After a pair of Zakai Zeigler free throws gave the Volunteers a 26-25 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first half, Tennessee never surrendered the lead the rest of the game.
Tennessee took a 38-25 lead into the break and led by as many as 18.
Chaz Lanier, the team’s leading scorer (18.8 points per game), had a team-high 22 points (8-for-15) and made four of his seven three-point attempts. Seniors Igor Milicic Jr. (16 points, nine rebounds) and Zeigler (13 points, five rebounds, nine assists) were the other players in double figures.
As a team, Tennessee (9-0) shot 48.1 percent from the floor and 10-for-25 (40 percent) from behind the arc.
Although Miami (3-7) got to within seven points (63-56) with 5:39 left in the game, it could not get any closer down the stretch.
Miami’s leading scorer Lynn Kidd only had 14 points, which shows how effective the Tennessee defense was. The fact that the Hurricanes were held to 39.3 percent shooting and only 24.2 percent from three-point range should come as no surprise. According to TeamRankings, Tennessee ranks fourth in defensive efficiency.
It only gets tougher for Tennessee as the Volunteers travel to take on Illinois on Saturday. Miami will look to put an end to its seven-game losing streak when it faces Presbyterian on Sunday.
