Tennessee

No. 7 Tennessee runs past UT Martin to remain unbeaten

Published

1 year ago

November 27, 2024

No. 7 Tennessee runs past UT Martin to remain unbeaten

It started like many of Tennessee‘s home non-conference games have through the first month of the season.

The No. 7 Vols never trailed in its first game since two stellar outings at the Baha Mar Championship and its lead was never in question, but another defensive masterclass turned their game against UT Martin into a second half rout, producing a 78-35 victory at Food City Center on Wednesday.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee (7-0) did it without the kind of shooting clinic it put on against Virginia and Baylor in the Bahamas last week, finishing less than 30% from three-point range. Chaz Lanier led the Vols in scoring with 16 points, while Zakai Zeigler scored 11 and Felix Okpara finished with 10 along with 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Tennessee held UT Martin (2-5) to 23% shooting from the field and allowed just 15 second half points from the Skyhawks, with their 35 total points the fewest allowed at Food City Center since it opened in 1987.

It started slow, then Zakai Zeigler hit a step-back 3-pointer nearly two minutes in.

UT Martin answered with a Matija Zuzic three to even the score before the Vols rattled off an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers from Igor Milicic Jr. and Chaz Lanier to open up an 11-3 lead with a little under 16 minutes left in the first half.

The Skyhawks evidently made the most of the first media timeout after the Vols’ early onslaught. Leading scorer Josue Grullon scored on back-to-back possessions, including an acrobatic three-point shot from the corner to trim Tennessee’s lead to 12-8.

The Vols clapped back with a score from Milicic and a put-back dunk from Cade Phillips, who was the first player off the bench alongside Jordan Gainey to extend the lead to 16-10 with 11:34 to go in the half.

On the defensive end, Tennessee held UT Martin scoreless for at two-plus minute stretch while Milicic and Lanier bolstered the Vols on offense before the Skyhawks ended their drought to cut the Vols lead to nine at 23-14 as the clock ticked inside of eight minutes.

Tennessee had its own stagnant stretch on offense with less than seven minutes left in the half, going cold from the field for a couple of minutes before Darlinstone Dubar, who has made an impact off of the bench since making his debut at the Baha Mar Championship last week, sunk a 3-pointer to up the Vols’ lead to 28-14.

UT Martin went nearly five minutes without a basket, the result of Tennessee getting hands on the ball and keeping it on the Skyhawks’ end of the floor. Grullon was fouled on a deep 3-pointer that fell through to again end a drought and narrow their deficit to 28-17.

Tennessee’s only points in a four-minute stretch late in the half came from a pair of free throws from Phillips and Stefano Faloppa made a 3-pointer to pull UT Martin within 10. But Felix Okpara gathered in a pass under the basket and finished with a dunk to send the Vols into the half up 35-20.

As sluggish as Tennessee’s ending to the first half was, the Vols grabbed their largest lead quickly in the second half after Zeigler tallied another three and Okpara tipped the ball in to go up 40-20.

Tennessee added two more scores from Gainey and Zeigler again before UT Martin scored its first points of the of the half more than four minutes into the period.

The Vols’ three-point shooting woes continued with Zeigler’s shot in the opening second the only one made of five attempts through the first eight minutes, but those struggles hardly mattered.

The defense gave the Skyhawks fits and Tennessee found other ways to score to maintain a 20-point cushion.

Lanier ended the Vols’ cold streak from deep with a three from the top of the of the key to go ahead 54-29 with 8:58 to go. He had a second on the next possession that rimmed out, but Okapra was there for the put-back.

Dubar scored in transition off of a turnover and Milicic pulled down Zeigler’s eighth assist for a dunk to highlight a 16-3 run over six minutes that upped Tennessee’s lead to a commanding 64-31 edge.

Tennessee will open December with another power conference test on its home floor.

The Vols host Syracuse in the ACC/SEC Challenge at Food City Center on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN) in a rematch of the Maui Invitational in Honolulu last November.

Tennessee won that game, 73-56.

The Vols played at North Carolina in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge last season, coming up short in a second half comeback bid in Chapel Hill.

Syracuse is off to a 3-2 with wins over Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State and losses to Texas and Texas Tech. The Orange play Cornell later tonight.

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Tennessee

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beats Lady Vols for second-ever win in Knoxville

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beats Lady Vols for second-ever win in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE ― Vanderbilt women’s basketball won at Tennessee for only the second time in program history, beating the Lady Vols 87-77 at Food City Center on March 1.

The Commodores (27-3, 13-3) are the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, which begins March 4 in Greenville, South Carolina.

The regular-season finale featured multiple runs by both teams. Tennessee went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter and took a six-point lead into halftime. Vanderbilt went on an 8-0 run to end the third quarter, then went a 10-0 run in the fourth to put the game away.

The Commodores, who shot 53% from the field, were led by Mikayla Blakes, who finished with 34 points. Aubrey Galvan had 24 points, four rebounds and five assists, and Sacha Washington had 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

“The season has been really special, to be able to end it here at Tennessee with a win and secure I think the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament,” coach Shea Ralph said. “So the double bye, it feels really cool. I’m happy for the team, but we are literally just getting started.”

Tennessee (16-12, 8-8) outrebounded Vanderbilt 32-29. The Commodores shot 17-for-20 on layups and had 27 fast-break points. Tennessee was 10-for-24 on layups.

Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament seed

The SEC Tournament will be held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Vanderbilt will start play on March 6 and holds a bye into the quarterfinals, where it will play the No. 7 or No. 10 seed at approximately 5 p.m. CT.

Mikayla Blakes stats

Blakes put up another 30-point performance, her third straight and eighth in her past nine games. She added six rebounds and four assists, but also had six turnovers.

