Tennessee forward Jordan McRae (52) shoots a three-point basket over East Tennessee guard Jarvis Jones (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena, Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. Tennessee won 66-63 over ETSU.KNOXVILLE — A Grinch wearing navy blue did its best to steal the Tennessee basketball team’s Christmas on Friday night, but Trae Golden played the role of hero for the Volunteers.
The sophomore point guard scored nine of his 11 points in the final five minutes to help UT erase an eight-point deficit and earn a 66-63 win against visiting East Tennessee State in front of 16,044 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Coach [Cuonzo] Martin pulled me aside and told me to step it up,” Golden said. “Like I always say, one thing that really matters to me is Coach Martin and our team’s confidence in me. I just tried on the defensive end to do what I could and tried to make plays for my teammates.”
The Vols (5-6) trailed by 11 in the first half and didn’t take their first lead until the 14:40 mark of the second half on the third of Skylar McBee’s four 3-pointers. The Bucs (5-6), however, went on a 7-0 spurt after McBee’s fourth trey to take a 59-51 lead with 5:36 remaining.
ETSU’s next basket came more than four minutes later as Golden went to work.