have eight days off for exams before hosting Colgate Sunday, Dec. 17.

Tennessee shut down the Illinois passing lanes and bottled things up in the lane, forcing the Illini to settle for long jumpers. The Illini went 9-for-36 from three and scored just 24 point in the paint.

The Vols dialed in against the top two Illini scorers. After scoring 33 points in the win over FAU, Illinois wing Marcus Domask went 2-for-11 from the floor and scored just 6 points against the Vols.

Shannon got his points and drew fouls, but shot just 5-for-16 and 1-for-16 from beyond the arc. 11 of this 24 points came from the free throw line.

A hook-and-hold flagrant foul on Ty Rodgers early in the second half was a momentum changing play. With the Illini leading 39-34 at the 18:29 mark, Rodgers and Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James were tangled up fighting for a rebound on a missed free throw.

Rodger was whistled for a flagrant-1. James made 1-of-2 free throws to start a 16-5 run by the Vols. Illinois never recovered, seemingly losing its focus over the remainder of the game.

The officials had a quick whistle in the second half, which changed the pace and flow of the game.

The Illinois defense didn't get its hands in passing lanes. That freedom of movement allowed Tennessee to post 21 assists on 27 made field goals, in stark contrast to the iso offense that Illinois ran.

Tennessee worked the ball for open 2's, scoring 38 points in the paint and making 21-of-42 two-point field goals. The Vols assist percentage of 78% was well above their season average of 56.9.

Offensive rebounding and put-backs kept Illinois in the game despite an off-shooting night and too many 3-point attempts. The Illini had 20 second chance points, rebounding 12 of its own 32 missed field goals.

Overall, Illinois lost the rebounding battle, however, 43-34. The benching of Dain Dainja was a factor. The Illini big man grabbed 3 rebounds in just 4 minutes played.

Illinois entered the game No. 12 in the nation in total rebounding percent (57.8) while Tennessee ranks No. 138 (52.1). The Vols were quicker to the ball on Saturday, including chasing down 50/50 balls.