No. 12 Tennessee takes down NC State in San Antonio

Josiah-Jordan James notched a season-high 23 points to help No. 12 Tennessee top NC State 79-70 in a neutral site nonconference clash late Saturday night at the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio, Texas.

James shot 6-for-10 from the floor, sank five 3-pointers and went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe as the Volunteers (8-3) won their fourth straight game. Tennessee also got a season-high 20 points from Zakai Zeigler, who also had eight assists and sank four 3-pointers. Jahmai Mashack added 11 points, while Tobe Awaka grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Wolfpack (7-3) were powered by 16 points from DJ Horne, and 15 points, five rebounds and five assists from DJ Burns Jr. Jayden Taylor chipped in 11 points for NC State.

NC State led by six points in the first half, but Tennessee rallied to take a three-point lead at halftime and then went ahead by as much as 11 points in the second half. The Vols used an 11-2 run to build that advantage, with Zeigler scoring four points and dishing out two assists during that span.

But with 7:17 to play, the Wolfpack surged back, tying the game at 60-60 after a 14-5 run. Tennessee again responded though, breaking off a 19-7 run that gave the Vols a 12-point lead with under 40 seconds to play. In that crucial stretch for the Vols, James scored 10 points, a surge that included a pair of 3-pointers for the fifth-year guard. Meanwhile, NC State failed to knock down a field goal for a stretch of about four minutes.

Tennessee and NC State both shot 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, but the Vols knocked down 12 of 27, while the Wolfpack made just 8 of 18. NC State also missed seven free throws and lost the rebounding battle by nine (40-31). Tennessee also tallied 22 assists on 27 made baskets.