Vols hold off Wofford to advance in Midwest Region

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Wofford at Tennessee

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Chaz Lanier fell just a point shy of his season-high with 29 points while Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 12 assists to lead No. 2 Tennessee to a 77-62 first-round win over No. 15 Wofford in the Midwest Region on Thursday night at Rupp Arena.

Lanier’s 3-pointer with 2:50 remaining iced Tennessee’s fourth win in five games and sent the Volunteers (28-7) onto the second round on Saturday in Lexington, where they will play either No. 7 UCLA or No. 10 Utah State.

Lanier nearly matched his 17.7-point average in the first half, draining three 3-pointers and totaling 14 points to help Tennessee to a comfortable double-digit lead.

Jackson Sivills led Wofford (19-16) with 15 points and five rebounds. Corey Tripp added 14 and Jeremy Lorenz had 12 for the Terriers, who won the Southern Conference as a six seed. NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Wofford at Tennessee

Justin Bailey’s layup brought Wofford within two, 10-8, with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. But then Bailey and the Terriers went ice cold from the field and free-throw line, allowing Tennessee to pull away with a 12-0 run to open a 22-8 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Amid the Tennessee surge, Bailey was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and missed all three free throws.

A Corey Tripp triple with 12:45 left in the second half cut Tennessee’s lead to single digits at 52-43. But Lanier sparked a 9-2 run with back-to-back jumpers that pushed the Volunteers’ advantage back to 16. NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Wofford at Tennessee

Wofford relied on 3-point shooting to stay in striking distance but could only get as close nine points, 64-55, on a Jeremy Lorenz 3-pointer with 8:19 left.

Six straight points from Tennessee, however, secured a 70-55 lead with four minutes left as the Volunteers cruised to the win.

Tags: Tennessee Volunteers