KNOXVILLE - Nearly an hour after Saturday's basketball game ended, Tennessee's Victor Bailey was still launching 3-pointers in an empty Thompson-Boling Arena.
Bailey wasn't taking his success in the 10th-ranked Volunteers' 81-61 win over Vanderbilt for granted.
He connected on three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the second half, igniting a rally that turned a tight game into a rout, and the Vols (10-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) beat the Commodores (4-6, 0-4) for the seventh straight time in the intrastate rivalry.
Tennessee freshman Keon Johnson scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half to lead the Vols, while John Fulkerson added 15 points and Bailey had 11.
"He was hitting 45% from the 3-point line at the start of the year," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Bailey. "We need that from him. We need to get consistency on the offensive end."
Jaden Springer's 10 points for the Vols included a 3 in conjunction with Bailey's hot run outside the arc, and a four-point lead turned into a 17-point advantage with that flurry of long shots.
"They hit four 3s in a row," Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said. "That broke up the game. It was an uphill battle from there."
Knoxville News Sentinel photo by Calvin Mattheis via AP / Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes yells during Saturday night's home game against Vanderbilt.Vanderbilt's scoring was led by Dylan Disu (19) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (18). Disu kept the Commodores in the game with 10 points in the first half.
Tennessee went five mintues in the opening period without a basket - but still led 34-24 at the break after Fulkerson scored 10 points and Josiah-Jordan James had seven. Johnson's second-half binge spotlighted the need for consistency.
"Game in and game out, I'm getting more comfortable," the freshman said. "Whether it be more aggressive with my defense or on the offensive end."
Tennessee went through an offensive lull in each half but was able to turn things around.
"I'd like to say we can bring it, whether we've got it or not," Fulkerson said. "Especially on the defensive end, because that's all about effort."
The Vols' ball-screen defense pestered the Commodores into shooting 5-of-23 from 3-point distance.
"It got us out of our rhythm," Stackhouse said. "We handled it the best we could. We settled for some shots."
The Vols' victory over Vanderbilt was the 719th of Barnes' career in 34 seasons at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee. He is tied for 20th all-time in Division I with Phog Allen and Don Haskins.
Tennessee returns to competition Tuesday at Florida.
The Commodores host Texas A&M on Wednesday, and they will be without Tyrin Lawrence the rest of the season after he tore an ACL during practice last week, Stackhouse said. The 6-foot-4 freshman had averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing in seven games, starting five.
Besides the injury, Vanderbilt had its home game with Tennessee postponed Tuesday and missed a couple days of practice because of COVID-19 protocol.
"He was trending in the right direction," Stackhouse said of Lawrence. "He's a great kid. He'll battle back. This was not a good week for us."