She made six 3-pointers, which ties her season high.

“She had 34 but her biggest buckets were when we had to happen,” Ralph said. “Her biggest moments in this game were when we had to happen. That kid shows up every time.”

Third straight rivalry win

Vanderbilt now has three straight wins over the Lady Vols, beating them last season in Nashville and once in the SEC Tournament.

“I think Tennessee is a great team,” Ralph said. “They will be for as long as women’s basketball exists. Playing here in front of this crowd is tough. It’s tough. So I was really proud of our team for being able to figure it out the second half and win, especially here at Tennessee.”

The Commodores have their most SEC wins in program history.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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Tennessee

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates: Highlights, TV channel

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates: Highlights, TV channel

ARLINGTON, TX — Tennessee baseball is trying to wrap up the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series on a good note against Virginia Tech today.

The 19th-ranked Vols (7-3) lost to UCLA and beat Arizona State for a split at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers. They’re finishing this trip against Virginia Tech (7-3), a game that began at 11:30 a.m. ET (FloCollege streaming).

Virginia Tech lost 10-0 by run rule to Texas A&M in Game 1 and lost 15-8 to Mississippi State in Game 2.

Lefthander Evan Blanco (1-1, 2.00 ERA) got the start for the Vols. Right-hander Ethan Grim (0-0, 3.75 ERA) started for Virginia Tech.

Follow live updates here from Arlington.

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates

Sam Grube struck out. Nick Lucorto singled to CF. Ethan Ball was hit by pitch to put runners on first and second. That ended UT starter Evan Blanco’s outing. Blanco allowed one run on two hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, walked one and hit three batters, tossing 91 pitches.

Left-hander Mark Hindy replaced Blanco. Hindy struck out Treyson Hughes. Hudson Lutterman fouled out to end the threat. 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 2 LOB

Chris Newstrom grounded out. Manny Marin flied out to CF. Ariel Antigua popped out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Top 5th inning: Tennessee 1, Virginia Tech 1

UT starter Evan Blanco made quick work of the Hokies, getting a strikeout, groundout and flyout. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Bottom 4th inning: Tennessee 1, Virginia Tech 1

Levi Clark grounded out. Reese Chapman flied out to RCF. Tyler Myatt flied out to CF. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Nick Lucorto hit a solo home run, driving a 1-2 pitch over the LF wall to tie the game 1-1. Ethan Ball was hit by pitch. Treyson Hughes fouled out. Hudson Letterman reached on fielder’s choice, but UT couldn’t turn the double play. Owen Petrich flied out to RF. 1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB.

Chris Newstrom flied out. Manny Marin popped out. Ariel Antigua reached on an infield single when he hit a grounder to the first baseman and beat the pitcher to the bag. Jay Abernathy walked to put two runners on base with two outs. Henry Ford singled through the middle to score Antigua from second and move Abernathy to third. Vols lead 1-0. Blaine Brown struck out to end the inning. 1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB.

Anderson French struck out. Pete Daniel walked and advanced to 2B on a balk. Sam Gates lined out. Sam Grube grounded out, stranding a runner on 2B. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB.

Levi Clark smashed a long flyout to the CF warning track, traveling more than 400 feet. Reese Chapman struck out. Tyler Myatt struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

UT starter Evan Blanco only needed 12 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts. Treyson Hughes struck out. Hudson Lutterman flied out. Owen Pettrich struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Bottom 1st inning: Tennessee 0, Virginia Tech

Jay Abernathy struck out. Henry Ford flied out. Blaine Brown struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Top 1st inning: Virginia Tech 0, Tennessee 0

UT starter Evan Blanco hit leadoff hitter Sam Grube with a pitch. Nic Locurto flied out to RF. Grube was thrown by stealing by catcher Levi Clark. Ethan Ball struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

What channel is Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech on today?

TV channel: FloSports app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, etc.
Live stream: FloCollege streaming (for subscribers)

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech time today

11:30 a.m. ET at Globe Life Field (Arlington, Texas)

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech probable pitchers

Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (1-1, 2.00 ERA)
Virginia Tech: TBD

Tennessee in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series schedule

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Tennessee senator with Iranian roots calls for diplomacy following U.S.-Israel attack on Iran

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee senator with Iranian roots calls for diplomacy following U.S.-Israel attack on Iran

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A Tennessee state senator who is half-Iranian is calling on the Trump administration to pursue diplomacy and involve Congress following Saturday’s U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari(Action News 5)

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat who serves as Senate Minority Leader, said the strikes have stirred complicated emotions within the Persian-American community.

“My father came to Memphis to go to the University of Memphis in 1977 from Iran. It’s always been a country that I’ve heard beautiful things about, but I’ve certainly not been able to experience it because of the regime that’s in place,” Akbari said.

Akbari said Iranians have long been waiting for an end to the authoritarian dictatorship in the country, but the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has left questions about how Iran will stabilize in the aftermath of the attacks.

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader,... — In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a group of people and officials in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 21, 2025.(Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

“There’s hope but there’s also fear. There’s excitement but there’s also this deep sense of anxiety. What will this look like? We’ve seen in other Middle Eastern countries when regimes are removed and there’s this terrible period of instability,” she said.

Akbari said she hopes she will one day be able to visit the country her father was born in.

“That’s literally the other half of my heritage, and I think for all Iranian Americans, for Iranians who have left Iran and come to America, they hope for a free Iran,” she said.

Persian American community(Action News 5)

Akbari urged the administration to proceed deliberately and avoid casualties among both American troops and Iranian civilians.

“There is a key difference between the Iranian governmental regime and the people of Iran,” she said. “Keeping their humanity in mind, making sure there’s proper aid, and also trying to mitigate any sort of civilian loss of life.”

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