KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Zakai Zeigler scored 22 points, all in the second half, and No. 5 Tennessee rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat Vanderbilt Saturday, 81-76.
Chaz Lanieradded 21, for the Volunteers (21-5, 8-5 Southeastern Conference).
Jason Edwards led the Commodores (17-8, 5-7) with 24 points. Jaylen Carey came off the bench to score 18 before fouling out with 4:13 left in the game.
Edwards and Carey had 10 points each as Vanderbilt jumped to a 44-31 lead at halftime. The Commodores were prolific down low. They held an advantage in points in the paint (20-12).
Vanderbilt: Jaylen Carey has evolved into a force off the bench for the Commodores. He has scored in double figures in five of the last eight games and has proven to be productive as a rebounder. Carey was instrumental in igniting the Vanderbilt offense early against Tennessee.
Tennessee: Last year, Dalton Knecht was good enough to help the Vols through the games in which shots weren’t falling. The 2022-23 and this season have been more challenging. Even though its defense is considered among the best in the country, Tennessee hasn’t found a consistent answer to a sluggish offense - which has resulted in occasional losses.
After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, Tennessee tied the game on a Zakai Zeigler 3-pointer with 9:41 left in the game.
After being outrebounded 21-10 in the first half, Tennessee dominated the boards 20-12 in the second half.
Vanderbilt will travel to Kentucky Wednesday and Tennessee is off for the week before traveling to Texas A&M next Saturday.
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