No. 5 Tennessee escapes Missouri with 5-point win

Tobe Awaka had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Dalton Knecht scored 15 points in the second half to lead No. 5 Tennessee past Missouri 72-67 Tuesday in Columbia, Mo.

The Volunteers (20-6, 10-3 SEC) trailed by as many as seven points in the second half before rallying past the Tigers (8-18, 0-13).

Knecht finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jonas Aidoo scored 14 points and blocked four shots, while Zakai Zeigler added 10 for the Volunteers.

Sean East II scored 24 points, Noah Carter supplied 20 and Nick Honor added 10 for Missouri, which has lost 16 of its last 17 games.

The Volunteers used their depth to outlast the injury-depleted Tigers while building a 26-6 edge in bench scoring.

Tennessee got off to a slow start offensively, failing to score during the first 4:29 of the game. But Missouri struggled, too, missing its first 11 shots from the floor and enduring four early turnovers.

The teams traded baskets for several possessions, with the lead changing hands eight times in the first half.

East, who scored 14 points in the first half, put Missouri up 27-22 with a 3-point jumper with 2:03 left in the half.

Tennessee shot 9-for-30 in the half, including 0-for-9 from 3-point range, while heading into the break with a 29-26 deficit. The Volunteers turned the ball over eight times and allowed the Tigers to get seven offensive rebounds.

Honor and East hit 3-point jumpers on consecutive possessions to put Missouri up 38-32 with 17:10 left in the second half. Tamar Bates converted a fast break to extend the Tigers' lead to 42-35 with 15:23 left.

Knecht hit a midrange jumper and a 3-point jumper to spark a 7-2 run as Tennessee tied the game 46-46 with 12:08 left. His drive to the bucket put the Volunteers up 50-49, and then he made a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 53-49.

Zeigler's 3-point jumper with 6:51 left pushed Tennessee's advantage to 63-54 and sparked a 7-0 run, and the Volunteers controlled the rest of the game.