KNOXVILLE – Maybe it was the early tipoff. Maybe it was the looming matchup with top-ranked Gonzaga.
Whatever the reason, the Tennessee men’s basketball team came out a little sluggish for Sunday’s noon game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The host Volunteers fell behind by seven points early and needed a spark from somebody.
Jordan Bowden became that source.
The 6-foot-5 junior had a dunk that sparked a 26-4 run in the first half, and the sixth-ranked Vols rolled to a 79-51 win over the Islanders in front of 14,730 at Thompson-Boling Arena. Now Tennessee (6-1) turns its attention to a trip to Phoenix for the Jerry Colangelo Classic and next Sunday’s game against the No. 1 Bulldogs (6-0), who host Washington on Wednesday before facing the Vols.
Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Tennessee shot 53 percent from the field and had 20 assists on 26 made baskets, but it was far from an aesthetically pleasing performance. The Vols started off each half slowly on the defensive end, leading to a number of open looks for the Islanders (4-4), who made nine 3-pointers in the game.
However, Tennessee dominated the interior with a 32-12 edge on points in the paint, adding 13 fast-break points and 15 points off 14 turnovers by the Islanders.
Myles Smith scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting to lead the visitors, who went 19-for-59 (32 percent) to become the fifth Tennessee opponent this season to shoot less than 40 percent from the field. But the two best teams the Vols have faced this season shot much better against them, with Kansas making 50 percent from the field and Louisville knocking down 11 3s, and with Gonzaga coming up, Vols coach Rick Barnes knows his team must improve.
“We’re not where we should be defensively. I do know this: I think they’re the best offensive basketball team in the country, from what I’ve seen of them,” Barnes said of coach Mark Few’s Bulldogs, who beat then-No. 1 Duke 89-87 on Nov. 21.
“His teams have always been extremely tough offensively. From our time at Texas, we scrimmaged every year for 10, 12 years, and I’ve always had great respect for what they do. They know exactly how they want to play and who they’re going to play through. They’re solid all around.”
Admiral Schofield led the Vols with 16 points, Grant Williams and Bowden had 14 each and Kyle Alexander had his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Bone had seven points on 1-for-6 shooting, but the junior point guard dished out 10 assists to only one turnover.
The Vols played without junior guard Lamonte Turner, who is still battling some lingering effects from a shoulder injury.
Bowden came off the bench for the second straight game after starting the first five this season, and for the second straight game he played with more aggression. Sunday’s game was his first double-digit performance since scoring 10 against Louisiana on Nov. 9, and it also is his season high.
“Coach Barnes has been telling me the last few practices to not think about it,” Bowden said. “I was being tentative, but he told me, ‘Be yourself. Be relaxed.’ That’s one thing I’ve been doing the past few days.”
The Vols used that big run to lead 34-19 at halftime, and when Williams hit a jumper in the paint 10 seconds into the second half, Tennessee’s advantage was 17 points.
The Islanders scored 11 points in the first 4:25 of the second half to cut Tennessee’s lead to 41-30, but the Vols responded with another run, this time a 12-1 spurt to build a 21-point lead, and they didn’t lead by fewer than 16 the rest of the way.
Barnes said the Vols have a long way to go where their defense is concerned, and his players agreed. Their growth since last season has been on offense – the Vols have averaged 10 more points per game than they did last season – but with a veteran team, the Vols believe they will make the needed improvements on the other end of the court.
“We have a great culture, and we hold each other accountable more than we did last year,” Schofield said. “Last year we were a lot more intense on defense. This year we’re a lot more talented on the offensive end, and a lot of times it can be difficult to hold up the energy on the defensive end like we did last year and playing offense hard. Last year we were a great defensive team, but we weren’t a good offensive team. We’re pretty good on offense this year, but it’s kind of balancing out where we’re not consistent on offense but we’re not consistent on defense.
” We’ve got to find that medium where the defense is at a high level no matter what, but the offense has to be able to follow that so we’re making the other team work on defense as well and not just going back and playing hard on defense the whole game, because that’s how you get tired. Coaches can keep coaching and saying the same things, but for us, it’s actually going out and doing it, and that’s where we have to mature.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 and on Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.