KNOXVILLE - There was no sand stuck between the Tennessee Volunteers' toes in their first game since a trip to the Bahamas.
The Vols started quickly against Mercer on Tuesday night in their return from the Battle 4 Atlantis, then extended an early advantage to 30 points in the second half on the way to an 84-60 win at Thompson-Boling Arena.
A crowd of 13,642 witnessed the Vols improve to 5-1 on a night when the student section seemed as interested in voicing its disdain for athletic director John Currie as it was in a nonconference basketball game. Chants of "Fire Currie!" broke out in the first and second halves as the school's tumultuous search for its next football coach rolled on.
"It's disappointing, because I think we have a good basketball team," Vols coach Rick Barnes said of the chants. "I like the people that come into this arena, and our guys know they appreciate their effort and hard work. That part is disappointing, because you're playing a basketball game.
Tennessee guard James Daniel III drives to the basket during a game against Purdue last week in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Daniel scored nine points and had 10 assists against Mercer in Wednesday night's 84-60 win."I think John Currie is working really hard. I think it's really a difficult job to hire coaches at any level, and I think the fact is it's a harder job than people think. It's disappointing to me hearing that at our games."
Tennessee's play on the court offered an attractive distraction. The Vols were paced by 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from Jordan Bowden in the first half, when he made four 3-pointers
Mercer, playing without leading scorer Ria'n Holland (twisted ankle), fell behind 28-7 early, and the Vols took a 46-27 lead into halftime.
Tennessee's second-half highlight came in the form of a 6-0 run that took just 11 seconds thanks to James Daniel and Grant Williams. First, Daniel drained a 3-pointer. Then he stole the inbounds pass and dished a no-look pass to Williams, who dunked with one hand and drew a foul. He made the free throw to put Tennessee ahead 73-43 midway through the second half.
Williams led Tennessee with 21 points, Bowden added 18 and Daniel had 10 assists for the second time this season. The Vols shot 56 percent from the field and made 13 of 25 shots from beyond the arc.
"I still didn't think we got after it defensively the way we're capable of, and we got outrebounded," Barnes said, "but we were pretty efficient with the ball, and it was a night we made shots and it's really what won the game for us."
Mercer whittled the lead to 21 points in the final minutes before highly touted Tennessee freshman Yves Pons entered and closed the game with a pair of dunks that sent the remaining fans into a frenzy.
Tennessee plays at Georgia Tech on Sunday in its latest test against a power conference opponent. The Vols fared 2-1 in last week's Battle 4 Atlantis tournament against Purdue, Villanova and North Carolina State. The lone loss came against Villanova, which was ranked No. 3 at the time.
Mercer (5-3) is projected to compete for the Southern Conference title this season, and the Bears had Tennessee's attention Wednesday, even if the Vols were bridging the gap between games against power conference opponents.
"We knew how important this game was," Williams said. "We knew we had to protect our home court. That's one of the biggest things we have have to do. Guys just have to take every game with that same confidence as if we're playing Purdue, North Carolina, Kentucky, all the big name schools.
"It's the same with Mercer because they've done well the last three years."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.